- A new series of 25 Subaru Impreza restomods from Prodrive will use modern technology to emulate a Subaru legend, but the price tag is eyewatering.
- What is the Prodrive P25?
A new series of 25 Subaru Impreza restomods from Prodrive will use modern technology to emulate a Subaru legend, but the price tag is eyewatering.
Prodrive has already sold at least half of its forthcoming P25 Impreza restomod – despite confirming that the car will cost almost $1 million.
Announced earlier this week, the P25 is designed to pay tribute to the Subaru Impreza 22B, itself released in 1998 as a celebration of Subaru’s rally successes with Prodrive. The UK-based engineering firm’s creation – which is being sold by itself, not by Subaru – requires a donor vehicle but is claimed to feature thoroughly modern approaches to its powertrain and transmission, as well as cutting-edge lightweight materials.
A spokesman confirmed to Automotive Daily that the car will cost (in the UK) £460,000 plus VAT, taking the bill to £552,000 – the equivalent of $973,515 in Australia. Prodrive also stated that the price reflects the fact that the car is not a limited-edition ‘special’ of an existing road model but a bespoke car “with tech and performance to match”. The spoesman added that Prodrive is “already into double figures on orders”, less than 48 hours after it announced the project – so it seems likely that at least half of the 25 planned examples are already accounted for.
What is the Prodrive P25?
The Banbury-based motorsport and engineering consultancy says that the Prodrive P25 will be more powerful and lighter than its inspiration, the Impreza 22B. It will have a 2.5-litre version of the iconic ‘boxer’ flat-four engine, producing more than 300kW, as well as a six-speed semi-automatic transmission with paddle-shift controllers – a feature that didn’t actually appear on the Impreza WRC until its third season in competition.
Prodrive plans to build 25 examples of the new creation at its Oxfordshire headquarters in the UK. The bodyshell, which will make extensive use of carbon fibre, has been styled by legendary designer Peter Stevens, the man behind the look of the first Impreza WRC. And the car’s development is being led by David Lapworth, who had control of the original rally project.
Prodrive chairman David Richards said, “We wanted to enhance everything that made the 22B Impreza 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.”
The Prodrive P25 will make its debut at next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, by which time an even bigger proportion of the 25-car production run may have been snapped up. The first P25s will be delivered to customers before the end of this year.
John McIlroy
Keyword: Reborn Subaru Impreza 22B costs almost $1 million