American rallying doesn’t get much publicity. The dirt devils of the US definitely live in the shadows of Nascar, Indy and NHRA counterparts. However, Sam Albert has been creating some really positive PR for sport with his Ferrari-powered Subaru WRX STi. Yeah, you read that right, his Subaru rally car has the heart of a Ferrari.

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Loophole

American rally racer Sam Albert campaigns a Subaru WRX STi in the  American Rally Association. He was aiming to liberate more power from his steed when he spotted a rule in the open 4WD class regulations. He noticed that the limit on naturally aspirated engines is a max displacement of 4,5 litres. But what engine could that be? Certainly not most American V8s.

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Albert did some homework and realised that the Ferrari F136 displaces 4,5-litres. This engine is found in a few Ferraris in different states of tune, as well as a 4,3-litre version that does duty in the drop-top California. This 339 kW version sells for, handily, a third the price of the more powerful 458 variants.

Click here to check out a Porsche 911 with a Subaru engine.

Sight Unseen

Albert bought a F136IB V8 sight unseen and had it delivered. He then set about shoehorning the naturally aspirated V8 into the engine bay designed for the Subaru’s flat-four. Part of the transplant required a relocation of the cooling system to the boot, similar to a rallycross car.

Click here to check out a Subaru with a twin-turbocharged Viper V10 engine.

Albert created a one-off mounting plate and flywheel that he designed himself. This connected the F136 with the sequential gearbox that was already in place. The new engine was finally fitted, although the red intake does poke out of the bonnet.The Ferrari powered Subaru had its first shakedown at the Dirtfish rally school, where Alberts is an instructor. You can watch the video of its first outing below. 

Thanks to Sam Albert for the featured images.