Subaru is continuing its healthy relationship with rough terrain by turning its successful crossover into a Mad Max-esque desert warrior to compete in one of Mexico's signature off-road races. The Subaru Crosstrek has already moved plenty of examples on the showroom floor, and now the company is taking its stylish crossover to new extremes for the Baja 500.
Subaru is no stranger to this environment, known for its oversteer-happy performance cars and boast-worthy pedigree in the world of rallying. Now, Subaru has partnered with Grabowski Brothers Racing and Crawford Performance to participate in the Baja 1000's little brother. Subaru is, for some reason, still trying to prove it can have fun in the dirt after all these years, but we're happy it's stepping away from rallying for just a little while.
This highly-modified Crosstrek is nearly unrecognizable now, losing its signature crossover looks in favor of weight-savings and traction. The car was built with help from Crawford Performance, a successful race car building company. It is still powered by Subaru's trademark boxer engine, well known for its dynamic use, power delivery, and sound.
Parker and Dusty Grabowski, hailing from Upland, California, drove the Fury Road Crosstrek in the 515-mile race on June 3rd. Unfortunately, they posted a DNF, but this was the brothers' first time participating in the event. The Grabowskis were previously successful in short course racing, winning multiple championships.
There's always next year, and we fully expect Subaru to build something even crazier for the famous desert race in 2018.