It’s no secret that time attack builders are willing to go to great lengths when crafting their cars.

The ingenuity behind the machinery and how swiftly they evolve over the years is just as entertaining as the racing itself, and every year at the World Time Attack Challenge there are a handful of builds that stand out from the pack for their innovation and quality.

One build that instantly caught the attention of fans at the 2017 event was Australian model Jarrod Scott‘s bespoke carbon fiber 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX. If you have even just the slightest interest in the dark magic of carbon, there’s a good chance the Carbon WRX grabbed your attention, too.

While carbon isn’t new for time attack or motorsport in general, I can’t recall ever seeing such an extensive facelift being given to Subaru’s often forgotten 2012 hatchback. While some initial inspiration for the platform was taken from Roger Clark Motorsport’s Gobstopper II in the UK, the entire exterior was designed from sketches by Jarrod himself.

As pleasing as the carbon aero kit is to the eye, form was forgotten during design, although the emphasis was solidly placed on functionality. Once a virtual copy of the final design was created, the kit underwent extensive CFD (computational fluid dynamics) computer modelling and aero testing.

The Darth Vader-esque aesthetics are just a by-product of the fastest, most efficient design.

With the final plans agreed upon, actual fabrication was placed in the talented hands of Australian company Carbon Plus. The communication process was complicated by Jarrod spending the majority of his time in New York, but after a couple of months the guys found a rhythm and a formula to keep the project moving along steadily.

The wide-body kit is finished off with a Top Stage splitter and APR GT1000 triple-element wing on the rear end. The only other off-the-shelf item fitted to the exterior is a pair of APR GT3 carbon mirrors.

In the suspension department, Nitron R3 coilovers work with a full set of Cusco links and arms. You’ll also find Perrin sway bars front and rear, while new Whiteline bushes complete the handling package. For brakes, AP Racing 6-pot calipers and 355mm DBA rotors are bolted to the front, while the rear setup consists of smaller 4-pot AP Racing calipers and 310mm DBA rotors. Project Mu H16 competition pads feature front and rear.

Lightweight Enkei GTC01RR 18×10.5-inch wheels shod in 295/35R18 Yokohama Advan A050 semi-slicks finish things off. The simple, slim spoke design of the Enkeis match in perfectly with the WRX’s raw and purposeful look.

Looking the part is only half the battle, though, and fortunately the force is strong with this WRX.

Under the hood sits a rare, freshly built closed-deck EJ22. The engine was sitting around at Roger Clark Motorsport (RCM) in the UK, waiting for a special shop project, but ultimately found its way into the Carbon WRX.

The RCM EJ22 closed-deck block has been stretched out to 2.35-litres through a 79mm Arrow billet crankshaft, custom RCM/Carrillo rods and RCM pistons, while fully-prepped 2012 STI EJ25 heads by Cosworth sit at the sides. Although still very early in development, the engine package already packs a strong punch thanks to a slew of quality performance parts including a Garrett GTX3582R turbocharger, AVO headers, a Track Art custom titanium side-exit exhaust, and MoTeC engine management.

In the driveline, a 6-speed Pfitzner Performance Gearbox (PPG) sequential transmission runs through to a complete STI drivetrain.

Again, with Jarrod being overseas the majority of work needed to be carried out by other people, but there was only ever going to be one workshop tasked with the mechanical side of the project – Got It Rex, a Melbourne-based Subaru performance specialist. You can check out their incredible project car here.

The interior is completely devoid of anything non-essential to chipping away at lap times, but with a complete rewire and new ECU setup next on the cards, there’s still more weight to be removed from the car.

After a less than ideal first test at SubiNats earlier in the year – less than one lap – WTAC was the first time Jarrod had any real seat time in the new build. Apart from removing some additional canards from the front, the car’s setup remained unchanged and ran smoothly for the whole three days, Jarrod finishing 5th in the hotly-contested Pro-Am class – an impressive result.

With another year of testing and seat time ahead of them, the entire crew behind Jarrod’s Carbon WRX and the man himself are already excited for what might be possible in 12 months from now.

Matthew Everingham
Instagram: matthew_everingham
matt@mattheweveringham.com