- Scott Speed to drive Project Midnight at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb
- This carbon-fiber-bodied 2024 Subaru WRX weighs just 2,469 pounds
- Project Midnight to make undisclosed speed record attempts
Ahead of a run up Lord March's driveway later this week at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Subaru on Tuesday revealed "Project Midnight," which Subaru Motorsports USA calls the quickest and fastest WRX race car ever.
Inspired by the "Airslayer" 2020 WRX STI piloted by Travis Pastrana in "Gymkhana 2020," this 2024 Subaru WRX is built to tackle the tarmac rather than perform as an all-around rally car. Subaru Motorsports USA worked with Vermont SportsCar to make a lot of changes to help it do just that.
Project Midnight 2024 Subaru WRX race car
The most noticeable difference between Project Midnight and a stock WRX is the wide body made from carbon-fiber. It's designed for better aerodynamics and straps on a larger version of the rear wing from the racing team's WRX ARA24 gravel rally car. Together with a lightened chassis, the body helps the car weigh in at just 2,469 pounds, which is about 300 pounds less than Airslayer and almost 1,000 pounds lighter than a stock WRX.
The suspension is tuned for the pavement, without the need for suspension travel of a rally car, and it all rides on 18x11-inch OZ Racing Superturismo LMP magnesium wheels mounted on 280/650R18 Yokohama Advan slicks.
Under the lightened hood sits a version of the turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-4 rallycross engine that Scott Speed used to win the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Teams Championship. Here it spins out 670 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque, revs all the way to 9,500 rpm, and spits flames from hood-exit exhaust. Like all WRXs, the power goes to all four wheels
Project Midnight 2024 Subaru WRX race car
Speed, who also drove in Formula 1, will pilot Project Midnight up the hill at Goodwood, and Subaru says he will drive the car to take on new challenges and set new records. The company didn't disclose what those other record attempts may be, only saying the car will make additional appearances this year.
Project Midnight will tackle the hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed along with the "Family Huckster," a 1983 Subaru GL wagon that appeared in "Gymkhana 2022." Like it was in that video, the Family Huckster will be piloted by Travis Pastrana at Goodwood.
