In extremely belated news (sorry guys, I’ve been a busy boy lately), Subaru is apparently considering fielding a works team in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

While Subaru’s motorsport roots lie firmly in the innumerable gravel-strewn rally stages that snake their way around the globe, recent moves to homogenise rules and regulations between the FIA’s WRC and WTCC disciplines have raised the prospect that the Japanese automaker may soon take a tentative step into the realm of an all-tarmac championship.

If the rumours do turn out to be true, you can expect a slightly modified version of their GH Impreza-based WRC2008 rally car (above) to show up on the WTTC grid. Given the WRC2008 already boasts a highly-durable and immensely torquey EJ20 and a full complement of FIA-approved safety gear, the only major changes that will need to be carried out would be to the suspension and aerodynamic aids. Easy - and a relatively cheap exercise for Subaru.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time a Subaru has been seen in a touring car series.

Perhaps the most famous circuit-racing Subaru today is the Cusco Dunlop Super GT Impreza, which currently runs in the GT 300 category of the Japan-based racing series (right). With 300 metric horsepower and a race-tuned version of Subaru’s AWD system, the race-winning Cusco Impreza can more than hold its own in Super GT, proving that the Impreza’s talents aren’t entirely limited to the world of rallying.

Enjoy the vid of the Cusco Dunlop Impreza kickin’ ass at Sepang below.

[Source: Touring Car Times, via Beyond The Dyno]
[Images: Subaru Tecnica International, Cusco]