Introduced in October 1992, the Impreza, which featured Subaru’s innovative ‘Boxer’ engine, providing a more stable, balanced engine and enhanced performance, became synonymous with Subaru’s dominance of the World Rally Championship (WRC) during the 90s.
With its legendary blue and yellow colour scheme, the Subaru World Rally Team won 3 consecutive WRC manufacturer’s championships from 1995 to 1997 and 3 WRC drivers’ championship in 1995, 2001, and 2003.
Subaru’s supremacy in the WRC showcased its symmetrical all wheel drive technology and was credited for the increased sales of its vehicles, especially the Subaru Impreza.
The team withdrew from WRC competition at the end of the 2008 season, blaming an economic downturn for the decision. Subaru Rally Team USA, an independent rally team, still competes in the Rally America National Championships.
So it’s no surprise that the WRX version of the Impreza was inspired by Subaru’s World Rally Cross vehicles. The ‘WRX’ name was adopted to stand for ‘World Rally eXperimental’ and featured rally inspired modifications in the wheel drive, suspension and turbocharged engines.
The STi version of the WRX, which stood for ‘Subaru Tecnica International’, was introduced in 1994 and included performance engines, transmissions and suspensions and handcrafted tuning. Its success and reputation in rallies, made the WRX Still a popular choice amongst Japanese street racers. Subaru recognised the street appeal of the WRX STi also releasing the WRX Type RA, a stripped down version of the WRX for private motorsports and tuning.
One of the rarest Imprezas is the limited edition STi 22B version, built in 1999 to celebrate Subaru’s WRC victories. Only 400 were sold in Japan with a handful gifted to legendary drivers like Colin McRae and his co-driver, Nicky Grist.
Despite missing out on the STi 22B, Australia’s admiration of the legendary car has been recognised with their own modern-day tribute to the STi 22B, the 25BB, manufactured by Willall Racing, a South Australian based motorsports company.
If you’re still enjoying the thrill of driving an older model Subaru Impreza, it’s reassuring to know that Transgold stocks over 50 replacement suspension, transmission and engine mounting parts for your model.
We’ve got you covered!
