The quest to become the fastest WRX in Australia seems to have no end. Just after we brought you AVO's knockout 12.2 second STi wagon, it's been matched by BGT's locally- delivered '97 WRX wagon.
And Vin, the proprietor of BGT Performance, is yet another man who drives the car as hard as it begs. Built mainly for the circuit-racing arena, the throw-the-crap-in-the-back station wagon has lapped some of Australia's best-known tracks in very impressive times.
Like Philip Island 1min 50, Calder Park 1min 05 and Sandown 1min 25 - they're respectable times for a road car, trust me! And of course it takes the shine off the quarter mile in only 12.2 seconds with a terminal speed of 111mph. Not to mention Vin has had the car up to 270km/h on his workshop's four-wheel-drive chassis dyno.... and not much slower than that on the road!
With its sizzling looks, upgraded brakes, suspension and heaps of straight-line performance, we'd have to say this is the most appealing WRX in Australia. Nothing about the car is tasteless or technically misguided - it's just a brilliant combination of modern performance car parts. Producing around 350hp, the engine is again completely standard internally. The strength and boost pressure tolerance of the Subaru flat four is really incredible. Incidentally, the 350hp figure has been calculated using a proven 175kW (235hp) output at the wheels on the BGT four-wheel-drive dyno.
Vin has heavily tweaked the intake side of the engine to attain its significant power output. It features an APEXi N1 turbo kit (with its IHI-developed ball bearing centre) to push a maximum of 18psi boost into the engine. Air from the turbo goes through a 2¼ inch diameter pipe into the large APEXi front mounted intercooler kit. The 2¼ inch pipe begins at the turbo and passes through the factory cutout that's originally designed to feed air to the factory airbox, thus making installation very elegant. The airbox is replaced by an APEXi ram-pod air filter.
The front-mount intercooler route is becoming increasingly popular as an option to the standard scoop-fed unit, as it has the potential to fit a larger 'cooler with a smaller pressure drop. Vin says the highest temp he's seen out of the intercooler is 55 degrees C - and that's been on a stinking hot day. On the other side, a BGT-fabricated elbow with separate wastegate and turbine pipes optimise the important gas flow straight out of the turbine. From this section, it flows into a 3-inch APEXi N1 exhaust system with a 3-inch high flow cat, a central resonator and a big shiny rear box. And yes it does Boom, as the plates suggests...
Vin has fitted BGT's own engine management computer to control fuel, ignition and boost. This plug-in replacement computer features a hand-held LCD controller that is kept on the console of Vin's car. Fitting this computer and thoroughly tuning it on BGT's dyno has enabled Vin to achieve "lots better bottom end, a fatter mid range and a little more in the top end". But one of the big pluses of the system is its ability to monitor knock and retard ignition accordingly. Boost has been mapped in 500rpm increments to give 16psi up to 4500rpm and 18psi from then onto the raised 7800rpm limit.
To our amazement the standard gearbox and clutch is still in use. However, Vin says he doesn't drag it all that often as he prefers circuit racing (which is more gentle on the drivetrain). When we photographed the car while it was at a drag competition, he mentioned that clutch had just slipped for the first time having travelled over 40,000kms - which is pretty good for the factory item.
Top-name Japanese suspension products turn the car into a highly competitive circuit racer, while also retaining a comfortable level of passenger ride. APEXi N1 coil-over struts have the right spring and damper match, and there are GAB hollow-section chrome moly swaybars fitted to make the car "very neutral". The suspension is also fully rose-jointed like any true racecar.
Slowing the car's amazing top-end performance is a brake upgrade that uses Subaru STi front discs and 4-pot calipers, with hard Hawk blue pads used for the track. Having a 20mm larger diameter, these big rotors require wheels of at least 16-inches. No problem. Vin's car has Japanese sourced 18x7s that also give the car a sharp styling edge. And to give the car levels of adhesion that are up to the task, sticky 215/54 tyres are fitted all round.
Subaru's uniquely cool WRX wagon styling has been hit with a big dose of colour and attitude. An array of aftermarket stickers with cheeky chequered graphics, a front bumper extension, Japanese market clear indicator lenses and those strike-me-pink STi badges work wonders. And of course those gold coloured 18s and lowered ride height don't hurt either...
Almost as cutting edge is the interior of the wonder-rex. Vin has kept those fabulously supportive standard race-type seats and the original leather steering wheel and gear knob. There's no point in replacing those, as they're practically straight out of a Sparco, Nardi or Momo catalogue anyway.
However, splashes of colour have been added with a couple of red pieces of interior trim, which combines with the red-winged original seats. Subaru's white-faced dial gauges have been complimented with A-pillar mounted APEXi gauges for monitoring boost and oil pressure. A thumping sound system comprising a Pioneer head unit with a Kicker 4-chanel amp, twin 12-inch Kenwood subs and a pair of Philips front splits ensure Vin has the ability to rattle the pavement whenever the urge arises.
When you drive the car it's impossible to miss BGT's fabricated short-shifter. And believe me, it's short - really, really short! But it's hard to get into the car and not fiddle with the programmable injection computer. Vin gave us a quick run-down of the system and showed us the link that enables other maps to be downloaded into the car's ECU. "I put a different program in for the track" says Vin, who normally has a fairly mild "street map" in use. It's just a matter of loading the data in and your ready to hall ass.
Sounds like the best of both worlds doesn't it? And that's a theme we often seem to come across with these supa-qik WRXs...
Contact:
BGT Performance Centre
+61 3 9882 0700 or
http://www.bgtperformance.com.au
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