Scheduled for a debut at Goodwood, Project Midnight features a carbon fiber body and an engine that revs up to 9,500 rpm
Subaru is bringing a WRX like no other to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Dubbed Project Midnight, this sleek, all-black vehicle boasts a full carbon fiber body that significantly reduces its weight. With a substantial horsepower boost under the hood, Subaru asserts that this is the quickest and fastest WRX race car ever produced by Subaru Motorsports USA.
Starting with the engine, it’s a 2.0-liter flat-four developed from the company’s rallycross team. This powerhouse delivers 670 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque, and the turbocharged/intercooled engine revs up to 9,500 rpm, powering all four wheels as a WRX should. The car is mounted on a lightweight racing chassis, bringing its total weight to 2,469 pounds—about 1,000 pounds less than a standard production WRX.
The carbon fiber body also includes various aerodynamic enhancements. The front fascia is equipped with winglets and a large spoiler, seamlessly integrating into aggressively flared wheel arches for a widebody appearance. The rear wing is a heavily modified version of the one used on Subaru USA’s rally car. The vehicle features a custom suspension tuned for tarmac and is fitted with 18-inch wheels shod with slicks for optimal grip.
If there’s something vaguely familiar about this car, you’re probably having flashbacks to Subaru’s 2020 Gymkhana video with Travis Pastrana. The crew at Vermont SportsCar used that as the inspiration for Project Midnight, but this one isn’t designed to get airborne. With rallycross champion and former F1 driver Scott Speed at the wheel, Subaru will send it up the hill at Goodwood and seek out other unspecified records in the months to come.
“Subaru Motorsports USA and the team at Vermont SportsCar have delivered an absolute beast,” said Speed. “When driving the car it clearly has rallycross roots, but the wider tires, track, and geometry give it a very unique feel and incredible grip. The ultimate driving machine; half RX, half sports car – a true joy to drive.
Project Midnight will make its official in-person debut on July 11 at Goodwood.
