When you think Subaru, images of a blue and gold rally car are inevitable. This four-wheeled heroes piloted by late legends such as Colin McRae and Richard Burns ignited the imagination of petrolheads the world over. Subaru no longer competes in WRC, but its legacy lives on. A rare opportunity to buy a rally-derived Subaru has presented itself.
Due to be sold at the Silverstone Classic Live Online Auction at the end of this month, a pristine Subaru 22B will be looking for. anew home. This car is a real Japanese unicorn, and about as exotic as any Subaru gets. The special two-door model was built to mark Subaru’s triple WRC crown and celebrate 40 years of the Japanese marque.
This extensive redesign of the typically four-door Impreza into the rarified 22B involved more than just chopping out a section fo the car. 22Bs feature a significant widened track, WRC-inspired suspension, an adjustable rear wing, wider tyres and larger brakes. This chassis was almost as well equipped as the fire-breathing beast driven by McRae.
The 22B’s iconic EJ22 engine was also overhauled for the special car. It was enlarged to 2.2-litres and given a meatier turbocharger as well as forged pistons. Now packing 280bhp and considerably more torque, the prop shaft had to be reinforced to handle this new performance. It could now sprint from 0-60mph in just 5.3 seconds thanks to its all-wheel drive system.
Just 399 of these examples were built, with every car sold within 48 hours of going on sale. Subaru rally ace Colin McRae was even made to pay full price for his 22B! Technically speaking, these cars were destined for the Japanese domestic market only, but many found homes overseas.
This example is car 326 and was imported into the UK in 1998. It has clocked just 30,200-miles in its life, and has been owned by its current custodian for the past 16 years. It has been fully recommissioned and comes with an archive of history to backup the car’s provenance. The car has an estimate of between £70,000 and £80,000.
The 22B is one of the ultimate road-legal Subarus for fans of 90s rally cars, and it could be yours!
Keyword: Rare Subaru 22B unicorn heads to auction