SPECS Y CONSTRUCCION DE UN SUBBIE MUY FAMOSO ULTIMAMENTE
Publicado: 16 Jul 2009 23:30
Otra Perspectiva de Ken Block y su Subaru Impreza (en ingles)
In most motorsports from around the world, the first attraction is the cars and the technology behind them. Here is a car that needs no introduction. This is a car that seemingly defies physics under the hands of its driver. This is no infomercial, display of driving prowess, or showmanship. This is a car that has been absolutely overshadowed by something much greater than the actual car itself --the driver, Ken Block.
I'm going to have to admit that I was not a fan of this car before I was given the opportunity to shoot it. Seeing what magical things this car can do from watching the infamous Gymkhana 1, 2 and the biblically epic Top Gear segment was great. But, having grown up on seeing the likes of Colin McRae or Richard Burns' WRC Subarus or even the modern day WRC Citroen of Sebastian Leob, Ken Block's Gymkhana Subaru seemed soulless in comparison.
But how was I wrong....
The Subaru may be powered by a built race boxer engine, but this man is where the true heart, power, and soul of the car lies.
At first glance, this car looks like a basically stock 2009 Subaru STI, lowered with some wheels and a bunch of stickers thrown on. But this car's body is far, far from stock. Carbon fiber has been used in as many places as possible to bring the weight of the car down. The roof is carbon fiber, as with the hood and doors. The wing, wing mirrors, dashboard and roof scoop are also made from carbon fiber! A lexan rear window was also used. This build is as serious as it gets!
When I was asked by Rod to shoot this car with Ken Block, I immediately thought of the Salton Sea in the south east part of California. I apologize for a brief, and potentially boring, history lesson about the Salton Sea. So, for those of you that aren't familiar with the Salton Sea, the sea used to be the place to go to in California for vacation in the during the early part of the 1900s. The sea has three rivers feeding it constantly, but there is no outlet for the water! So over time, the sea became saltier and saltier as the water evaporated and the minerals had no where to go. This resulted in most of the fish population dying, and their bodies washing up on the shore. The dank smell of hundreds upon hundreds of decaying fish permeates the air. As the sea got saltier, tourist numbers plummeted, towns and business were abandoned. Presently, the area of the Salton Sea is a mere skeleton of what it was before. Blighted homes, cafes, and gas stations line the surrounding area. And so the thought of the Salton Sea as a location to shoot this car and Ken seemed like a perfect match --and really, it was.
Here's Ken doing what he loves best along the shore the sea.
The weather during the day of the shoot was hovering around 108 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of 45%. Imagine being in those temperatures when you're in a full dress suit! But oh how cool and collected Mr. Block looks sitting on his car with that suit and those shades...
The flared STI fenders house a pair of custom Volk TE37s. I do love the highlighter yellow stripes...
This is a SR5 2.6L race engine built and tuned by Crawford performance. It is pushing roughly 650 horses to the four wheels! The neon yellow tubes greatly improves the aesthetic quality of the, not so pretty, boxer engine.
Ken Block's office cubical is simple, modern, and is definitely designed for maximum productivity! You need the best of office supplies when you're rocking out sideways most of the time. He sits at his desk with a custom pair of Recaro carbon Kevlar bucket seats, and is complimented by a pair of Willians seat belts. The computer in his cubical is not a Dell or an HP, but a Motech M800 with digital dash display!
Ken Block's cubical also comes with a built in jungle gym.
As I've said earlier, did not like how this car looked before. But as I took more and more photographs of the car, it became apparent to me that this a real cool car. The livery's corporate in-your-faceness was my first initial turn off to the car, but if you can somehow ignore it and just look at from an aesthetic standpoint, it is fantastic. The color scheme of the white, black, and highlighter yellow is a great reminder to another great race car, the Formula1 2009 BrawnGP car.
The Salton Sea really is a barren wasteland. It reminds me greatly of the post-apocalyptic world of the Fallout videogames.
The Salton Sea is excruciatingly hot during the day, but as the sun ducked behind the mountains, the temperature started to slightly drop, and the colors of the late afternoon started to show. After a day in the blistering sun, with the smell of decay, and flies hovering around your every move, the sea showed its beauty --and so did Ken Block's Subaru.
Ken Block's gymkhana car and it's twin rally car will definitely go down in motorsport history as an all time great. Will it be remembered as warmly as the Lancia Stratos, Ford's RS200, the 555 Impreza Rally cars, or the Gruppe-B monsters? It may or may not. But as of right now, this is a car and driver that has rocketed far beyond 15 minutes of fame and straight into stardom.
Specs:
Custom built by the Crawford / Skunkworks team
Engine / Engine bay:
- CP SR5 2.65L race engine
- CP billet 84mm stroker crankshaft
- Pauter billet Long rods, CP spec
- J/E forged pistons, CP spec
- Subaru “Gold” STI rod bearings
- Subaru STI main bearings
- Subaru STI piston rings
- Subaru STI head gaskets
- Subaru STI 10mm oil pump
- Subaru STI camshafts
- Subaru STI intake manifold
- CP High flow water pump
- CP Race prepped cylinder heads
- CP Fuel rails with stainless steel lines
- CP rotated twin scroll turbo kit with Garrett ball bearing turbo
- Subaru twin scroll headers
- ARP head studs, CP spec
- Tial 44 wastegate
- CP cold air intake
- K/N air filter
- CP front mount intercooler
- CP Air oil separator
- CP Fuel swirl pot
- CP Radiator tank
- CP custom radiator
- CP oil cooler
- CP stainless steel exhaust with dual CP Megaphones
- Bosch fuel pump and fuel injectors
- E85 fuel
Suspension:
- Tein Super Racing Coilovers, custom valved for Gymkhana
- Tein springs
- Cusco swaybars
- CP custom front hubs
- CP custom tie rods
- CP custom front A arms
- CP alignment and setup
Body:
- 2009 Subaru STI
- CP carbon fiber roof, 7lbs
- CP carbon fiber hood
- FIA legal roll cage supplied by Vermont Sports Car
- STI carbon fiber roof scoop
- STI front lip
- Prodrive carbon fiber wing
- Prodrive carbon fiber OEM wing cover
- Prodrive carbon fiber dash
- Syms carbon fiber mirrors
- Syms carbon fiber door panels
- Recaro carbon / kevlar seats, customized for Ken Block
- CP Lexan rear window
- Willans seat belts
- Sparco steering wheel
- Tinted windows
- Stickers by RallyGrafix
- Paint by Patrick Flynn's Auto Body
Drive train:
- KAPS six speed dog box
- STI short through shifter
- Exedy triple carbon clutch
- Driveshaft Shop aluminum driveshaft
- Driveshaft Shop high performance axels
- Volk TE37 wheels with custom paint
- Carbonetic front and rear carbon differentals
- BFGoodrich KDW “Smokey” tires
- Motul tranny and differential fluids
Electronics:
- Motec M800 ECU
- Motec SDL digital dash display
- Motec SDC center diff controller
- Motec PDM power distribution module
- Motec Knock detection system
- Motec custom wiring harness for entire car
- Motec 5 bar MAP sensor
- Engine tuning by CP
- Kenwood two way radio system
- Odyssey battery
Brakes:
- Brembo Gran Turismo six piston monobloc front
- Brembo Gran Turismo four piston rear
- STI brake bias controller
- Prodrive / STI hydraulic hand brake
- STI brake booster delete
- Stainless steel brake lines and fittings
- Motul RBF 600 brake fluid
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In most motorsports from around the world, the first attraction is the cars and the technology behind them. Here is a car that needs no introduction. This is a car that seemingly defies physics under the hands of its driver. This is no infomercial, display of driving prowess, or showmanship. This is a car that has been absolutely overshadowed by something much greater than the actual car itself --the driver, Ken Block.
I'm going to have to admit that I was not a fan of this car before I was given the opportunity to shoot it. Seeing what magical things this car can do from watching the infamous Gymkhana 1, 2 and the biblically epic Top Gear segment was great. But, having grown up on seeing the likes of Colin McRae or Richard Burns' WRC Subarus or even the modern day WRC Citroen of Sebastian Leob, Ken Block's Gymkhana Subaru seemed soulless in comparison.
But how was I wrong....
The Subaru may be powered by a built race boxer engine, but this man is where the true heart, power, and soul of the car lies.
At first glance, this car looks like a basically stock 2009 Subaru STI, lowered with some wheels and a bunch of stickers thrown on. But this car's body is far, far from stock. Carbon fiber has been used in as many places as possible to bring the weight of the car down. The roof is carbon fiber, as with the hood and doors. The wing, wing mirrors, dashboard and roof scoop are also made from carbon fiber! A lexan rear window was also used. This build is as serious as it gets!
When I was asked by Rod to shoot this car with Ken Block, I immediately thought of the Salton Sea in the south east part of California. I apologize for a brief, and potentially boring, history lesson about the Salton Sea. So, for those of you that aren't familiar with the Salton Sea, the sea used to be the place to go to in California for vacation in the during the early part of the 1900s. The sea has three rivers feeding it constantly, but there is no outlet for the water! So over time, the sea became saltier and saltier as the water evaporated and the minerals had no where to go. This resulted in most of the fish population dying, and their bodies washing up on the shore. The dank smell of hundreds upon hundreds of decaying fish permeates the air. As the sea got saltier, tourist numbers plummeted, towns and business were abandoned. Presently, the area of the Salton Sea is a mere skeleton of what it was before. Blighted homes, cafes, and gas stations line the surrounding area. And so the thought of the Salton Sea as a location to shoot this car and Ken seemed like a perfect match --and really, it was.
Here's Ken doing what he loves best along the shore the sea.
The weather during the day of the shoot was hovering around 108 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of 45%. Imagine being in those temperatures when you're in a full dress suit! But oh how cool and collected Mr. Block looks sitting on his car with that suit and those shades...
The flared STI fenders house a pair of custom Volk TE37s. I do love the highlighter yellow stripes...
This is a SR5 2.6L race engine built and tuned by Crawford performance. It is pushing roughly 650 horses to the four wheels! The neon yellow tubes greatly improves the aesthetic quality of the, not so pretty, boxer engine.
Ken Block's office cubical is simple, modern, and is definitely designed for maximum productivity! You need the best of office supplies when you're rocking out sideways most of the time. He sits at his desk with a custom pair of Recaro carbon Kevlar bucket seats, and is complimented by a pair of Willians seat belts. The computer in his cubical is not a Dell or an HP, but a Motech M800 with digital dash display!
Ken Block's cubical also comes with a built in jungle gym.
As I've said earlier, did not like how this car looked before. But as I took more and more photographs of the car, it became apparent to me that this a real cool car. The livery's corporate in-your-faceness was my first initial turn off to the car, but if you can somehow ignore it and just look at from an aesthetic standpoint, it is fantastic. The color scheme of the white, black, and highlighter yellow is a great reminder to another great race car, the Formula1 2009 BrawnGP car.
The Salton Sea really is a barren wasteland. It reminds me greatly of the post-apocalyptic world of the Fallout videogames.
The Salton Sea is excruciatingly hot during the day, but as the sun ducked behind the mountains, the temperature started to slightly drop, and the colors of the late afternoon started to show. After a day in the blistering sun, with the smell of decay, and flies hovering around your every move, the sea showed its beauty --and so did Ken Block's Subaru.
Ken Block's gymkhana car and it's twin rally car will definitely go down in motorsport history as an all time great. Will it be remembered as warmly as the Lancia Stratos, Ford's RS200, the 555 Impreza Rally cars, or the Gruppe-B monsters? It may or may not. But as of right now, this is a car and driver that has rocketed far beyond 15 minutes of fame and straight into stardom.
Specs:
Custom built by the Crawford / Skunkworks team
Engine / Engine bay:
- CP SR5 2.65L race engine
- CP billet 84mm stroker crankshaft
- Pauter billet Long rods, CP spec
- J/E forged pistons, CP spec
- Subaru “Gold” STI rod bearings
- Subaru STI main bearings
- Subaru STI piston rings
- Subaru STI head gaskets
- Subaru STI 10mm oil pump
- Subaru STI camshafts
- Subaru STI intake manifold
- CP High flow water pump
- CP Race prepped cylinder heads
- CP Fuel rails with stainless steel lines
- CP rotated twin scroll turbo kit with Garrett ball bearing turbo
- Subaru twin scroll headers
- ARP head studs, CP spec
- Tial 44 wastegate
- CP cold air intake
- K/N air filter
- CP front mount intercooler
- CP Air oil separator
- CP Fuel swirl pot
- CP Radiator tank
- CP custom radiator
- CP oil cooler
- CP stainless steel exhaust with dual CP Megaphones
- Bosch fuel pump and fuel injectors
- E85 fuel
Suspension:
- Tein Super Racing Coilovers, custom valved for Gymkhana
- Tein springs
- Cusco swaybars
- CP custom front hubs
- CP custom tie rods
- CP custom front A arms
- CP alignment and setup
Body:
- 2009 Subaru STI
- CP carbon fiber roof, 7lbs
- CP carbon fiber hood
- FIA legal roll cage supplied by Vermont Sports Car
- STI carbon fiber roof scoop
- STI front lip
- Prodrive carbon fiber wing
- Prodrive carbon fiber OEM wing cover
- Prodrive carbon fiber dash
- Syms carbon fiber mirrors
- Syms carbon fiber door panels
- Recaro carbon / kevlar seats, customized for Ken Block
- CP Lexan rear window
- Willans seat belts
- Sparco steering wheel
- Tinted windows
- Stickers by RallyGrafix
- Paint by Patrick Flynn's Auto Body
Drive train:
- KAPS six speed dog box
- STI short through shifter
- Exedy triple carbon clutch
- Driveshaft Shop aluminum driveshaft
- Driveshaft Shop high performance axels
- Volk TE37 wheels with custom paint
- Carbonetic front and rear carbon differentals
- BFGoodrich KDW “Smokey” tires
- Motul tranny and differential fluids
Electronics:
- Motec M800 ECU
- Motec SDL digital dash display
- Motec SDC center diff controller
- Motec PDM power distribution module
- Motec Knock detection system
- Motec custom wiring harness for entire car
- Motec 5 bar MAP sensor
- Engine tuning by CP
- Kenwood two way radio system
- Odyssey battery
Brakes:
- Brembo Gran Turismo six piston monobloc front
- Brembo Gran Turismo four piston rear
- STI brake bias controller
- Prodrive / STI hydraulic hand brake
- STI brake booster delete
- Stainless steel brake lines and fittings
- Motul RBF 600 brake fluid
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