So today me and my dad were getting gas at a station next to this suzuki dealership, and I noticed they had a rally car out front. We went over and checked it out. Suzuki SX4 WRC, body panels from carbon fiber, big red brake calipers, headlights tinted yellow, windows tinted black, black rims, the car was painted black. The best part was the MASSIVE spoiler on the back hahaha

http://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/W...YtCXHoBJkl.jpg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/6...677img0ko2.jpg

picture the car as I had described it... all black with yellow tinted headlights


We talked to the guy at the dealership, he was asking 24k for it (it's new by the way)

320 bhp
470 pound-feet of torque
all before mods... it's turbo'd so a chip would add a NICE chunk of horsepower


my dad is looking to get a new car to drive for a few years to give to my sister, and I told him to get me that car and give my sister the xfire... he said that would be fine with him, and he thought the car was kinda cool too... except the only problem is that I'm going to college, and I can't bring my car with me. He'd be stuck with this car that would scream "mid-life crisis" to anyone he passed on the road... haha oh well... most rally cars scream that

This car is one that people here are either going to love (not likely) or hate (more likely). I for one love it, but that's partially because I love rally racing, partially because I'm a teenager and would get a kick out of driving a 320 bhp suzuki crossover that could leave a lot of sports cars in the dust...

 

Suzuki was in the WRC for just two years, primarily with Tony Gardemeister behind the wheel, before pulling out at the end of last season, as did Subaru by the way. They were just starting to gain some success in the series, too, but apparently the economic downturn forced them to kill the team. But I had no idea you could actuallly buy a similarly equipped car for road use. Are you sure the one they were asking $24k for was equipped with a 320HP engine? I can't imagine how they could sell it for that price - that's their full race prepped engine and the cost would be prohibitive for public sale.

 

i think it looks great!

 

That's what the guy told me, and yes it was new.

There's no way that was the full race-prepped engine anyway. A race-prepped rally car puts out way more than 320 bhp. Go look at what a race prepped evo VIII is putting down... you'd be surprised

YouTube - Mitsubishi Evo VIII, 800 hp on dyno

O.O 800 horsepower on a dyno from a 2L engine!

 

you will get puled over in 3 seconds with anti lag.... that is not a street car by any means...

 

Actually, a WRC car is limited by FIA regulations to whatever they can pull out of a 34mm restrictor. Usually that's about 325 hp.

You're thinking about Group B Rally. That was over 20 years ago.

 

Something doesn't seem right with this offer. Of course I am not very familiar with Suzukis.

 

Interesting, didn't know that about the 34mm restrictor, but I could have SWORN that they threw down more than 320 hp. In any case, this is what I would call "rally inspired" much like the evo VIII. It's the car they rally with, only not completely outfitted for rally racing. And since it's not ACTUALLY a rally car, you can do a lot more with it and put out more horsepower than 320 for sure, all while keeping it street legal...

My friend and I went over to the dealership today, and the guy took my number. He said he'd give me a call when they found the keys I took some pics with my phone, I'll try to upload them later.

There were a few problems with the car that we noticed, but the guy at the dealership said they would fix them before we got the car. One piece of the trim around the front driver's wheel well had broken off, and the driver's side rear tire had some hunks of rubber missing. The guy we talked to told us that they'd fix up the trim piece and replace the tires for us before we bought it... apparently they would have already, but like I said, they cant find the keys! *sigh* oh well, I'm waiting to hear back from him about test driving it (and he offered to let me test drive it, I didn't even have to ask)




OH and if aybody is interested, they have a bunch of porsches on the lot marked WAY down. 2006 Carrera 4S for 40k, 2006 Cayman for 35k, 1999 Boxster for 14k, and a SLK of some sort (didn't check the year, but it was the newest body style) for 23k. The SLK was at 32 he told us, but it's been sitting on their lot for over a month and they just need to get rid of it.

Empire Automotive / Empire Suzuki @ Midway and Plano Parkway if anyone in the DFW area is interested

 

yeah, and my friend and I were laughing pretty hard at a lot of the stuff. That roof scoop actually does vent directly into the cabin, through a mesh grate on the ceiling (real rally cars have this since they pull out the AC to save weight)

The body IS in fact all carbon fiber, we checked it out.

The inside looked pretty comfortable. Radio, AC, etc. and the back seats looked roomy, so you can take your family of 5 with you when you rally race! haha

 

That is definitely not a WRC car. It's not anywhere close to the maximum track width or minimum ride height. It just looks like a standard street car with some fancy body parts.

Thanks for sharing though, it's always interesting to see pimped out rides.

 

it's being sold as the "wrc" version. doesn't make it a wrc legit rally car, like I said, its the street legal version. It's no more an ACTUAL rally car than a new Lancer Evolution or WRX STi that you buy off the lot... more of a rally "heritage" or "rally inspired design," similar to the Evo and STi

and as far as I can tell, the dimensions and body paneling/styling are the same as the actual WRC rally SX4 above

 

What "HOOD" scoop?

 

roof scoop sorry

hood vents

 

Empire Suzuki's video series on their car


FWIW, there is a bolt-on turbo kit but it only puts out numbers comparable to Crossfire Limited. More here.

Bottom line: an SX4 Sport with a few toys from the parts bin.

 

This would be an awesome buy if it actually had that engine, but the numbers quoted definitely sound like WRC-spec: low power due to restrictor, high torque. One can always dream, though.

 

Here's why I don't understand how they can sell it for $24,000:

Assuming they started with the top range, factory SX4, that means their base is an $18,000 car that makes a mere 143HP/136lb-ft from it's 2.0L engine. It's really tough to bolt on 177HP and 334lb-ft without heavily overstressing the engine. And to upgrade the engine internals, the gearbox, clutch, axles, etc etc to handle that much of a bump in HP/torque would cost a lot more than $6,000. And starting with the base model only saves a couple of grand.

Something just seems a bit fishy with those numbers. It cost the factory team a hell of a lot more than $6,000 to build their engines with the same power - I guarantee it.

And sonoronos is spot on - modern WRC cars are limited, although Rally Cross cars put out more in the 500~600HP range, but they are NOT running through the woods and around unprotected spectators. They may make use of many similar models to what's found in the WRC, but they are very different cars.

 

I watched the videos on youtube about the production of the car. It was a 1 off that Empire made, they apparently were designing a bolt on kit for the sx4. It's probably so cheap cause it's been out there for a long time and it isn't selling. They need to get rid of it.

Here's the videos for any1 who's interested:
YouTube - Empire Suzuki SX4 Built - Stage 1
YouTube - Empire Suzuki SX4 Build - Stage 2
YouTube - SX4 Turbo - Empire

 

And why do you want to give your money to the Japanese????

 

As much as I don't like how the Japanese subsidize their auto companies in order to compete with the other car companies, it doesn't change the fact that this is a cool little car...