The long-awaited Gymkhana starring Travis Pastrana and a 1983 Subaru GL Wagon has finally dropped. It has all the crazy jumps, drifts and extreme stunts viewers have come to expect from one of these productions and certainly is entertaining to watch. Our favorite part, however, might just be when the oblique Subaru ad becomes a literal one.
It’s probably safe to say no Subaru GL wagon has ever seen this much action, unless the US Ski Team got down and dirty in one at the Olympic village. The stunts are insane, and many tires were smoked. After jumping over bridges, ponds, and helicopters — and going through at least an off-screen rebuild or two — the 862-horsepower STI-in-GL-sheetmetal Family Huckster stage bottom as Pastrana hitches a ride in a chopper.
The video then flashes to an old “come down to crazy Travis'” used car lot where a fleet of old Subies are on offer. There’s the PPG Subaru SVX pace car, a Sambar fire truck, the rocket-like Subaru X-100 designed to cross the US on a single tank of fuel, a custom BRAT camper, and the Bonneville speed record Justy. Long time readers may recognize many of these cars from Subaru of America’s heritage collection. It’s a fantastic collection of vehicles both cool and quirky. You know it’s got some stars when even a 22B is relegated to background extra. What Subaru will Pastrana hoon next, an SVX?
How about the Subaru Jackie Chan drove in the mov ie Cannonball Run?
That was a hatchback DL