Subaru’s 2019 Crosstrek Desert Racer To Tackle Baja 500

Say hello to the Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer – and yes, it is completely different than the Crosstrek which you may be familiar with.

This crazy off-roader is powered by a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated boxer engine built by Crawford Performance that pumps out 300 hp. The Crosstrek Desert Racer has competed at various desert rallies since its debut back in 2017, but the new car’s engine has a little extra grunt and will look to improve upon the car’s second-place class finish at 2018’s Baja 500 off-road race.

The Crosstrek Desert Racer competes in Class 5 Unlimited racing and the 2019 vehicle includes a new blue and gold livery in the colors of Subaru Motorsports USA. As these images reveal, it looks absolutely bonkers and features huge off-road tires, gigantic shocks at all four corners and LED lights across the front fascia and roof.

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“Subaru is best known for its success in rally racing, but its engines have been used in off-road buggies for years,” said Quirt Crawford from Crawford Performance. “My goal with the Crosstrek Desert Racer program was to show what was possible with a non-turbocharged boxer engine in an unlimited class, and the results so far have been very strong. I’m looking forward to bringing the car back to Baja this year and showing what it can do!”

“The Crosstrek Desert Racer’s results over the past two seasons speak for themselves,” added Motorsports Manager for Subaru of America, William Stokes. “We’re proud to renew our support for Crawford Performance and Grabowski Brothers Racing, and bring our iconic blue and gold motorsports colors to the off-road racing world.”