Subaru Impreza WRC 2005 - TTNET - Snow Performance Europe

After a 12-month joint development programme involving teams at Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) in Japan and the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) in England, the latest evolution of the Subaru Impreza World Rally Car, the Impreza WRC2005, will make its competitive debut on 11 March at Rally Mexico.

The latest evolution of Subaru's Impreza World Rally Car will debut on March 11 at Rally Mexico, the third round of the 2005 World Rally Championship.

The Impreza WRC2005 has been jointly developed by the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT), Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the maker of Subaru vehicles, and Subaru Tecnica International (STI), the brand's performance arm.

The new car is wider (1800mm) - an increase of 30mm in the front and rear, meeting new regulations for 2005. The suspension arm is extended and the front and rear struts, plus anchorage points, improved.

The body shell has been re-designed, including the front bumper and the front and rear fenders. The shell was designed by the Advanced Design Team at FHI, taking account of aerodynamics, cooling and driving performance in rallies. The design team at FHI, led by Andreas Zapatinas, finalized styling in close collaboration with SWRT. Composite material is newly adopted for the front and rear fenders to make the shell stiffer and lighter.

The horizontally opposed EJ20 engine offers enhanced performance to remain competitive and effective in the WRC. A wide range of performance upgrades includes a direct water injection system and a larger turbocharger housing for stable engine combustion, plus a lighter flywheel and other lightweight components. FHI and STI have established a motor sport engineering development project called "MSi", promoting rally car development and using facilities and technology for production car development. Its work contributes to the development of a "quick and strong" rally car and also the performance and design of production cars.

The Impreza WRC 2005 is a development of the 2004 car designed under the guidance of ex Formula One car designer Ed Wood (UK). The 2004 model won five events in 2004, driven by Petter Solberg (Norway), the 2003 WRC Driver's Champion. Solberg added another win on its final event, the second round of 2005 WRC, Rally Sweden.

"The engine project is another good example of our joint collaboration," said Lapworth. "Work was split between the teams in the UK and Japan, and the result is a positive step forward. Our research and development team in the UK put a huge amount of effort into the turbo project and, in conjunction with FHI and STI, worked to develop an engine that delivers more power, torque and response. The new water injection system is able to deliver precisely the right amount of water to each of the four cylinders and is a significant improvement over the previous unit."

Working closely with UK-based SWRT engine engineers Nick Dennish and Jonathan Carey, in addition to non-engine software engineers Rick Townend and Chris Morley, Masaru is a vital part of the team. His latest project involves finding a substitute to the engine water injection system, which will be banned by the FIA in 2006. "Up to now we have used water injection to help maximise engine power," he explains. "But that will no longer be allowed next year, so we're developing at other methods to get the same result. It's an important project this year and a fantastic thing to be working on."

SUBARU IMPREZA WRC2005 Technical Specifications


Engine	Flat four-cylinder, 16 valve, turbocharged

Cubic Capacity	1994cc

Bore	92.0mm

Stroke	75.0mm

Engine Management	SUBARU Programmable Electronic Engine Management System

Max.output	300bhp @ 5500rpm

Max.torque	60kg-m @ 4000rpm

Exhaust system	Ceramic coated, lagged with fire-proof material and aluminium covered.Fitted with two, three-way catalytic converters

Turbocharger	IHI - with WRC regulation dia.34mm restrictor(air intake limitation device)

Spark plug	DENSO

Fuel tank capacity	80 liters

Transmission	Six-speed electro-hydraulicElectro-hydraulically controlled differentials

Driving system	All Wheel Drive

Front suspension	MacPherson strut

Rear suspension	MacPherson strut with longitudinal and transverse link

Brake	AP Racing 305mm ventilated discs and four-pot calipers front and Rear.For asphalt use, front brakes are 366mm ventilated discs with 6-pot water-cooled calipers

Steering	Power assisted rack and pinion

Tyres	Pirelli

Shock absorber	Fully adjustable with remote reservoirs

Wheel	BBS : Forged aluminum

Data systems	One electronic system controlling engine, transmission and data-logging

Driver display	LCD colour monitor with eight selectable data screens

Radio equipment	Kenwood

Overall length	4415mm

Overall width	1800mm

Overall height	1390mm

Wheelbase	2535mm

Weight	1230kgs ( WRC regulation min. )

Main characteristics of the Impreza WRC2005

1800mm widened body, bodyshell design change around the front and the side areas
Light and rigid composite material adopted for the front and rear fenders
Engine performance upgrades including direct water injection system, IHI turbocharger housing and a lighter flywheel
Reliability of the gearbox is enhanced with a new mechanism for the front differential
Refined cooling system including V-mount radiator
Improved suspension to balance with the widened body and enhance reliability
Forged aluminium wheel made by BBS
Improvements inside the car to lower the centre of gravity and for better serviceability
Adoption of DENSO spark plugs

2005 Snow Performance