Cosworth Impreza STI CS400 Slays Supercars at Cholmondeley Pageant of Power

COLESHILL, UNITED KINGDOM – July 21, 2011: In the hands of former British Rally Champion, Mark Higgins, Subaru’s limited-edition Cosworth Impreza STI CS400 put on an electrifying display at last weekend’s Cholmondeley Pageant of Power.

The All-Wheel Drive 400PS Subaru outpaced a host of high-performance road cars and supercars, including the Nissan GTR, Ariel V8 Atom, Lexus LFA and Ford Focus RS500, and in the final standings was beaten only by the £186,000 Lamborghini LP570-4 Performante on the 1.2-mile sprint circuit.

Significantly, on the final day of the event (Sunday 17 July) when the circuit was consistently soaked with rain, the Subaru comfortably outpaced every other participating vehicle. With a quickest time of 68.18 seconds, it was over four seconds quicker than the second placed Lancia Delta Intergrale WRC and six seconds quicker than the second placed car in the Supercar category.

Higgins’ high-speed run dramatically showcased the all-conditions attributes of the Cosworth-fettled Subaru, establishing it as the fastest hot-hatch in the ‘supercar’ class. Mark recorded a best time of 66.08 seconds, at an average speed of 65.45 mph on the twisty Cholmondeley circuit.

“The Pageant’s track is incredibly narrow and asks a surprising amount of both car and driver,” commented Higgins, who recently set the production road car lap record on the Isle of Man TT circuit. ”If you want to set a decent time, good traction, strong brakes and stability at speed are all essential. The Subaru delivered on all those scores. We were only bettered by a Lamborghini LP570-4 Performante in the dry runs and we were the quickest by far in the wet.”

Marketing Director of Subaru UK, Kenyon Neads, commented: “We’re delighted that the CS400 in Mark’s talented hands took the fight so strongly to the supercar elite. Finishing ahead of cars like the Ariel Atom V8 is a real testament to the engineering and development work by both Cosworth and Subaru.

“Ours was not only the fastest hatchback, but also the quickest vehicle in any class when the circuit was wet, which speaks volumes for its capabilities. It was no surprise the Subaru stand in the paddock was a hive of activity throughout the weekend.”