Hoonigan’s Gymkhana series is a certified YouTube classic
If you were a car enthusiast like me who saw YouTube become a real platform for media and entertainment, the Gymkhana videos by the late Ken Block may have been a cultural touchstone for many who appreciated cars and the people who drove them. Since the first video, Gymkhana Practice, was uploaded in 2008, the series has garnered hundreds of millions of views and inspired a legion of young and young-at-heart automotive enthusiasts worldwide with Block’s high-octane, jaw-dropping vehicular acrobatics and extreme car control feats. In 2009, Block’s skills became the highlight of an unforgettable Top Gear segment, where he demonstrated his skills with host James May sitting shotgun.
In 2020, Block handed the Gymkhana torch to the motocross, rally, and NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana, who has since collaborated with Subaru on his rendition of high-horsepower hijinks.
Subaru
Gymkhana is back, and it stars this souped-up BRAT
On the floor of the SEMA show in Las Vegas on November 4, Hoonigan and Subaru Motorsports USA announced the return of the adrenaline-laden Gymkhana short film series with the unveiling of the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, a 1978 Subaru BRAT built for Travis Pastrana to shred tires and spark imaginations.
Named in part by the latest Gymkhana film’s setting in the land down under, where the term “hoon” was coined, the Brataroo is a purpose-built machine made in collaboration between Subaru of America and its technical partner, Vermont SportsCar (VSC), a well-known builder of competition-spec cars for different rally series.
This special BRAT is no ordinary BRAT with rear-facing seats in the truck bed. Pastrana’s special ride is a lightweight, widebody machine that has been specially modified to slide. The heart of the beast is a rallycross-bred, turbocharged 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine tuned by VSC to deliver 670 horsepower and an 680 lb-ft of torque at an ear-piercing redline of 9,500 RPM. Power is distributed throughout all four wheels by the BRAT’s all-wheel-drive system through a six-speed sequential SADEV gearbox and racing-spec differentials.
Subaru
On the outside, the BRAT’s iconic sheet metal has been reworked to include a wide-body kit designed by renowned concept artist Khyzyl Saleem (The Kyza), with body panels finished entirely in lightweight carbon fiber. The Brataroo also features advanced active aerodynamic components not seen on anything this side of a Formula 1 car.
According to Subaru, the Brataroo features adjustable front fender louvers that can pivot forward or backward to fine-tune the car’s front-end balance, whether it’s on the ground or airborne. Out back, the special BRAT can be configured with one of two interchangeable rear wings: either a larger wing for maximum downforce and aerodynamic stability at high speeds, or a smaller wing to enable more nimble maneuvers. Like the louvers out front, the wing’s angle of attack can be adjusted to control the vehicle’s direction mid-air.
The Brataroo also boasts a bespoke livery inspired by Outback sunsets, featuring kangaroos flashing Pastrana’s signature thumbs up, ‘70s Subaru branding, and the logos of KMC Wheels, Mercury Marine, Yokohama, Heat Wave, and Dixxon. It also rides on a bespoke set of 18-inch KMC Wheels forged monoblocks inspired by the BRAT’s four-spoke wheels, wrapped in Yokohama ADVAN A052 or APEX tires.
Pictures of this insane BRAT’s interior were not provided, but Subaru says that it is inspired by the utilitarian nature of the original 1978 model, blending both the old and the new. While it features a lightweight carbon-fiber dashboard, it also features some 70s charm with flax-composite wood-grain accents, a restored OEM radio, repurposed HVAC controls (to adjust the active aero), and a period-correct Uniden CB radio.
“This BRAT’s completely unhinged – in the best way possible,” Pastrana said in a statement. “It’s got the soul of a vintage Subaru with the tech to do things no Gymkhana car has ever done. Every part of it is designed to take abuse, fly big, and come back for more. It’s hands down the craziest Gymkhana car we’ve ever built.”
Final thoughts
The Subaru Brataroo 9500 will be on display during the 2025 SEMA Show before it is set to appear in the next Gymkhana film, dubbed Aussie Shred, which is set to premiere in early December on the Hoonigan YouTube channel.
It is nice to see a mainstream Japanese automaker like Subaru embrace the quirky bits of its storied history that enthusiasts and fans like Pastrana really appreciate. It’s another step further to especially recognize vehicles like the BRAT, which famously had rear-facing seats in the truck bed as a clever solution for 70s-era chicken tax concerns.
This special BRAT is definitely one step up from the 862-horsepower GL wagon that Subaru and VSC made for Gymkhana 2022, and hopefully Pastrana’s involvement could bring new appreciation to more of the brand’s other quirky classics. Personally, I’d like to see a Pastrana-VSC-bred XT6, but who knows what Hoonigan and Pastrana will bring to the table after the next Gymkhana video drops in December.
