HICKEY’S HEADFORD HYBRID: SIX CYLINDERS, ONE GC8, AND A BERTIE TRIBUTE

HICKEY’S HEADFORD HYBRID: SIX CYLINDERS, ONE GC8, AND A BERTIE TRIBUTE
Exactly 20 years since the legendary “Fubaru” (the 4WD Escort with Impreza running gear) first stunned the Irish rally scene, Headford’s master engineer John Hickey is back with something even more mental.
Hickey doesn’t do “ordinary.” Two decades after he pioneered the Subaru-powered Escort, he’s spent the winter in his Headford workshop shoehorning a six-cylinder engine into a lightweight Subaru GC8 chassis.
It is believed to be the first time a 6-cylinder powerplant has been fitted to a GC8 for stage rallying in Ireland.
Hickey on the Build:
“This is a very interesting project 20 years later. The first time in Ireland a six-cylinder engine is fitted to a GC8 little lightweight Subaru. We had a lot of fun putting this together. It’s been another winter project and she’s getting her first run out in West Cork.”
The “Mobil 1” legacy
Fans will notice the car carries an unusual shade of light blue, rather than the traditional 555 dark blue. This is a deliberate nod to the dawn of the Impreza era in Ireland.
In 1994, when Bertie Fisher brought the first-ever Impreza to these shores, Prodrive delivered it in a unique light blue Mobil 1 livery, the only one of its kind. Hickey’s new creation is a rolling tribute to that iconic car, blending 90s nostalgia with modern engineering.

The car is currently undergoing final prep in Headford. as the “marvel of engineering” nears its first competitive stage in Clonakilty.

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