Everyone loves a good run in the desert, but most people don’t often think of a Subaru for this task.
Not in our circles, anyway.
That’s what makes it unique to see this highly modified Subaru Crosstrek running through the desert. This Class 5 desert racing buggy blows our mind and we think it will blow yours as well.
Even though it’s still relatively new, the Crosstrek Desert Racer is quickly becoming an off-roading legend.
Here’s why.
Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer
The Japanese automaker’s Desert Racer is built in cooperation with Grabowski Brothers Racing and Crawford Performance, a known Subaru tuner. Under the hood, it features a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter boxer four pumping out 300 horsepower.
Subaru is well known for their success with rally racing, and their boxer engines have long been utilized in off-road buggies as well. The goal with the Crosstrek Desert Racer was to show how well this non-turbo engine could still produce strong performance in an intense off-road setting.
At first glance, you see that the Baja Racer isn’t your typical family crossover. It also doesn’t look much like a stock car that you would find at the dealership sharing its name. It’s made to tackle off-road racing. The Class 5 off-road buggy comes complete with the gold and blue Subaru Motorsports competition colors.
In 2018, the Subaru entry came in second place during the Vegas to Reno 550-mile race. The company has only been involved in desert racing since 2017, so it’s pretty impressive that they earned a second place finish in just their second year.
Crosstrek vs. The Baja 500
The Baja 500 is a 487-mile race on the Baja Peninsula. The single loop race is run by many performance vehicles each year. What makes this Subaru unique for the task is the reduction in weight and improved reliability by cutting out the turbocharger.
The 2019 Baja 500 kicked off June 1st of that year, and we think you will be pretty impressed with the results. Of all the Class 5 buggies, the Subaru-sponsored Desert Racer ended up being the only one to finish the 2019 Baja 500.
The only one.
It took a little more than 16 hours, and that included a virtual checkpoint violation penalty. In all fairness, the course is brutal. That makes it difficult to hit every checkpoint while driving something like this Crosstrek.
And while it certainly helps to have the engineering prowess of some of the best Subaru outfits in the world, it’s not like the other teams showed up with something they tack welded together the night before. Completing the Baja 500 is an incredible achievement no matter the company you’re in.
Once the finish line was reached, the Crosstrek’s driver, Dustin Grabowski, stated that the course was exceptionally gnarly that year. In fact, he’s quoted as saying, “The finish was super tight and just silty, and every single corner wanted to suck you off a cliff.”
Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer: Specifications
According to Crawford Performance, there are several specs on this vehicle that set it apart from the rest. Let’s take a closer look at a few notable additions. It features 35-inch BFGoodrich Tires, steel skid plates and long-travel KING shocks for ultimate durability, no matter how much abuse it faces.
Some of this equipment is the reason the Subaru outlasted the competition in 2019. Of course, some of it is also due to driving skill, so that shouldn’t be discounted at all. Perhaps that is why it’s still in our minds today, or maybe it’s that iconic livery from the good old days of Subaru rally racing. To us, there’s no more fitting place for that color scheme to reappear than this.
What are your thoughts about this legendary desert racer?
About the Author
Brian Jones is an ASE Certified Master Tech that lives outside of Dallas, TX with his wife and children. He has a passion for old muscle cars, big pickup trucks and anything motorsport related. In his spare time, he does a lot of traveling and writing for dealerships across the country through CarBlogWriters.com.