Subaru's racing efforts are renowned by enthusiasts far and
wide, as the underdog Japanese brand scored legions of fans—and
championships—during the 1990s and 2000s as one of the dominant players in World
Rally Championship (WRC) competition. (Its wide lineup in the Gran
Turismo PlayStation
game series didn't hurt, either.) In short order, four-wheel drifting glory
became a key part of its identity, fostering tons of press and boosting global
sales of the company's all-wheel-drive turbo sedans and wagons.
Far
less ink has been spilled about the automaker's less successful bid to shine in
the context of a different motorsports institution. In fact, well before rally
ever entered the picture, Subaru was determined to highlight its engineering
prowess and turn the heads of enthusiasts who had largely written off the
quirky brand—by cracking the ranks of Formula 1.
To get started, all it needed was an engine. Unfortunately, that powerplant turned out to be the Subaru flat-12, the largest and ultimately least-successful design in the company's history.
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