1988-1989 Subaru Justy LSR
Salted Scooby
By JOHN MATRAS
It’s called bench racing, those idle discussions about what if and just maybe. Most go no further than that. Reality and the crush of day-to-day life usually set in. But occasionally lunchroom chatter becomes a world land speed record. It happened with nine Subaru employees and one pre-production 1987 front-drive Subaru Justy.
The lunchroom group discussed taking a Subaru to Bonneville—easier and cheaper than racing any circuit for a season—but the records for the classes for turbo-charged and normally aspirated Loyales were “pretty stout,” recalls team member Roger Banowetz, now at Subaru Research & Development. “One of the guys suggested the Justy and we all laughed at him.”
The 1.2-liter mini-Sube was long on economy, EPA rated at 38/41 mpg, but wasn’t without performance potential. It had an sohc two-intake, single-exhaust valve aluminum head that made the little three-cylinder a nine-valve engine.
Another asset was the composition of the team. The group of volunteers from the California-based Subaru Technical Center brought a variety of talents to their after-hours project of making a racer from the Justy.
The car would compete in a “production” class, which naturally doesn’t mean “stock.” It did mean a stock body and standard layout as well as a carbureted engine running on gasoline. As no car had ever bettered the Southern California Timing Association’s base time of 115 mph for I-Production, the team from STC destroked the 1190-cc triple to displace 997 cc. A custom billet steel camshaft, 12:1 pistons and steel tubular exhaust headers were fabricated for the engine, as was a custom intake manifold to mount the three 40-mm Mikuni motorcycle carburetors in place of the stock two-barrel Hitachi carb. Engine mods included using titanium valve spring retainers, removing the balance shaft and removing the springs from the bearing seals to reduce friction. A stock, Japanese-market 1.0-liter Justy crankshaft and connecting rods were used, however. As Banowetz says, “In all, very few racing components were used. [It was] a very stock and strong Subaru Justy.” Indeed, it eventually produced 120 hp at 9200 rpm, against the stocker’s 66 hp at 5200 rpm.
Rules allowed lowering, so the Justy was dropped three inches, decreasing frontal area, and a small Japanese- market front spoiler was added. Although stock trans-mission and final-drive ratios were used, the gearbox ran ATF for reduced friction. A homemade cool-fuel can looks like it was made from your grandmother’s cookie canister. “Cool” air was routed via the cowl and from behind the grille, the airbox made from a Pampers box and duct-taped together at Bonneville. Although an accessory tachometer was installed, the Justy’s dash, front and rear seats and even carpeting remained. A full roll cage was installed. The STC team took the Justy to Bonneville in August 1988, achieving a two-way average of 117.553 mph, a new I-Production record. A return the following August after a year of engine work yielded a “down run” speed of 123.938, with a return speed of 122.570, its engine screaming at 11,900 rpm through the traps. The two-way average was 123.224 mph, a new record and one that stands today. The Justy still exists, but it hadn’t run since it set the record. Subaru put it in running order again, and we not only heard it but drove it—a little—as well.
Don’t doubt we heard it run. The unmuffled exhaust gathers an immediate crowd. The three-cylinder actually will idle, though it has a lean stumble until revs are added. Then it’s like lighting a fuse on this nickel rocket. The Justy’s curb weight is only 1700 pounds, so 120 horses launches it hard.
Hmmm, wonder how many horses a full 1.2 liters would make? Maybe we could give those hot-rod Honda guys something to think about if we got an old Justy, cam specs from Subaru, some motorcycle carburetors...
