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Having fun in cars is important. But why do fast cars cost so much money? This is a sticky situation that a lot of manufacturers have trouble getting around. Reasonable consumers demand pesky weight-adding features to ensure their vehicles are safe, economical, convenient, and comfortable. I’m honestly tired of it. Thankfully, we have geniuses like this man in Wales to show us the way, and friends like Lewis Kingston to tell us about them on Twitter.
What started life as a 1999 Subaru Impreza is now strictly functional caged-up off-road kart thing. Frivolous features such as doors and much of the car’s wheelbase have been removed to improve its prowess offroad. In fact, the only pieces of the body that remain are those necessary to keep the drivetrain and a bit of the interior in the right place.
Mechanically, this buggy is stock Subaru Impreza. It has the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated EJ20 sending power to all four wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. And before you ask, no. I don’t know exactly which EJ20 this is. Subaru made six trillion different EJ motors and the nomenclature beyond the first two digits after “EJ” is almost entirely nondescriptive. All I know is that the head gaskets will eventually give up.
And the power this thing makes is not really relevant, either. The entire body is missing, and the owner claims that, as a result, it’s fast. It gets its mystery power figure to the ground effectively via four “good rally tires” which look the part at the very least.
The side profile also reminds me of an AMC Gremlin, which can only be a good thing.
If you want this thing, you won’t need much more than some bravery and a plane ticket to Wales. It’s listed for just £2000, or around $2500 USD. That’s a small price to pay for all of the fun that only a deathtrap of this caliber would offer. It may not have much utility beyond destroying your yard, but that’s okay. There are other vehicles for more everyday sorts of things.
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