Project Midnight to Make North American Debut at Velocity Invitational

Subaru Motorsports USA’s “WRX: Project Midnight,” will make its North American appearance at the 5th annual Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway, Oct. 4-6. Project Midnight was first unveiled at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“Watching Scott Speed put Project Midnight through its paces at Goodwood was incredible, and I’m thrilled we can bring this ground-breaking machine to our guests,” said Velocity Invitational Founder Jeff O’Neill.  “Partnering with a brand like Subaru and hosting world-class cars like Project Midnight highlights the exceptional caliber of entertainment we will feature this year as we celebrate our fifth annual event.”

Project Midnight will be featured alongside a collection of other high-performance Time Attack cars on track and in a display in the main paddock. The quickest and fastest ever WRX placed second at the 2024 Festival of Speed Timed Shootout and will tackle Sonoma Raceway’s 12-turn road course throughout the weekend.

Piloted by Scott Speed, a Northern California native, Project Midnight takes things to a new level with a singular directive: outright speed. Project Midnight features ultra-wide aerodynamic bodywork and a radically enlarged version of the wing found on the team’s WRX ARA24 gravel rally car. The carbon fiber body and a significantly lightened chassis give it a curb weight of well under 2,500 pounds – nearly 1,000 pounds lighter than a standard WRX. 

Under the hood, a turbocharged and intercooled 2.0-liter flat-four engine produces 670 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque, revving to 9500 rpm and spitting flames from its hood-exit exhaust. The powerplant is the most recent and top-performing evolution of Subaru Motorsports USA’s highly successful rallycross engine that helped Speed earn Subaru the Nitro Rallycross Teams Championship in 2021.

This year’s Velocity Invitational will feature an unparalleled lineup of the world’s rarest cars, including modern hypercars, a Jaguar D-Type anniversary class, historic NASCAR class, historic Formula 1 race cars and other popular historic racing groups. The three-day event will also feature local cuisine and beverage options, such as a variety of wines from local vintners, in a luxurious family-friendly setting.