Speed-Crazed Aussie Builds 1,000-HP Subaru Brat Pickup That Runs 7-Second Quarter-Miles

This cute ute has ditched its humble reputation in favor of a heavily boosted EJ25 and fat rear tires.

byCaleb Jacobs|
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Anymore, when it comes to all-out drag racers, nothing is off-limits. The quarter-mile strip is no longer reserved for hunks of classic American muscle as imports from both Europe and Japan set records without the need for eight cylinders. The same is true in Australia where, although they love their Fords and Holdens, foreign machinery manages to turn heads by way of massive turbochargers and blistering quick trap speeds. This oddball Subaru Brat pickup is an example of that with 1,000 horsepower and a rear-wheel-drive swap, allowing it to trounce the 1,320-feet stretch in under eight seconds.

Instead of springing for the ever-popular LS family of V8s to make such huge power numbers, the owner Errol Brittain decided to stay in the Subaru family with a WRX STI-sourced EJ25 four-cylinder. He then had the boxer power plant, which now runs on methanol,  built up to provide the necessary grunt for his Brumby pickup, as they call it in Australia. It even features a stock block and crank, and the latter is supposedly good for 40-50 passes between replacements.

Via Drag Bumby on Facebook

Whereas the stock "Brumby" was beloved for its four-wheel-drive and exceptional utility, Brittain opted to save weight and complexity by converting it to rear-drive only. Gobs of power make their way from the heavily boosted EJ25 to a two-speed Powerglide transmission, and then to the back where you'll find a Ford 9-inch rear end. A 6,000-rpm stall converter allows the truck to build boost and then shoot off the line in surprisingly tame fashion, also thanks in part to a MoTec M150 ECU.

The Subaru's best quarter-mile run was clocked at 7.956 seconds while it crossed the line going 168.32 miles per hour. Comparing that to a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the common drag racing yardstick, it's a full second-and-a-half quicker and 16 mph faster. We know that's a case of apples to oranges, but this is all in the sake of reference.

Via Drag Bumby on Facebook

Watch the mighty Subie make its fastest-ever pass and even lay down some power on a dyno in the videos below:

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