Travis Pastrana will be taking the reins from Ken Block in Gymkhana 11, Subaru sniffed out the opportunity and that’s how the one-off, bare-carbon Gymkhana STI was born.

Subaru and Gymkhana are no strangers to each other, as the first two instalments saw Ken Block smoke the living rubber out of a WRX STI. After a long collabo with Ford, the Gymkhana franchise is back to its roots and we absolutely love what we’re seeing.

2020 Subaru Gymkhana STI

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2020 Subaru Gymkhana STI
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

More than just a tire shredder

You might remember how in May 2020, Subaru and Hoonigan announced that Travis Pastrana will replace Ken Block and keep Gymkhana going at lest as far as 2020 is concerned. Five months later, the lovechild between the two brands is out of the bag and calling it the most hardcore WRX STI ever made would be an accurate statement.

In building it, Subaru asked for help from rally specialist Vermont SportsCar. As a result, the Gymkhana STI wears a rad-looking body kit filled with fins and air intakes, ending in a massive rear wing and diffuser. By the way, that’s all raw carbon fiber and get this: the flame-spitting exhaust comes out from the… hood.

Speaking of the hood, under it sits a custom-made boxer engine, but we don’t know how much power and torque it cranks out, which is a bummer. However, hardcore Gymkhana fans will remember that in the first two episodes, Ken Block’s Subarus made 530 and 566 horsepower, respectively. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume that Pastrana’s Subbie will pack a similar amount of power.

2020 Subaru WRX STI specifications

Engine

2.5-liter flat four-cylinder “boxer”

Horsepower

305 HP @ 6,000 RPM

Torque

290 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM

0 to 60 mph

4.6 seconds

Top Speed

160 mph

Transmission

6-speed manual

Fuel economy city/highway

17/23

Curb weight

3,391 Lbs


Final word

Travis Pastrana has big shoes to fill as he takes over Gymkhana 11. With the concoction of the Subaru Gymkhana STI, he basically owns the right tool to kick some ass. On top of that, let’s not forget that the man is an X Games specialist with a ton of victories under his belt, as well as stints in rally racing (WRC) and NASCAR. With such a résumé, we’re willing to bet that Gymkhana 11 will be a cracker.