Watch This Old-School Subaru Make A Ferrari Sweat
An old Subaru Impreza WRX STI and a Ferrari 296 GTB occupy very different corners of the car world. One is a modern Italian supercar packed with hybrid technology, electronic wizardry, and an ultra-fast transmission. The other comes from an era when a massive rear wing, gold wheels, and a loud blow-off valve could make you the king of the local car meet. Putting them together for a drag race sounds a bit cruel, especially when the Ferrari has more power. However, the Subaru featured in this OG Battles video is no ordinary Scooby. It’s a heavily tuned, all-wheel-drive street animal with a driver who can shift gears like he has a personal grudge against the transmission. The Ferrari was always going to be fast, but nobody expected the old Subaru to fight this hard.
The Ferrari 296 GTB Has 820 HP, But The Subaru Is No Joke
The 2023 Ferrari 296 GTB combines a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with a plug-in hybrid system to produce approximately 820 horsepower. It sends that power to the rear wheels through a rapid dual-clutch transmission and uses some seriously clever traction control to put the power down.
Opposite it sat a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Hawkeye packing a 2.35-liter turbocharged flat-four. The modified Scooby produces roughly 750 hp, sends power to all four wheels, and still uses a manual transmission. It may be down on power, but its lighter body and savage launch give it a fighting chance.
The Ferrari completed its best solo quarter-mile run in 10.42 seconds at a ridiculous 146 mph. That trap speed showed how brutally hard the 296 pulls once it hooks up, with the video host comparing it to the performance expected from a 1,000-hp car.
Then the Subaru rolled forward and threw down a 10.38-second pass at 138 mph. Despite having less power, older technology, and a driver doing all the shifting himself, the Scooby completed the quarter-mile 0.04 seconds quicker than the Ferrari. Suddenly, this race made perfect sense.
The Subaru Beat The Ferrari With A 10.28-Second Pass
The first head-to-head drag did not go smoothly for the Subaru. Its driver missed several gears and shut the car down early, allowing the Ferrari to claim an easy victory. A manual transmission may be more engaging, but it offers zero mercy when nearly 750 hp is trying to scramble your brain.
The second run showed what happens when everything comes together. The Subaru fired off the line so violently that the host described its launch as “unholy.” It stayed ahead and crossed the line first with a new personal-best time of 10.28 seconds.
That means a nearly 20-year-old Subaru defeated a modern Ferrari 296 GTB in a straight drag race. The Ferrari driver even admitted that he had sat on launch control slightly too long, while the Subaru simply launched and disappeared.
The deciding race went back to Ferrari after the Subaru bogged at the line. Once the Pracing Horse gained an advantage, its extra power and lightning-fast gearbox gave ol’ Scooby no realistic chance of catching it.
Ferrari Won The Battle, But The Subaru Stole The Show
The rolling races removed the Subaru’s biggest weapon: its brutal all-wheel-drive launch. From a moving start, the Ferrari’s extra power, superior aerodynamics, and dual-clutch transmission took control.
The 296 won the first roll race by approximately two car lengths. During the second, the Subaru driver missed a gear, and the Ferrari disappeared. When you are racing an 820-hp supercar, one missed shift is enough to turn a close contest into a view of shrinking taillights.
Ferrari ultimately won two of the three drag races and both rolling races. Its consistency was incredible, and it repeatedly delivered huge performance without drama. The 296 was the better all-around racing machine, exactly as its price and technology suggest.
Still, the Ferrari winning was not the biggest story. The real headline was an old manual Subaru with an animated driver that clocked a 10.28-second quarter-mile and beating one of Maranello’s newest supercars.
The 296 GTB took home the overall victory, but Scooby earned our respect and our hearts. Sometimes, a tuned street car needs only one perfect launch to make a Ferrari owner stare into the distance and reconsider everything.
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