The power-to-weight ratio of a car is one of the most important things to think about when it comes to a car’s performance.  That’s why a Subaru-powered exo-car would be a no brainer!  I was reminded of IAG’s TR-42 when it happened to pop up on my Facebook feed again for the first time in a while.

Similar to the popular Ariel Atom – a lightweight, short wheel base, flick-able package, the TR-42 has a WRX 5-speed transmission with a double wishbone suspension setup and Koni shocks.  A suspension like this allows for more fine tuning between caster, camber, toe, scrub radius, and more.  For a kit car that weighs so little, being able to control the motion of the wheel itself plays a huge part in a properly set up suspension.



IAG built their stage 2+ 2.5L Boxer engine with Kelford cams, GT Spec twin-scroll header, and a Blouch Dom 2.5XT-R turbo, which is located towards the middle of the chassis for better weight distribution.  I should also mention the car is rear-wheel-drive as well to keep the weight down by getting rid of the center differential.  The sound this car makes with the super short exhaust is amazing to say the least.

Watching it rip around the autocross course at Boxerfest 2015 is way cool.  It almost looked too powerful for a simple autocross session, even with some sticky Toyo Proxes R888 tires.  This would be the perfect mountain carving machine.  We saw a few Ariel Atoms up in the mountains from our past adventures, and it’s pretty incredible to see the speed they were able to carry through the winding roads of the Smoky Mountains.

Although, I’m not sure what’s been going on with the company that built these exo-cars.  I reached out to IAG to try to get more information on the build – but no response as of yet.  I did, however, discover the chassis of this car was built by Matrix Motor Werks from a NASIOC build thread in November 2010.  The comments on the post and the lack of a Matrix Motor Werks website lead me to believe they are no longer in business.  Either way, it’s a super rad car and must be a blast to drive.  I’m glad more companies, like Factory Five Racing, are taking matter into their own hands.




They offer a kit called the “818” which supports a direct Subaru Boxer swap.  They give you three chassis options – the Sport, Coupe, or Race.  All you need is a donor car and around $10k, and you have Porsche performance for a third of the cost – an alternative that intrigues me more and more every day.  Time to add another one to the dream list.

By Zach Osborne – @momentum.rs