This one took some actual research so enjoy. Words by Henry
Earlier this year my mate Austin & I made the trek to Sydney to attend Subinats. All-in-all it was an awesome journey with many highlights. One of which was meeting Shane and seeing his lovely Vortex in person. Shane was a super genuine dude and it was so pleasant to meet someone who loves the Vortex as much as me and arguably more. His Vortex has a long and ongoing story of its own, involving a 4WD conversion, replacing a decent amount the the front clip and dropping in a cheap ex-FIA spec EA82T. And it's not a pavement princess either, it see's fair use (unlike mine). But this isn't really about his car but instead the colour scheme. Because Shane's car is inspired by another, a Vortex that competed here in Australia and while it didn't do well it's history is largely forgotten.
So while the Subaru promotional media is an easy re-watch I do have some actual background on this car.
But before I can provide you with an account of what went down in the 1985 Wynns Safari Rally let's focus on Japan. And thanks to the March 1986 issue of MotorFan we have some info. Keep in mind this is going to be a summary using a mostly broken translation.
Just because it's a 4WD doesn't mean it's magic
Nothing satisfies a man's dreams and romanticism as much as a survival game, and nothing requires a strong spirit of challenge. It is a spectacular drama where one mistake can lead to death on numerous occasions, and you live between life and death. The Wynns Safari Rally held in Australia was a battle between people, cars and nature.
The rally Alcyone (Vortex) was developed in just three months based on the track record of the 4WD LEONE RX Turbo.
In addition they wanted to add a wild image to the Alcyone, which has a strong urban image.
So the car was entered in the marathon class which significantly limits the modifications allowed.
The Alcyone had never had never participated in a rally before and had only been on the market for three months. The chassis preparations were undertaken by Iba Works in Matsumoto and involved various support panels, under guard protection etc.
It has a six-point aluminum alloy roll cage, fuel tank relocation, and raised coil-over-shocker suspension to improve its rally performance. It also has a custom protection bar with two Cibie lights. Modifications to the engine are not permitted so it was assembled with precision.
The colour scheme is Team Spal's colours of white, with dark blue, silver, and yellow. This was designed by Shiro Takado.
While you will need to zoom in the car features both Vortex & Alcyone decals. And while this article gives us some background on the car it doesn't go into much detail on how it actually went in the rally (DNF). For this information automotive journalist Cliff Chambers was kind enough to scan Barry Lakes write up of the event. Barry was the navigator and put down a good account of the event. No summary or translation needed for this one.
I think if you've read this far well done. If you have anything to add or ask please leave a comment. Big thanks to Gingo Gojo & Cliff Chambers for the scans. Lastly you can watch my Subinats video below:
This will be long and lack any sort of direction, forgive me. This All Japan Day was far more relaxed for me, as I decided early on I wouldn't be making a video like last year: As a result I picked up fellow enthusiast/blog author Nick at about 10:30ish in the Vortex . Flying in from Canada at 4:00AM Nick somehow still had energy, and as we cruised down south we picked apart the in's & out's of the strange Subaru . I did feel a touch guilty that it only received a garden hose spray-down & leaf blower dry off. Good enough for Nick's first impressions. Now from about here-on-out you are going to read the writings of someone who allowed his mind to wander and instincts dictate when to take a photo. In other words if you want a comprehensive run down of AJD , this is NOT it. Out the gate I enjoyed seeing not one but two triple-S datto Stanza's. I know the Stanza is a boring boxy sedan to most, but I'm a sucker for sports allure, and the SSS paint schemes...
Subinats 24' was a wild ride. While strolling the show & shine, making sure to get enough footage, I finally got to meet Shane. Meeting another Vortex owner is a rare occurrence and Shane didn't disappoint. A super genuine dude, we talked wedge, getting the run down on his Wynn's Safari inspired Vortex . I'll type up a page on that car soon, but during the tour, Shane told me he was not alone. There was another Vortex at Subinats. At that very moment I noticed a red coupe. It was absolutely hauling ass around the elevated sections of Sydney Motorsport Park. Once Shane's attention had turned to the parade lap I knew it was my job to go track down the red Vortex . Seeing Grant's car in front of me was VERY surreal. When the Vortex came out it received a donk of a motor, the EA82 . Later on in Japan and the US, it would receive revisions including a new motor the ER27 (essentially a six cylinder version of the EA -donk). Anytime you had a problem with the...
** PREFACE: RECOVERED ARTICLE FROM MOTOR WEEK SEPTEMBER 1985 ** FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE is not only a powerful tractive tool, but a potent marketing weapon. Just ask Subaru and Audi. The Japanese firm has been in the all-wheel-drive business longer than the Germans, and has specialised in small saloons and estates that can scoot through mud and snow with the aid of selectable four-wheel drive. It also sells these vehicles in two-wheel-drive form, and in the States the importers have netted a sizeable portion of the import market with these sturdy but unexciting cars. Around 80 per cent of Subaru's production crosses the Pacific to America. With the aid of four-wheel-drive, Subaru has created a profitable business in a market niche that has been left unsullied until recently. Now that Toyota and others have entered the arena, it is looking further afield. The answer has been provided by Audi, which entered the four-wheel-drive field with the epoch-making Quattro in 1980, five years after S...
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