It has been 25 years since Prodrive debuted its championship, iconic two-door Impreza World Rally Car, and the British firm is back with a gorgeous recreation, the P25, which was revealed Tuesday. Inspired by the Impreza rally champion and 22B from 1997, a limited number of P25 models will be sold in the U.K. in iconic electric blue.
Prodrive, which specializes in motorsports builds has reimagined icons from its past before. Just a few months ago, the shop launched a $1.4 million BRX T1 for off-roading; one of my favorites is a recreated 2003 Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS from 2017. For this car, Prodrive worked with Peter Stevens, who styled the original Impreza WRC in 1997, and David Lapworth, who developed the first Impreza WRC 25 years ago.
Built on an original two-door Impreza chassis, the P25 will be outfitted with a slew of carbon composite elements including the rally-style wing, hood, trunklid, fenders, and mirrors. Prodrive cut the P25's weight down to less than 2,650 pounds, which is less than the original WRC rally car. The interior was upgraded with leather, Alcantara, and carbon trim, but if someone wanted to actually wring this out on the pavement, the option to remove the rear seats and have a partial safety cage fitted is available.
The P25 is powered by a Subaru 2.5-liter boxer-four engine but completely overhauled by the Prodrive team with several new components, including a Garrett turbocharger, and exhaust by Akrapovic. Prodrive massaged the flat-four up to 400 horsepower and 442 pound-feet, they said. Prodrive also says the six-speed sequential gearbox can shift its helical-cut gears in 80 milliseconds, and a specialty motorsport turbo amps up the power with a high-performance intercooler and airbox.
As is the case with nearly every other Subaru on the planet, the P25 is a four-wheel-drive car and has adjustable active center differential and limited-slip differentials in the front and rear. Prodrive modified the MacPherson strut suspension and made the Bilstein dampers adjustable for compression and rebound. The shop says the P25 is capable of launching from 0-62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, and its AP Racing brakes will stop the car with six pistons in the front and four in the rear.
Are you itching to drive it? This rally car recreation is the best kind of blast from the past. It's not for everyone, though. Only 25 will be made, and the car is going to be accessible only to those who can afford its heart-stopping price tag, which is $565,000 at current exchange rates. Considering that a 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B with 25,000 miles on the clock sold for $312,555 last year, the cost of a new version from Prodrive doesn't seem too far off.
Customers will take delivery later this year. In the meantime, you can catch a glimpse of it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.
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