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Junkyard Gem: 1994 Subaru SVX

Before Subaru became best-known in North America for outdoorsy all-wheel-drive machinery (but after it was best-known for extreme cheapness), we got some wild-looking Subarus with strong overtones of science fiction over here. First, the wedge-shaped XT, XT Turbo, and XT6 arrived during the mid-1980s through early 1990s, with their video-game-style digital instrument panels and fighter-jet-joystick gearshifts. Starting in the 1992 model year, we saw the XT's replacement: the joyously weird SVX. The SVX cost plenty, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the super-cheap Subarus of the past, and not many were sold. Still, Coloradans love old Subarus, and I manage to find discarded SVXs here every now and then. Here's a screaming red '96, found in a self-service yard about 50 miles from Cheyenne. This was the first six-cylinder engine design put into production by Subaru and was essentially the Legacy's boxer four-banger with two extra cylinders. With 230 horsepower, the SVX was reasonably quick for its day. Unfortunately, Subaru didn't have a manual transmission that could handle the six's power, so all SVXs came with four-speed automatics. And, as it turned out, even that transmission didn't fare so well; transmission failures doom more of these cars than any other cause. You can swap in the manual out of a WRX if you have patience and money, and that's what some SVX owners have done in recent years. This one nearly reached 200,000 miles and the interior looks nice, so it was cared for during its life. Now this looks futuristic.  List price for this car started at $29,995, or about $49,800 today. The cheapest Mitsubishi 3000GT cost $30,690 in 1996, and it had just 218 horsepower and front-wheel-drive, so the cooler-looking and quicker SVX seemed like the better deal. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In its homeland, it was known as the Alcyone SVX. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. If you jump to 5:10 in this dealer-promotional video for the SVX, you'll see the street corner in Los Angeles where the irradiated corpse of J. Frank Parnell got incinerated in the film Repo Man. Featured Gallery Junked 1994 Subaru SVX View 15 Photos Auto News Subaru Automotive History Coupe subaru svx

2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA Drivers' Notes Review | Fun for the few

The 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA is a limited-edition version of the Japanese automaker's iconic rally-derived sports coupe. Only 500 units are headed to America, and, with a price tag just shy of $50,000, every single one is likely to be scooped up by true Subaru enthusiasts. The RA moniker stands for record attempt. The STI lapped the Nurburgring in fewer than seven minutes. The Type RA differs from the regular model in a few ways, most notably the lightweight and adjustable carbon-fiber rear wing. The car also uses carbon fiber on the roof to lower the center-of-gravity. Other changes include a 5-horsepower bump, 19-inch BBS wheels, Bilstein dampers and a few changes to interior and exterior trim. It doesn't transform so much as refine an already hot product. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: Rock-solid chassis. Hair-trigger clutch. Tight chassis. Heavy steering. Black coffee. No need for solid foods. This was my lunch on a gray Thursday as I whipped up and down Woodward Avenue in the Subaru WRX STI Type RA. It's a riot. This thing sounds like a hooligan and most of the time behaves like one, too. I spent a lot of time in second and third gears with the revs around 5,000, just because. Need to slow things down? The brakes are spot-on, with quick bite and little pedal travel. The seats are supportive and nicely bolstered. It's a little harsh at lower speeds — something I noticed as I cruised through the verdant Cranbrook campus in metro Detroit. So yeah, I like the STI. This one, done up in RA trim, is a limited-edition model with a carbon wing and roof. It's lighter and has five more horsepower. If you love the STI and the RA (for Record Attempt) has meaning to you, sure, try to get one of these unicorns. Only 500 will be made and they are not cheap — ours is 50 grand. Otherwise, just buy a regular STI. Or if it were me, a WRX. Still, I can see the allure of this rare Subaru. Parting shot: this car also reminds me how much fun sedans are. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: The Subaru STI is a riot to drive, and as a recently reformed WRX owner, it feels familiar every time I get in it. Such is the case with the Type RA, which I also had the pleasure of driving at the track at Thermal Club in California. It the real world, it's still fun. But overall, I'd not spend the extra money for the Type RA.

2015 Subaru WRX to get CVT option?

The 2015 Subaru WRX will make its debut at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show next week - that much we know for sure. We'll have all of the official specs very soon, but it seems Jalopnik has stumbled upon an official-looking document that spells out some of the 'Rex's finer details, including the availability of a continuously variable transmission.
Now, before you throw your laptops and phones out the window, know this: a proper manual transmission will still be available. Do remember, the WRX has always had an automatic option, and the move to a CVT for the 2015 model isn't terribly surprising. According to the document, the new WRX will use a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four - a change from the 2.5-liter engine in the current car. Subaru also employs a 2.0T boxer engine in the Forester, where it's mated to a CVT. What's more, the Impreza on which the new WRX is based also uses a CVT in favor of a conventional automatic.
Jalopnik points out that the more hardcore WRX STI will use a 2.5-liter turbo-four, and will only be available with a manual transmission. Additionally, there will reportedly be a "launch edition" of the STI, painted in the car's signature WR Blue (fingers crossed for gold wheels!).