Subaru has just announced it will campaign a pair of race-ready Levorg Sport Tourer wagons in the 2016 British Touring Car Championships this year.
The Levorg, a wagon based on the Impreza platform, will be Subaru’s first foray in to the hugely popular British racing series. In spirit, Levorg most closely resembles the dearly departed, non-Outback Legacy Wagon. It debuted in Japan for the 2014 model year, and is making its way to the UK. Sadly, it is not expected to make landfall in the US.
While powered by a tuned version of Subaru’s turbocharged, 2.0-liter boxer four, the drivetrain will be modified. The Levorgs will be converted from Subaru’s trademark all-wheel-drive to rear-whee-drive as per BTCC rules.
Piloting the Levorg Sport Tourer under the Team BMR banner will be Colin Turkington and Jason Plato, who may be known to Americans from his role as a presenter on the Fifth Gear television program. “Part of my role when joining BMR was to help secure a manufacturer deal,” Plato told Touring Car Times. “The iconic Subaru brand has always been right at the top of my wish list.” The deal will last three years, so expect to see more wagons on British circuits.
While a wagon may seem like an unusual choice, Subaru wagons — “estates” in British parlance — have a strong following in the UK, and the presence of a wagon trading paint with Fords, BMWs and Audis is not unprecedented. A Volvo 850 wagon famously competed in BTCC in 1994, and more recently Honda ran a Civic Tourer.
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