September 2026 - Rally Innovations // Arctic Wolf
From our 2006 Subaru Baja "XTi" Turbo Project, we fast-forward to 2026 with this customized Forester Wilderness! Subaru recognizes the need for high-performance off-road vehicles, leading to the development of the Wilderness line. Continuing to push limits, Rally Innovations offers rally-proven designs for the Wilderness models, now with the 2026 Forester Wilderness. Through these two project vehicles, a 2006 Subaru Baja "XTi" Turbo and a 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness, Rally Innovations opens the door for ZenSpeed (a group of high school and college automotive enthusiasts) to help build them and guide them to innovate in the automotive industry.
We’re teaming up with experienced TSD rallysts and automotive journalists Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal, as well as our longtime project partners to build this Forester into a fully capable rally rig! In collaboration with Crankshaft Culture and Subaru of America, this ‘26 Forester Wilderness will be put to the test across 6,300 miles (1,000 of it dirt/gravel) of grueling roads from Washington state to Yellowknife and the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories, and above the Arctic Circle in Alaska during the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally! Then the duo will take an overland-style trip home, driving from Fairbanks, where the rally ends, all the way to Portland, Oregon, where the couple lives. They'll tackle nearly 10,000 miles in just three weeks!
We’ve developed a new Rally Innovations Light Bar equipped with Baja Designs' brightest high-performance lights to shine the way. With their new Squadron 2.0 Pros, S8 Light Bar, and trick Reflex Actuators, visibility will be the least of their worries even in the dimmest northern nights.
This Forester also features a bolt-on low-profile roof rack designed in partnership with Leitner Designs, offering a highly versatile, OEM-style rack that can carry all of the necessities!
Over the course of the 10,000-mile round excursion, this Forester is fully shielded with Primitive Racing’s beefy, tried-and-true Skid Plates, offering peace of mind while protecting the drivetrain!
Putting the power down to the ground while providing exceptional loose surface grip are the Wildpeak AT Trails from Falken, which are wrapped on strong, light, and aggressive-looking 17” Black Rhino Volls wheels.
And through it all, we have the support of Subaru of Las Vegas, which helped get the Lilienthals to the 2026 Colorado Adventure Rally and the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally. Collectively, we appreciate all our sponsors' support and good wishes! Thank you tremendously.
We're reviving our motorsports roots, establishing new relationships, and involving the next generation of automotive enthusiasts through ZenSpeed. Intertwining these components brings us an exciting and unique vehicle build and team - Rally Remix 2026!