Say hello to the Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer and it is completely different than the Crosstrek which you may be familiar
with. This crazy off-roader is powered by a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated
boxer engine built by Crawford Performance that pumps out 300 hp. The Crosstrek
Desert Racer has competed at various desert rallies since its debut back in
2017, but the new car’s engine has a little extra grunt and will look to
improve upon the car’s second-place class finish at 2018’s Baja 500 off-road race.
The Crosstrek Desert Racer competes in Class 5
Unlimited racing and the 2019 vehicle includes a new blue and gold livery in
the colors of Subaru Motorsports USA. As these images reveal, it looks
absolutely bonkers and features huge off-road tires, gigantic shocks at all
four corners and LED lights across the front fascia and roof.
“Subaru is best known for its success in rally
racing, but its engines have been used in off-road buggies for years,” said
Quirt Crawford from Crawford Performance. “My goal with the Crosstrek Desert
Racer program was to show what was possible with a non-turbocharged boxer
engine in an unlimited class, and the results so far have been very strong. I’m
looking forward to bringing the car back to Baja this year and showing what it
can do!”
“The Crosstrek Desert Racer’s results over the past
two seasons speak for themselves,” added Motorsports Manager for Subaru of
America, William Stokes. “We’re proud to renew our support for Crawford
Performance and Grabowski Brothers Racing, and bring our iconic blue and gold
motorsports colors to the off-road racing world.”
