This is the sort of continuation we can get behind – a Prodrive-built 22B with 400bhp
The first details of Prodrive’s P25 project have now been revealed, with the Northamptonshire-based motorsports specialist confirming that the project will take the form of a modern continuation series of the iconic Subaru Impreza 22B STI – an extremely rare road-going special that was built by Subaru in 1998 both to celebrate its 40th anniversary and its then third World Rally Championship title.
The new P25 will be built by Prodrive itself and capped at 25 units. Initially based on an original two-door Subaru Impreza chassis, it will feature a range of contemporary upgrades to make it lighter, sharper and more powerful than the 1998 original.
In place of the original’s turbocharged 2.2-litre EJ22G flat-four petrol engine, Prodrive will fit a larger 2.5-litre unit that will be driven through a typical Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive system. Prodrive is targeting a power output of over 400bhp, significantly up on the paper-rated 276bhp of the original, although like many Japanese performance cars of the era, their actual power figure was substantially underrated in order to comply with the Japanese-market power cap imposed through much of the ‘90s and ‘00s.
In place of the previous five-speed manual will be a six-speed semi-automatic, but Prodrive has not specified whether this will be in the form of a competition-style sequential ‘box or a more road-biased single-clutch automated manual.
Peter Stevens, who designed the original Impreza WRC car for Prodrive, will oversee the design of the P25’s new carbonfibre bodywork, while David Lapworth will head up its engineering – something he also did with the original WRC car and the original UK-market 22Bs that arrived from Japan.
Prodrive Chairman David Richards, said: ‘The original 22B Impreza is considered the most iconic of Subarus and highly sought after. We wanted to enhance everything that made that car so special by applying the very latest technology to create our own modern interpretation of a car that’s established a place in motoring history.’
While Subaru’s rallying success and Prodrive have always been intertwined, Prodrive’s role of setting up the 16 original 22Bs that came to the UK through official channels makes them the ideal company to carry out this sort of continuation series. The original 22B’s bespoke engineering also now makes them extremely valuable in all markets, rationalising this level of custom fabrication for what many might just see as a late-’90s Subaru.
The first P25 will make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with all 25 units to be delivered to customers later this year. Prodrive are now taking expressions of interest, and while pricing has still yet to be revealed, the fact an original UK-spec 22B recently changed hands for £171,000 makes us wonder whether the cost of this super special Prodrive-built reimagination will not be far off…
Keyword: Prodrive P25 to be a carbon-bodied Subaru Impreza 22B STI revival