Introduced on 1st March 1993, the Impreza, which according to an article in ‘Motor Trend’ was initially to be called the Loyale, was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door saloon or five-door hatchback. Subaru chose to continue their longstanding use of the boxer engine in the Impreza. According to Subaru, their configuration of the engine in-line with the transmission minimises body-roll due to the lower centre of gravity compared with offset engines in most other vehicles. The boxer design provides good vibration mitigation due to the principles of a very well-balanced engine, the movement of each piston is largely countered by a piston in the opposing cylinder bank, eliminating the need for a counter-weighted rotating crankshaft (harmonic balancer). Torque steer is also minimised with this type of powertrain layout since the front drive shafts are of equal length and weight. This formula proved highly affective, with Subaru winning the constructors world rally championship in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and the driver’s championship in 1995, 2001.

The example was breathed upon in 1998 by the geniuses at Prodrive, who were responsible for so much of the Subaru rallying success. The Prodrive package featured a different air intake, Prodrive exhaust, quickshift gear change, Speedline superturismo 17” alloy wheels, Prodrive suspension kit (dampers, springs & anti rolls bars), Recaro seats and full interior re-upholster, leather steering wheel, MOMO carbon fibre gearknob and centre console and uprated ECU taking the power to 245bhp. The car was owned for 21 years until just a couple of years ago by an elderly gentleman who cherished the car, never driving it in the rain and making sure it was maintained more than required. The service book contains no less than 37 stamps, many of which from Subaru main dealers. It is so rare to find one of these cars with such an excellent ownership and maintenance history and the overall condition of the car is particularly impressive too. The green metallic paintwork has an excellent shine and the retro Recaro interior is in very impressive condition. Supplied to auction with a V5C registration document, MoT test certificate and a comprehensive history folder, this Impreza ticks all of the boxes. Consigned by Fraser Smith