► Prodrive’s take on the iconic rally car
► 400bhp 2.5-litre boxer engine
► Just 25 road cars to be made
One of the 25 Subaru Prodrive P25 restomods has hit the resale market with an eye-watering cost. No, we double checked. £775,000. Or around £200,000 more than its official for sale price.
The car is still being built by Prodrive with delivery expected in June 2023. It’s for sale with Harrogate-based supercar specialist GC Motors. The firm declined to comment.
A spokesperson from the Prodrive P25 Sales Team said: ‘It is no great surprise to us; the exclusive nature of this car means that there is keen interest and shows that the Prodrive P25 will be a great long-term investment.’
Tell us more about the car
It’s a re-imagining of Subaru’s 1997 WRC car and the 22B Impreza that it inspired. They’ll be manufactured at Prodrive’s HQ in Banbury, each with an original two-door Impreza WRX chassis somewhere inside. As you’d expect, it’s been tweaked to within an inch of its life, with considerably more advanced technology than the 90s original.
‘The iconic blue Subarus brings back memories of an extraordinary era of the WRC and it was the Impreza 22B that brought this rally car performance to the road,’ said David Richards, Prodrive chairman. ‘By reimagining this car using the latest technologies and materials the Prodrive P25 pays homage to its roots and there will be little else able to match its performance on the open road.
I therefore believe we have achieved our vision of creating our own modern interpretation of the most iconic Subaru Impreza ever.’
What’s new?
Well – aside from the original chassis – almost everything. Carbon composite construction throughout means the new car weighs just under 1200kg, while a 2.5-litre flat four – boxer of course – makes a total of 400bhp and 443 ft lbs of torque.
Based on the latest 2.5-litre lump from Subaru, it’s had thorough going over from Prodrive engineers and comes with bespoke cylinder liners, pistons con rods and variable cam timing among other bits. A Garrett motorsport turbo, trick intercooler and airbox and Akrapovic exhaust ensure it’ll breathe properly too.
A semi-automatic gearbox drives power to all four wheels and when combined with anti-lag tech and launch control (as you’d expect from a WRC car) 0-62mph takes just 3.5 seconds. The track has been widened to 1770mm to cope with the increase in power, and Bilstein dampers and anti-roll bars should give it better road manners.
The brakes also get an upgrade: stock has been replaced with vented 380mm disc and six-piston calipers on the front axle. Smaller 350mm discs with four-piston calipers stop the rear axle, and it’s AP Racing all round.
What about inside?
Prodrive has gone for a mixture of the old and new, giving the cabin a high-definition display with a datalogger, though it’s still true to the late 1990’s Impreza interior you’d find in the donor car. That means leather, alcantara and carbon. And although four passengers can travel in the car, there’s also an option for a rear-seat delete and safety cage.