The gravel machine

The GF8 Wagon

A classic wagon doing exactly what a classic Subaru wagon was born to do: put the power down on gravel and keep coming back for more.

The Shakewell Racing GF8 Impreza wagon throwing a dust cloud out of a gravel corner at the Rally of the Bay 2026

Spec sheet

Chassis
1995 GF8 Impreza wagon — the classic-class crowd favourite
Engine
EJ20 2.0-litre turbocharged boxer four
Driveline
Symmetrical all-wheel drive; STI 6-speed gearbox with fresh front & rear diffs fitted for Narooma 2026
Class
Classic / P5 (ARC), East Coast Classic eligible — sometimes listed as "Impreza G7" in results
Tyres
MRF gravel rubber on gold wheels
Duties
The entire 2026 Australian gravel campaign — ARC, NSWRC, AMSAG, East Coast Classic and club rounds

Thrown in the deep end

The wagon opened our gravel career at the Rally of Bathurst in March 2026 — the first gravel stage either it or its driver had ever tackled together — and got us home 26th outright with Rachael on the notes. A week later it survived a blind Mitta Mountain Rally that eliminated more than half the field.

Read the Bathurst story →

The clutch saga

For half a season the clutch offered about 10 mm of bite right at the top of the pedal, and we kept racing anyway — through Mitta, the Heartland and eventually our ARC debut at Narooma, where it properly failed mid-event and we finished 18th outright regardless.

How we rallied without a clutch →

The Narooma upgrades

For the step up to the Australian Rally Championship the wagon finally got what it had been begging for: fresh front and rear differentials and an STI 6-speed gearbox. The difference showed immediately — second passes at Narooma were consistently quicker than the first.

Narooma stage times & onboards →

Every scar documented

The dented floor pan is from two rocks at Mitta. The dust in places dust should not reach is from everywhere else. Every stage this car has run in 2026 has a full onboard video published — the complete record lives on the event hubs.

Browse every event →

Starring in

Rest of the fleet

BetsyToshiThe fleet overview