It is an original Prodrive WRC machine, which was the basis of the 22B.
Few machines are more beloved by rally enthusiasts than the Subaru Impreza 22B STi in the late 1990s. This video shows a car that looks similar to a 22B. It has the large fenders, big wings, and epic louvered roof we all love. It is not a 22B or a 22B clone per se, since it was not made from the standard Imprezas of the day. It’s actually the opposite. This machine is the reason that the 22B exists. It’s an original Prodrive Subaru WR car, which now lives a new life in street-friendly rallies.
JDM Masters YouTube shows us the incredible story of this ex WRC machine. It’s a very detailed story. Although the video is 45 minutes long, it contains a wealth of information about Subaru’s 1997 transition from Group A to WR. It was the Impreza STi, a two-door Impreza STi. This iconic vehicle was driven by rally legends Richard Burns and Colin McRae. With his Impreza, Burns would win the 2001 WRC championship.
This car is a Prodrive-built racer. It was initially used by Subaru as a test car and eventually saw WRC stages alongside other race teams. Although the video doesn’t show all of its history, it has seen a lot of changes over its life. It was converted from left-hand to right-hand drive many times before finally ending up in its current right hand configuration for its Japanese owner.
This could be the most interesting aspect of this project. The car was bought as a shell without any running gear. The complete powertrain of an S204 STi was installed to make the car streetable. It gives the car 320 horsepower (239kilowatts), and, more importantly, a standard-design 6-speed manual, rather than the race-spec sequential box that wasn’t made for daily use. The car has been outfitted with Prodrive original equipment whenever possible. The suspension and brakes of the car are WR spec. So are the seats, and six-spoke golden wheels. For both originality as well as necessity, the interior was built with mismatched components. The newer powertrain needs its own electronics and an instrument cluster that is production-spec. Richard Burns drove the car with the rear wing, which was actually sourced from another Prodrive Impreza. Even though it is still showing signs of wear from racing, we hope it will stay that way.
Rare is the fact of owning a 22B. A race-used Prodrive Impreza from which the 22B was built? This is a new level of awesome and we can only scratch the surface of the details in the video. We can’t think of a better way for 45 minutes to enjoy stage rally or Subaru’s glory years in the 1990s than behind the wheel this rally legend.