Gymkhana is Back Featuring Travis Pastrana and a 1978 Subaru BRAT

​​Ewing Subaru of Plano is excited to announce that Hoonigan and Subaru Motorsports USA are bringing back the Gymkhana film franchise, which transformed stunt driving from a fixture of adventure movies into an art form of its own.  

Former Freestyle Motocross champion and rally and NASCAR racer Travis Pastrana again takes the place of the late great Ken Block, who originated the Gymkhana video concept. Travis was hospitalized with several broken vertebrae in 2022 after a jump in a previous Gymkhana filming. Travis will sit behind the wheel of a newly built Gymkhana vehicle, based on a 1978 Subaru BRAT. The vehicle was first shown at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas and is dubbed the BRATAROO 9500 Turbo.

For those unfamiliar with Subaru history, the BRAT (Bi-Drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter) was an unusual pickup-shaped vehicle with 4-wheel drive based on the compact GL 2-door sedan of its time. The most unusual feature of the BRAT was likely the rear-facing hard-plastic jump seats in the truck bed, which mainly served to circumvent the longstanding 25% tariff on imported trucks. It is probably the quirkiest vehicle from a brand known for doing things in its own way. 

Not much of the 48-year-old BRAT remains. The 67-horsepower 1.6-liter engine certainly wasn’t going to be up to the wild power sliding, jumping, and other vehicular antics of a Gymkhana video. It was replaced with a Vermont Sports Car (VSC) built 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-4 with an extremely high-pressure turbocharger that delivers ten times the power of the original engine, producing 670 horsepower along with 680 lb-ft of torque, and the ability to rev to more than 9,500 rpm, making it the highest-revving Gymkhana vehicle to date. A six-speed SADEV transmission sends power to all four wheels via a bespoke all-wheel-drive system that includes motorsport-grade front and rear differentials. VSC also designed the chassis, which features a roll cage that meets WRC safety standards.  

While still clearly resembling a BRAT, the body is made entirely of carbon fiber and is noticeably wider than the original. Integrated into the body are the most advanced active aerodynamics ever used on a Gymkhana vehicle. The most noticeable features are adjustable front fender louvers, which allow real-time control of the car’s front-end balance both on the ground and in the air. The louvers can pivot forward or backward to fine-tune the car’s airborne attitude during high-flying maneuvers.  

At the rear, the car will feature one of two interchangeable rear wings: a larger one for high downforce and maximum aerodynamic stability during high-speed rides, which also offers an adjustable angle, can be widened, and is raised to generate more downforce. The smaller spoiler also has an adjustable angle and is designed for more fun, tire-shredding antics.  

The Brataroo rides on a custom set of KMC forged monoblock 18-inch wheels that reflect both rallying’s late 1970s golden era and the BRAT’s original four-spoke wheel design. The tires are either Yokohama ADVAN A052 or APEX, depending on the stunt needs.  

The first Gymkhana video for the Brataroo will be shot in Australia, where famous landmarks serve as the backdrop for wild slides, tire shredding, and flying jumps. The car’s livery echoes this location with colors inspired by outback sunsets, featuring subtle leaping kangaroos.   

The first Gymkhana film to feature the Brataroo is titled Aussie Shred and was released in December on the Hoonigan YouTube channel. 

Needless to say, there are no 670-horsepower Subaru BRATs to be found in the Ewing Subaru of Plano inventory. However, just as Travis Pastrana has to trust his ride for his stunts, we offer a wide selection of models you can count on for your daily challenges from the brand that was rated the #1 mainstream brand by Consumer Reports and is a multiple winner of Kelley Blue Book’s Most Trusted Brand award.