Back in the 90s, the Subaru World Rally Team was a force to be reckoned within the World Rally Championship (WRC). The Prodrive-built Impreza in the hands of WRC legends Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, Richard Burns, and Juha Kankkunen gave Subaru three straight constructors' titles.
Their success was commemorated with the birth of the Impreza 22B – the ultimate Subaru homologation special that achieved legendary status in its era. 25 years later, Prodrive has reimagined the iconic car for the new era, and here it is – the P25.
For starters, this is still very much the two-door Impreza 22B at its core, but Prodrive used the latest technology and materials to give the P25 reduced weight, a more powerful engine, and of course, better performance.
According to Prodrive, they used carbon composite materials extensively for the P25's body parts including the WRC-style rear wing, allowing the car to tip the scales at “under 1200kg”. Additional weight savings were achieved with the optional lightweight race seats and a lithium-ion battery.
Once inside, the Motec multi-page driver display with a data logging system takes care of showing the car's vital signs and records driver inputs. Also, drivers can select from various performance maps should they wish to take the P25 on track. In addition to its standard electric parking brake, enthusiasts will be glad Prodrive fitted the P25 with a WRC-style hydraulic handbrake to navigate tight hairpin curves.
As for its engine, Prodrive did not disclose the exact engine code, but they say it's Subaru's latest 2.5-liter cylinder block re-engineered with bespoke internals and the latest variable cam timing. In addition, the Garrett motorsport turbo plus the Akrapovic racing exhaust system pushed the engine output to 400 PS and 600 Nm of torque. The engine is then paired to a 6-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifters, with an adjustable electronic center differential to alter the characteristics of the P25's all-wheel-drive system.
Like the Impreza 22B from the 90s, Prodrive fitted the P25 with Bilstein two-way adjustable dampers, plus the provision for adjusting toe and camber settings. Stopping power is courtesy of AP Racing's 380mm ventilated discs with six-piston calipers up front, and 350mm discs in the back with four-piston calipers. Lastly, the P25 rolls on a set of 19-inch Bridgestone wheels wrapped in 235/35/R19 Potenza tires.
Despite all its motorsports-grade equipment, the Prodrive P25 is still road-legal. Only 25 units will be made at Prodrive's Banbury headquarters, costing GBP 460,000 (PHP 30.5-million). The car will make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed before embarking on an extensive R&D program.
If you have the money, would you shell out PHP 30.5-million to get a piece of Subaru's WRC history? Let us know in the comments.
