Prodrive’s ‘P25’ Impreza 22B Is A Subaru That Costs More Than A Ferrari SF90

After months of rumours and teasers from the Banbury-based firm, Subaru’s long-term motorsport partner Prodrive has finally taken the wraps off its ‘P25’, a reimagining of the iconic Subaru Impreza 22B in celebration of the car’s 25th anniversary.

The P25 will be built in the UK upon the donor chassis of a Mk1 two-door WRX. The restomod Scooby features bespoke carbon fibre body panels, an uprated 2.5-litre flat-four engine and a host of improvements to the car’s hardware to make the P25 lighter and considerably more powerful than the original 1997 car. It looks incredible, and we want one. However, this beautifully bonkers rallying machine doesn’t come cheap, with prices starting at an eye-watering £460,000 ($566,168). Ouch.

Prodrive has scrapped the original car’s 2.2-litre EJ33 flat-four in favour of a modern 2.5-litre EJ25 power plant, which will produce more than 400bhp with the help of upgrades to the cylinder liners, pistons, conrods and a bespoke valvetrain with variable valve timing. A Garrett motorsport-spec turbocharger with an anti-lag system provides boost, while a dual-tipped Akrapovic titanium and stainless steel exhaust system will deliver the car’s soundtrack. The reimagined rallying machine also features limited-slip differentials on both axles, Bilstein dampers, an AP racing four-piston brake system and 19-inch wheels with 235/35 Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Despite all of this impressive hardware, Prodrive believes the car will weigh in at around 1,200kg – about 70kg lighter than the original 22B.

The P25 will use a six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle-shifters rather than a manual gearbox, which isn’t true to the original 22B, but will enable snappy gear changes in around 80 milliseconds – perfect for competing in high-speed rally stages. With the help of launch control and a mechanical all-wheel drive system, the P25 is projected to reach 0-62mph in less than 3.5 seconds.

Prodrive will produce just 25 P25s, and order numbers are already in double figures despite the car’s astonishing price tag according to a Prodrive spokesperson. We might not be able to afford one, but we can’t wait to see the P25 in action at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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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 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 original Impreza 22B was a limited-edition road car created by Subaru in 1998 in celebration of its motorsport success, to which Prodrive significantly contributed. The Banbury-based motorsport and engineering firm supported Subaru in the World Rally Championships from 1995 until the team’s withdrawal from the sport in 2008. Prodrive played a pivotal role in Subaru’s three manufacturers’ championships in 1995, 1996, and 1997, and the three drivers’ championships in 1995, 2001, and 2003.

Prodrive’s Imprezas won a total of 46 rallies with famed drivers such as Carlos Sainz (Senior), Tommi Mäkinen, Richard Burns, Petter Solberg and, of course, Colin McRae behind the wheel of the iconic blue and gold rally cars. The motorsport firm has also supported Aston Martin, MINI, Renault and Volkswagen in their racing ambitions.