Wicked Big Meet: A large gathering of car enthusiasts who all share one thing in common: passion for Subaru’s.

Despite the rain, hundreds of people made their way out to Wicked Big Meet 2009 today. Located just an hour outside of Boston in Princeton, MA, Subaru enthusiasts gathered for the 5th Wicked Big Meet event.

An overall great time was had by all. There were a few special surprises of note:

• Ken Block’s 2009 STi Gymkhana car was on display for everyone to drool over
• Ken Block & Travis Pastrana’s Subaru rally cars were on display
• Pro drifting driver Tarzan Yamada made an appearance

I took several pictures of today’s event, all of which can be found in the gallery after the break.

One of my readers recently tipped me off about some 3D rendered drawings they found on one of the forums.

A user by the name of Grid has come up with several 3D renderings of what he thinks the new STi should look like. And guess what? I agree with him. The car’s stance is stunning, and the aggressive body styling is incredible. (Not to mention, it reminds me of a Lotus Espirit)

Unfortunately, who knows if Subaru will ever come out with something that looks even remotely close to this. As we know, the current STi is based off the base-model Impreza, known to many as a simple economy car. This is one of the reasons behind Subaru’s recent use of more plastic in the interiors of their vehicles. (Something which many enthusiasts complain about) In addition, it’s also their supporting reason to retain 4 doors.

I’ve put up some additional pictures on this post, all of which can be found after the break.

[ Source: 3dluvr.com ]

One of our readers tipped us off on a post they found over at the FinalGear forums. Apparently, a friend of a FinalGear member was driving late at night, and swerved to avoid a deer. The outcome? The car hit two tress, flipped twice, and everyone survived.

The driver of the car had a harness bar installed, and claims that it worked wonders in helping him and his co-occupants survive. We’re not really sure how much just a harness bar would truly help, but at lease they’re ok.

I’ve decided to post this up, just because it goes to show how tough these STi’s truly are. I’ve attached a number of pictures taken by the driver, which were posted to his Photobucket account.

I’m still pondering a couple of things though…

1. Why is the car wearing Bridgestone Blizzak Winter Tires?
2. Did our driver really try to avoid a deer, or did we just encounter some lift-off oversteer while running out of road?

Original thread can be found here. More pictures after the jump.

Ahead of its New York International Auto Show launch next week, Japanese automaker has unveiled its all-new 2010 Legacy. Though stylistically derivative of the outgoing model, the Legacy is larger than its predecessor and features more powerful optional engines, a standard six-speed manual transmission and an available CVT.

The 2010 Legacy was previewed by a show car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year and, as can be seen from the photos, the production car is true to the concept. Expect the production model to launch this summer, probably as early as the end of June.

Outside, the Legacy looks like a muscular sibling to its trim predecessor since it shares many design cues, including the front grille and c-pillar designs.

Inside, Subaru says it focused on quality materials. A new electronic parking brake eliminated the need for a traditional lever and added more space to the center console area for new cup holders and a storage bin. A three-spoke sport steering wheel with audio controls and paddle shifters for automatic-transmission models is standard and 10-way power driver’s and 4-way power passenger’s seats are optional on the base model but standard otherwise.

Subaru will continue to offer three engine choices and three basic models.

At the bottom of the lineup, the 2.5i continues with a mostly carryover 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower four-cylinder. Subaru says that a new resin-based intake manifold lowers the engine’s weight and improves low-end torque, which stands at 170 lb-ft. – now at 4,000 rpm versus 4,400 rpm before. Subaru also says that improved cooling and a revised catalyst will boost fuel economy figures above the 20/27 (manual) and 18/25 (automatic) before. The 2.5i will now come standard with a six-speed manual (versus a five-speed in 2009) and it will offer a CVT automatic rather than the four-speed conventional automatic from before.

The 2.5GT gets a revised 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer four with 265-horsepower and 258 lb-ft (a 22 horse and 17 lb-ft. improved over the old model). A modified turbocharger and a reduction in rpms required for peak torque – the torque curve is flat from 2,000 rpm to 5,600 rpm, Subaru says – make it both faster and more efficient than before. A six-speed manual and five-speed automatic remain available.

At the top of the range, the 3.6R model gets an uprated version of the 3.0-liter flat-six previously offered. Subaru says that the 3.6-liter six, which now uses regular fuel, puts out 256-horsepower and 247 lb-ft. of torque (compared to 245/215 from the outgoing engine). It’ll be paired to a five-speed automatic exclusively.

The CVT in the 2.5i, which is expected to make up the bulk of sales if historical figures are to be considered, is the first longitudinally-mounted CVT system in an all-wheel-drive car.

Underneath, all-wheel-drive is again standard and the suspension is significantly modified both front and rear. MacPherson struts up front and a double-wishbone rear suspension mate up with 16-inch steel or alloy wheels on base 2.5i models, while “premium” 2.5i models and 3.6Rs get 17-inch wheels. The 2.5GT receives 18-inch alloy wheels as standard. Stability control is standard across the line.

Externally, the Legacy remains about the same length, growing just over an inch, while adding over three inches to its width (now about 71.7 inches wide). Legacy adds about three inches to its height, as well.

Subaru says that rear seat room and trunk space are up, as well. The trunk will now hold four golf bags, but Subaru declined to specify exact figures.

More pictures after the break!

[ Source: LeftLane ]

Well I thought this was pretty cool, and just had to post it up. NASIOC forum member 08SubieWRX made two mosaics using various car pictures that he had found on the NASIOC forums. For those of you who don’t know, the NASIOC “Member’s Car Gallery” contains a huge number of threads from users who have all posted pictures of their rides.

What I found even cooler is that the resulting mosaics create Subaru images themselves. Check out both of them after the break.

[ Source: NASIOC ]

I just got back from vacation Monday after spending a week in Aruba. While driving my Jeep Wrangler rental car, I spotted this parked out front of a Mitsubishi dealership.

This car is a true beauty, and I felt that I just had to post it up. Pictures were taken using my iPhone. (the one day I DIDN’T have my camera)

More pictures after the break!

The Subaru Mountain Rescue Forester has been featured at several auto shows across the US so far, and we figured we’d post some more pictures of it. It was recently featured at our local New England International Auto Show which was held at the Boston Convention Center in Boston, MA. (for those who don’t know, STi Blog is semi New England based)

We don’t have many words to describe this beast, although we think it would be really cool if Ski patrols and other businesses were to adopt a Subaru vehicle outfitted such as this one.

More pictures can be found after the break. Please note, these pictures are super-duper high quality!

We found this posted over at NASIOC and thought it was quite funny. Apparently forum member cameroncarnes was talking with a few of his buddies at his friend’s house, when one of them said “I bet a car would fit through those doors.”

And sure enough, that’s what began to happen next.

More pictures after the break.