Jump LinksSubaru Wanted To Offer A Special Version Of The Legacy As The New Millenium ApproachedThe Special Legacy Was Graced With A German-Inspired nameOther Cars Porsche Has Had A Hand In DesigningWhile automotive manufacturers tend to remain secretive when it comes to sharing the special sauce that makes their respective models their own, every now and again they understand that working with another established brand can be a worthwhile exercise in shifting some more hardware. Porsche has been involved in many of these different collaborations, and in the late 1990s, it decided to add the Subaru Legacy to its list of projects.That said, the resulting model ended up being very different from its other manufacturer collabs, with Subaru instead being interested in bringing the brand in to influence the aesthetic design of its sedan. The finished article debuted at the turn of the new millennium, and remains forbidden fruit for many non-Japanese gearheads in 2026. UPDATE: 2026/03/11 14:53 EST BY GERHARD HORN Blitzen PricingThis feature was updated to include pricing for the Blitzen in 2026, plus an alternative if you want to spend less money. The Legacy Is Subaru's More Luxury-Geared Sedan SubaruSubaru is most famous around the world for its Impreza sedan, which won over JDM and motorsports fans alive thanks to its heroics. The Japanese marque has always enjoyed getting down and dirty, having focused on off-road and farming equipment in its early days before pivoting to road vehicles. The Impreza was in the brand's successful World Rally Championship campaign for well over a decade, while the road-going version of the car made waves as a potent sports sedan that was the closest competitor to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution line of performance cars.Bring A Trailer Prior to the Impreza, Subaru's better-known model was the Legacy. While the Impreza is a compact sedan, the Legacy is a more luxury-focused mid-size sedan, though this didn't stop Subaru from taking it rallying before the Impreza came along in the early 1990s. Several performance-geared variants were sold as a result, a trend that continued long after the Impreza took over as the quintessential performance offering from the brand. Subaru Wanted To Offer A Special Version Of The Legacy As The New Millenium Approached Bring A Trailer Subaru didn't hang around when it came to developing new versions of its models, with the third-generation Legacy making its bow in 1998, just five years after the second-gen car had made its debut. One of the most potent versions of the model was the B4, which was shipped with a commanding twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four Boxer engine. Feeling its Japanese customers deserved the chance to pilot something a little more special, Subaru elected to get on the phone to Porsche. The Legacy Project Was A Little Different From Porsche's Usual Work Car & Classic UK The call Porsche got was different from the one it usually received, as Subaru wasn't interested in its engineering prowess. The marque was confident enough in its own capabilities from this standpoint, and it instead sought Porsche's influence from a purely aesthetic perspective. Subaru felt its homegrown fans would relish having a special version of the Legacy that boasted a more Eurocentric silhouette, and thus Porsche was contracted to tweak the Legacy's exterior and cabin to set it apart from the normal Legacy. The Special Legacy Was Graced With A German-Inspired Name Car & Classic UK To signify the Legacy's German flavor, it was named the B4 Blitzen, the latter word translating to "lightning" in German. When it came to the Legacy's design, Porsche wanted to make it simpler and less vulgar than performance-focused JDM cars tended to be. Porsche Design, a company founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1972, but which wasn't initially directly connected to the automotive arm of his empire, took care of the work.Car & Classic UK It penned a smoother and more elegant body kit, which was headlined by new front and rear bumpers that featured a pair of large openings toward the bottom. Sleeker side skirts were also introduced, while a set of new 17-inch alloy wheels was also designed specifically for the Blitzen, which looked more like ones you'd find on an Alfa Romeo than a Subaru. One of the most striking additions was the new rear spoiler, which was of a double-bubble design that was more subtle than the usual tuner-style spoilers usually found on performance-focused JDM machinery. On the inside, subtlety remained the name of the game.Full or half-leather seats could be had, while black leather and metal trim furnishings gave the cabin a purposeful yet premium feel. This sentiment was further bolstered by a Momo sports steering wheel. The Legacy Blitzen May Have Looked More Like A Euro Sedan, But It Drove Like A JDM Hero Pistonheads When it came to the driving experience, the Legacy Blitzen retained its Subaru DNA. The powerful twin-turbo Boxer unit shared 276 hp between all four wheels thanks to Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel-drive setup, with the Blitzen coming with the usual five-speed manual transmission that you'd find in a standard version of the model. What set this variant apart was that it was also offered with a four-speed sequential automatic unit too, though it reduced grunt by around 15 hp.With the normal five-speed manual, the vehicle could sprint to 60 mph in a shade over five seconds. Aside from the new transmission, Subaru kept the underpinnings of the Blitzen identical to those of the normal B4 variant, with the exercise being purely aesthetic in nature. Still, the Legacy Blitzen was an interesting experiment that blended the advanced technology developed by the Japanese auto industry with the more muted but still purposeful styling seen on European sports sedans, one that is yet to be repeated in the over two decades since the Blitzen production run ended. How Much Will You Pay For One? These cars were sold mainly in Japan, but a few were also exported to Australia. You can expect to pay between $14,000–$18,000 depending on the condition. That's not a bad deal for such a cult classic that's guaranteed to increase in value as the years go by. If you don't want to go through the hassle of importing a car, you can opt for a "Hawkeye" WRX STI. Mint examples have an average used value of $26,310, which is a lot less than you'd pay for a hot hatch these days. Porsche Has Lent Its Name To Many Vehicles Produced By Other Brands Audi The Legacy Blitzen case is a rare occasion when Porsche was enlisted to assist with the design of a vehicle, but did not get involved with the engineering makeup of it. The brand has helped design some of the coolest performance cars on the planet for other marques looking to make a splash, with one of the best examples being the Audi RS2 wagon. Audi was looking to beat the likes of BMW's M Division at their own game, but asked Porsche to give it a hand in reaching its goal. Other Cars Porsche Has Had A Hand In Designing 1990-1995 Mercedes-Benz 500E 1994-1996 Audi RS2 2003-2005 Renault Clio V6 2006-2014 Chevrolet Epica 1999-2005 Opel Zafira A The marque was successful in achieving the same target for Mercedes-Benz courtesy of the 500E in 1990, with Porsche working on the 5.0-liter V8 engine, suspension, and chassis of the sedan. Porsche reworked the turbocharged 2.2-liter inline-five engine destined to slot under the hood of the RS2, as well as the suspension and braking setups. The vehicle was even constructed at Porsche's Stuttgart factory, illustrating just how much influence the brand had in designing it. Outside of assisting its German neighbors, Porsche even helped develop the crazy Renault Clio V6.It only had a small hand in enhancing the French hot hatch, as it worked on the ECU for the second iteration of the car to help boost the peak power output of the 3.0-liter V6, but it influenced the vehicle nonetheless. The brand doesn't tend to undertake such projects these days due to the rapid growth it underwent during the 2000s, so it doesn't need the extra cash influx of gracing rival brands with its know-how. As a result, the Subaru Legacy Blitzen will stand apart by being one of the only cars Porsche has had an influence on, without so much as looking at the engineering side for some time to come.
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