A Subaru Impreza rallied by 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae is going under the hammer with H&H’s Duxford auction on 14 October – and it’s more than doubled in value.
Synonymous with McRae, the 555-liveried 1997 car was the first Impreza that Prodrive built to WRC Specification. Chassis number PRO-WRC-97-001 saw Colin McRae and Co-Driver Nicky Grist use the car ahead of the 1997 season for testing and development purposes.
It was sold by the works rally team in 1998 and spent several years being run by a privateer. It then went back to Prodrive for a full restoration, before being sold and bought once again.
It’s being sold at the auction with a £175-200k estimate. Last time the car came up for sale was in 2009, priced at £85,000, a staggering £100,000 less than it’s currently estimated to fetch.
Tristan Longden, director at Japanese car specialist Torque GT said: ‘Imprezas are really increasing in price, special edition models like the 22B have doubled in price since 2009 - from £25k to near £50k - so it wouldn’t surprise me if it reached its estimate.’
H&H Sales Director Damian Jones added: ‘Tragically, Colin McRae was killed in a helicopter crash aged just 39, but his legend lives on in the sport, and this iconic car was driven by perhaps the most iconic figure in world rally history. It’s a privilege to be able to offer it for sale alongside the many other outstanding vehicles.’