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Author: Olly

Watch Travis Pastrana rock his hometown in this wild Subaru in Gymkhana 2020

The last instalment in Ken Block’s Gymkhana series, number 10, dropped in 2018, and in it we saw the head Hoonigan pass the steering wheel to occasional series guest star Travis Pastrana, hinting that Pastrana would take over in future videos.

Well, it’s happened for Gymkhana 11, whose official title is Gymkhana 2020. Airing Tuesday, the latest instalment sees Pastrana rock his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, in a custom Subaru WRX STI packing 862 horsepower thanks to a 2.3-liter turbocharged flat-4 running a monster 50 psi of boost.

You’ll notice the entire body of the car is made from carbon fiber, helping reduce the weight to 2,623 pounds, or about 800 pounds less than a stock WRX STI. It has also been fitted with wildly aggressive aero parts that Subaru said have been tested in the wind tunnel. Other upgrades include long-travel suspension and a stripped interior built to Pastrana’s specs. Overseeing the build was rally car constructor Vermont SportsCar based in Milton, Vermont.

Block also drove Subarus in the early Gymkhana videos, before switching to Ford, so this represents a return to the series for Subaru. It’s also a great way to promote the arrival of the redesigned 2022 BRZ, which you’ll spot making a cameo in the video.

But will we ever see Block back behind the wheel in a Gymkhana video? He doesn’t plan to give up his seat permanently. Adding a new driver “sets the ground for a new game of one-upmanship,” he said in a statement.

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December 8, 2020
2020 AUDI TT RS REVIEW

The 2020 Audi TT RS had a little rework to help it meet strict EU emissions laws. We got behind the wheel to find out whether it has lost some of its urgency.

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With 400hp on tap, you might not be questioning the 2020 Audi TT RS’s urgency. But, the 2.5-litre, turbocharged five-pot felt a touch lethargic in the Audi RS Q3 we drove recently. The changes to the engine thanks to emissions laws means that while power and technical specifications remain the same, from behind the wheel, power down low feels obsolete.

Sadly, the engine suffers massively with turbo lag, with you having to wait a good few seconds for boost to come on tap should you be under around 3000rpm and plant your foot. Thankfully, elsewhere, the TT RS stands tall against its competitors, offering good road comfort, huge levels of grip thanks to that quattro system, and an interior that puts it at the top of its class.

With plenty of mods available for the 2020 Audi TT RS, and the news that Audi will no longer be building a TT as we know it, is now the time to buy the baby supercar?

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December 8, 2020
MANHART SUPRA GR 550 REVEALED

After just half a year since it released the Manhart Supra GR 450, the German tuners are back with another, the Manhart Supra GR 550. And as the name suggests, it gets 550hp!

Manhart is no stranger to tuning BMWs, and as we all know the majority of the Toyota Supra GR is BMW, it meant that Manhart could turn its attention to the legendary Supra.

While the specialists from Wuppertal unveiled an optimized version of the Japanese two-door model for the first time about six months ago with the Supra GR 450, it is now adding another: with the Manhart Supra GR 550. As usual, the numbers in the designations stand for the performance. The 3.0-litre, in-line six-cylinder (B58) now produces 550ps (542hp), an increase of around 207hp over the standard car.

The maximum torque increases at the same time to up to 568lb ft thanks to a TTE 685 turbo upgrades. 770 Nm (series: 500 Nm). A more powerful Manhart radiator kit by Wagner Tuning was also installed under the hood. In addition, there is a Manhart exhaust system by FI Exhaust and sports downpipe by Wagner Tuning.

In keeping with its power, the Manhart GR 550 has a dynamic look with in-house Concave One wheels finished in satin black measuring 9×20 and 10.5×20 inch front to back.

The matte foiling in Manhart-typical golden yellow, which is provided with decorative stripes in black and fine red accent lines, forms a strong contrast. At the front, an AC Schnitzer lip spoiler helps increase visual drama as well as H&R lowering springs.

Want the power upgrade? That comes in at around £8840. For this, that includes the TTE 625 turbo, the Wagner Tuning Radiator, Manhart charge pips and a Manhart carbon intake. The electronically-controlled valved exhaust comes in at £4000, while the sports cat downpipe comes in at just over £1300. The wheels? £1950. Combine that with the AC Schnitzer lip at £800, the H&R springs at £293 and the decals and gold wrap (£3090) and suddenly the sum of all these upgrades costs just over £20,000… But it looks awesome, doesn’t it?

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December 8, 2020