Skip to main content

‘Baby Driver’ Subaru WRX sells for nearly $70,000 at auction

'Baby Driver' Subaru Impreza WRX
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Baby Driver has clearly struck a chord with moviegoers. After a Subaru dealer put one of the movie’s WRX stunt cars up for sale on eBay, the auction attracted 71 bids, and the car ultimately sold for $69,100.

That’s a bit more than one would typically pay for a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX with a few dings and scratches, although this car is special. Besides getting a starring role in one of Baby Driver’s most epic chase scenes, it features some unique modifications. The car was converted from all-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive to make performing stunts easier, according to Autoblog. It also has the turbocharger from a 2004 Subaru WRX STI, to help make more power.

Recommended Videos

The Subaru was listed as having 158,000 miles. That’s not bad for a car that’s over a decade old, but the WRX probably wasn’t driven gently for most of those miles. An AutoCheck vehicle history report showed that it had been in four mild to moderate crashes. The car may also be affected by the Takata airbag recall. It came from the factory wearing gray paint, and was repainted red for the movie, according to the eBay listing.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The listing claims this WRX is one of three Baby Driver stunt cars remaining, out of five built for the film. The same seller has one of the other cars, while the third was bought by a Baby Driver stunt driver. Each car was modified in different ways to suit the needs of filming, despite looking more or less identical on the outside, according to Autoblog. Other cars sported different power outputs, and retained the stock all-wheel drive. One was fitted with a roof-mounted pod that allowed the stunt driver to control the car while actors appeared to drive it.

The WRX wasn’t the only Baby Driver stunt car to sell. A crashed 2011 Dodge Charger police car sold for $3,000, with two bids at the time the auction ended. Despite extensive crash damage from the movie’s climactic scene, the seller claims the Charger is still driveable. But the extent of the damage, and the fact that the Charger was a less prominent player in the movie, probably kept bidder interest down. The car wears Atlanta Police colors and sports a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work
Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Read more
Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Read more
EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says
ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Read more