Milton-made ‘Brataroo’ leaps canyon in latest Gymkhana video

The Milton, Vermont-made Brataroo is the star of the latest in the Gymkhana viral video series, released December 9. Video and photos by Subaru Motorsports USA.

By Guy Page

From a purpose-built shop in Milton to the red sands of the Australian Outback, a Vermont manufacturer is at the heart of the latest chapter in one of motorsports’ most recognizable film franchises.

The all-new Subaru “Brataroo” made its cinematic debut this month in Gymkhana: Aussie Shred, the viral Gymkhana series. Gymkhana refers to a type of event featuring sports contests or athletic skills, originally from India. In the modern-day West, the term is best known to refer to a highly popular organized automotive challenges designed to test driving skills.

The film showcases gravity-defying stunts by driver Travis Pastrana across Sydney, Bathurst and the Outback. Much of the engineering wizardry behind the spectacle traces back to Vermont SportsCar, the Milton-based company that built the 670-horsepower machine from the ground up.

The Brataroo is a radical reimagining of a 1978 Subaru BRAT, transformed into what Subaru Motorsports USA calls a purpose-built “Gymkhana weapon.” Developed by Subaru of America in partnership with Vermont SportsCar, the car features a fire-spitting turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer engine producing 670 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque, revving beyond 9,500 RPM. Active aerodynamics — the most advanced ever fitted to a Gymkhana car — allow it to corner, slide and fly in ways that push well past previous limits.

That performance is on full display in Aussie Shred. Pastrana is seen hanging two wheels off a pier above shark-infested waters in Sydney Harbor, racing door-to-door with V8 Supercars on Mount Panorama’s famed Conrod Straight, and launching the Brataroo across a 160-foot canyon gap — roughly ten stories deep — in the Australian Outback.

“The Brataroo is hands down the craziest Gymkhana car we’ve ever built,” Pastrana said. “Every part of this car was designed to take the abuse we threw at it while making this film.”

For Vermont SportsCar, the project represents a high-profile showcase of decades of rally and motorsports engineering experience. Founded in 1988 by rally car builder and co-driver Lance Smith, the company has grown from a four-person operation into one of the world’s largest Subaru motorsports programs, employing more than 50 people in a 75,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Milton.

Vermont SportsCar is located on Gonyeau Road just five buildings away from the former Catamount Stadium, once a racing destination as popular as Barre’s Thunder Road.

That facility, completed in 2018, reflects both Smith’s craftsmanship roots and a modern, sustainability-focused vision. More than 560 solar panels provide about 60 percent of the building’s energy needs, and the structure was designed to maximize natural light and efficient workflow. Eight work bays anchor the lower level, while engineering, design, marketing and management offices occupy the main floor — nearly everything required to conceive and build high-performance race vehicles under one roof.

Vermont SportsCar has captured American Rally Association championships every year from 2021 through 2025, claimed 19 of the last 25 American Rally Championship titles, and set the current Mount Washington “Climb to the Clouds” hillclimb world record, a 5:28.67 run by Pastrana in 2021. The company also earned Nitro RX team and driver championships in 2021.

Those credentials made Vermont SportsCar a natural fit for a project as ambitious as the Brataroo. The car had to survive repeated high-impact landings, extreme heat and dust, and the unpredictable stresses of filming complex stunts in remote locations — all while delivering the split-second precision Gymkhana fans expect.

The film itself is equally ambitious. Directed by 321 Action Action and Hoonigan co-founder Brian Scotto, Aussie Shred blends Australia’s urban harbor landscapes with the vast isolation of the Outback. Cameos include Dakar Rally champion Toby Price, Subaru World Rally Championship driver Chris Atkinson, Nitro Circus riders, and a host of V8 Supercars drivers, along with nods to Australian car culture traditions.

Scotto said Australia had long been a dream location for the franchise, first envisioned by Gymkhana creator Ken Block more than a decade ago. Changing attitudes and renewed support from Australian authorities finally made the production possible, adding extra significance as Pastrana’s final film in the series.

While audiences may focus on the spectacle, Vermont SportsCar’s role underscores a quieter story: a Vermont-based manufacturer exporting advanced engineering and craftsmanship to a global stage. From Milton, the company continues to shape the performance identity of Subaru Motorsports USA, proving that world-class motorsports innovation doesn’t require a coastal megacity — just expertise, persistence, and a willingness to push limits.

Gymkhana: Aussie Shred premiered Dec. 9 on the Hoonigan YouTube channel.