VIDEO: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Test Car Laps the Nurburgring in 7:55.00, Faster than Panamera and CTS-V

Subaru has just released test footage of its soon-to-be-launched 2011 Impreza WRX STI sedan from the Nurburgring race track. Described by the Japanese automaker as the firm's "fastest WRX STI ever", the 2011MY turned the Nurburgring race track in an impressive 7 minutes and 55 seconds in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi Mäkinen.

For those keeping track, rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter Röhrl, lapped the 'Ring with the 500HP Panamera Turbo in an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds, while Cadillac's 556HP CTS-V clocked a 7:59.32 lap in 2008.

But there's a catch; the 2011 STI that lapped the 'Ring was in Subaru's own words, a prototype model. According to the company, the test car combined a series of production performance upgrades from the JDM-only R205 and C-Spec STIs including a larger turbocharger with some additional mods such as under body aero parts and aluminum fenders.

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VIDEO: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Pulls Truck Out Of Snow Covered Road!

The previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI packs some serious muscle under its hood, and thanks to the company's signature symmetrical all-wheel drive system, all that power is efficiently transferred to the road. In fact, the STI's powertrain is so effective that a driver (we assume in Holland) managed to pull out a semi trailer-truck that was stuck on a snow/ice covered road. And oh, don't let Mitsubishi fans claiming that there's an EVO somewhere up front pulling the STI get to you... Watch the video after the break.

Via: Topspeed

SPY VIDEO: 2011 Toyota FT86 - Subaru Prototype Captured on the Nurburgring

The oddly shaped coupe covered in layers of metal and camouflage tape that you see in this spy video undergoing tests at the Nurburgring race track is none other than a test mule for the upcoming Toyota / Subaru co-developed rear-wheel drive sport coupes. Understandably, there's no way of knowing if it's a prototype for the Toyota-badged model that will be previewed at this week's Tokyo Motor Show with the FT-86 Concept or for Subaru's derivative that has yet to be revealed or even named.

Not that it matters as both compact sport coupes will share the same mechanical underpinnings including a modified version of Subaru's 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine said (but not officially confirmed) to produce up to 200HP.

Both the Subaru and Toyota variants of the rear-wheel drive 2+2 coupe are to be produced in Japan at Subaru's Gunma factory with the first examples due to arrive in the market in late 2011.

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Ft86club