For many, the nineties and early 2000s were the peak of British rallying, with two home-grown champions battling it out in the WRC in cars that closely resembled those that you could actually go and buy. The leading contenders were from the Japanese manufacturers, Subaru and Mitsubishi and the white heat of competition required a furious pace of development of the hardware which meant that there were frequent updates to the road cars upon which the rally cars were based. In addition, not all versions of the cars were brought to the UK through the official importers which spawned a thriving ‘grey import’ market and this has continued ever since. All of which means that there are a plethora of different versions of the road-going rally cars to choose from, many of which look very similar at a glance. To unpick the precise specification of this car, let’s start from the beginning.
Although Colin Mcrae is famed for his 1995 World Rally Champion win in an Impreza, he actually started with the Subaru team in the Legacy RS model and although successful, winning the New Zealand event in 1993, the Legacy was larger than most of the competition. As the Impreza carried over much of the same hardware, the switch to the smaller, nimbler Impreza for the WRC team was a logical step but one which didn’t take place until 1994 when the Impreza had already been on sale for two years. Early versions of the Impreza included a turbocharged, four-wheel drive version badged as WRX for ‘World Rally eXperimental’ in Japan but known simply as the Impreza Turbo in the UK.
1994 marked the first year when the Subaru Technica International (STi) variant of the WRX was produced and included a power increase and suspension upgrades, but these were only available in Japan. In fact, the first STi-badged version to be officially imported to the UK was the very limited production wide-body coupe 22B-STi in 1998. STi-badged versions of the regular production models were not introduced in the UK until the change of bodyshell in the year 2000, while the lucky Japanese always had a WRX-STi variant on offer from their introduction.
This WRX-STi (a ‘version 4’) is from 1997 and so has the visual changes introduced in the 1996 facelift of the whole Impreza range. By this stage, the power output of the 2 litre turbocharged flat four in the STi had exceeded the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ limit of 276bhp which was in place in Japan at the time (actually producing around 296bhp) but was officially listed as being at the limit to comply with the letter, if not the spirit, of the agreement. Its five-speed box transmits the power through symmetrical four-wheel drive and, weighing in at only 1190kg, is good for 0-60 in under 5 seconds, which isn’t too shabby even by today’s standards.
The example we see here was imported over 2 years ago and received an MOT, albeit with the incorrect mileage logged against it. Given its impressive condition, the owner decided to stash it in dry storage as a long-term keeper and so it wasn’t UK registered at the time. Since then, other options have come along which have taken priority and, now having been UK-registered with the correct mileage on the MOT, he is offering it for sale to free up the space.
In common with many Japanese imports, it doesn’t come with a history file but the condition speaks for itself. The only paperwork is the V5 and MOT which runs until October.
In general the interior presents very well with the red-highlighted STi seats showing no signs of wear on the side bolsters, though there are a couple of small holes on the base of the driver’s seat and the lid to the dash-top storage cubby is missing. The rear seats look hardly used, while the carpets and headlining are both clean and tidy. The dashboard has the white-faced dials that help to differentiate the STi from the WRX of this age and the leather Momo steering wheel is in good condition. There are a pair of auxiliary speakers mounted on top of the dashboard which it has unfortunately not been possible to test as the double-DIN head unit is not functioning and, although the car has air conditioning, it’s not currently blowing cold so will likely need a re-gas. The gear knob is a little worn but does have the red stitching which was unique to the STi. All the buttons and switches work, including the folding mirrors. The tints to the rear windows have bubbled in the sun but should be straightforward to remove and/ or replace. The boot is very clean and the toolkit is present as is the original spare wheel.
The paintwork on the car is in very good condition for its age with no stone chips and the rear arches, which are a common rust site on these cars, are corrosion-free. The panels are all straight with tight gaps while the gold wheels present well but have a little kerbing. All wear original fitment Bridgestones albeit with around 3mm of tread remaining. The only sign of any surface rust is in the boot opening where it just requires a touch up. But it’s underneath where the condition of this car really impresses. It’s an oft-reported fact that Japan doesn’t salt its roads in winter but it’s worth repeating here because the underside of this car is immaculate. It’s not been undersealed which means that the condition is clearly visible and it’s good news all round for the floor pan, jacking points inner sills and arches. In fact it’s this aspect of the car in particular which led the current owner to dry store the car.
Many owners of Imprezas from this era have succumbed to the temptation to modify and tune their cars but the only modification here is a Prodrive back box which subtly amplifies the flat four burble without being offensively loud. The car starts first time and idles with the signature throb and it sings while under load without being intrusive when cruising on part throttle. As you would hope, it pulls hard and stops well and there are no untoward noises from the transmission or suspension. The gear change is smooth and, having avoided modification, the ride has a good level of compliance while the handling remains tight. The engine bay could use a little tidying as the red finish on the intakes is worn but the battery has been renewed at some point and the carbon fibre strut brace is present.
There was a time in the not-too distant past when Impreza values had fallen to a level that left them available to owners that could not afford to properly maintain them and as a result they have suffered quite a level of attrition. The demise of the Impreza’s ultimate successor, the WRX STi, left many misty-eyed for the affordable performance car that started it all, only to find that they were no longer as affordable as they used to be. Indeed, prices for the best examples have been rising strongly and the rarer models, including the JDM STi models, particularly so. If you’ve always fancied an Impreza but haven’t got round to it then now is the time to move on it before prices move into the stratosphere.
This example is amongst the very best where it counts, in the condition of the bodyshell. There are some areas to attend to in order to make it more habitable but the real attraction of a WRX STi is the way it drives and, on that front, it’s ready to go. One of the great joys of the Impreza is its adaptability and this car would be at home being a daily driver for a commute through the lanes, a usable modern classic or the basis for a rally car build. Whatever your motivation for wanting one, there aren’t many left in this condition so you’d best get your foot down and navigate your way to the bidding process.
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Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
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NO RESERVE! - 1997 Subaru Impreza WRX STI v4
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