Ask any real Subaru fan what their favorite Impreza of all time is, & as the vape ploom clears, you’ll get one answer - the Impreza 22B STi.
Subaru was kicking rally ass in the mid 90s. 3 consecutive World Rally Championship Constructor titles in a row. Colin McRae was the rally god’s gift to mankind. Subaru wanted to show the world & the fans how grateful they were.
▴3 To commemorate this success & celebrate their 40th anniversary, 424 special limited edition Imprezas were assembled; 400 for the Japanese market & 24 for export use.
They were called the 22B STi - 22 for the 2.2L engine & B for Subaru’s internal code for “Turbo”. More importantly, each one was hand built by STi! Naturally, all of them were exclusively painted in Subaru paint code 74F - Sonic Mica Blue - and adorned with gold BBS wheels, standard classic kit from Subaru.
▴4 - ▴5 What set the 22B STi apart from other Impreza’s at the time was the widebody kit. Impreza coupes look great on their own, but when you add flared rear fenders, wider front fenders, & wider wheels, that’s what we call a doozie.
▴6 Let’s move to the rear wing. It’s adjustable, functional, & did we mention big? ▴7 A small detail that sometimes goes overlooked are the fog light covers. It just gives the car that function > form look.
▴8 Can we talk about the motor for a second? 2.2L turbo charged, we get. But a redline of 7900 rpm? This thing screams. There was no official 0-60 time, but a combination of being 2500lbs, having 280hp, 270ft lbs of torque, & one of the best all wheel drive systems on the planet, some say that this Subaru got to 60mph in 3.7 seconds, which in 1998 was faster than cars 2x the price.
▴9 And like most true sports cars, the interior is the definition of minimalism.
▴10 In my opinion, this is the greatest Subaru ever built. A nod to their motorsport heritage is a nice touch, but the fact that Subaru had the guts to actually make this car is remarkable. Let's be honest, would Subaru or even any other non-supercar company, take away funds from cars that make money & invest those funds into making a limited edition car that would be as fast as a supercar, but potentially be a sales flop? No chance. Not many brands take risks. Subaru did & what they created was legendary.
📸:| @Subaru |