The brand also announced a revision to the structure of its U.S. racing activities, which will now combine stage rally, rallycross, record attempts, off-road racing, and circuit racing under the banner of Subaru Motorsports.
“These colors are part of our brand’s history, and beloved by our enthusiasts,” said Alan Bethke, vice president of marketing for Subaru of America. “For a generation of rally fans, Subaru is synonymous with blue cars, gold wheels and the iconic star cluster. This new design pays tribute to that heritage, while looking ahead to future success under the Subaru Motorsports name.”
The all-new design, featuring a WR Blue Pearl base color with gold-painted wheels, officially debuted Jan. 14 at the North American International Auto Show. The bright yellow graphics package is dominated by the Subaru star cluster on the doors with a prominent sweep that extends to the B-pillars and roof.
According to Subaru, the design is a bigger, bolder take on the Comet motif made famous by the World Rally Championship-winning Imprezas of Richard Burns and Petter Solberg. The distinctive red logo of Subaru Tecnica International, the brand’s performance division, appears on the front side intakes, rear wing endplates and trunk lid vent panel.
“Stage rally has formed the core of Subaru of America’s motorsports program since 2001, when Subaru Rally Team USA was formed in partnership with Vermont SportsCar,” according to a press release by Subaru. “The newly announced Subaru Motorsports name reflects a subsequent expansion into a wider range of racing disciplines, all of which showcase core technologies like the Subaru Boxer engine and symmetrical all-wheel drive.”
Last year, Subaru Rally Team USA captured the American Rally Association (ARA) overall title and finished on the podium in the Americas Rallycross (ARX) championship. Subaru also secured a Manufacturer’s Championship in the Pirelli World Challenge TCA class with partner TechSport Racing, claimed a Class 5 win at the Vegas to Reno off-road race with Crawford Performance/Grabowski Brothers Racing, and established a benchmark record at Romania’s Transfăgărășan Highway with the WRX STI Type RA Time Attack.
Subaru Motorsports will display the new competition livery and launch its 2019 ARA title defense March 15-16 at Missouri’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.
