Test drive Impreza for $ 118 the most expensive Subaru in history
This Impreza was released 22 years ago, and today it costs twice as much as the new WRX STI. We tell you what, in addition to the circulation of 426 copies, so attracts collectors to the legendary 22B
Subaru's most glorious days are long gone - and never seem to return. The company still produces the WRX STI, but as if by inertia: it is not able to seriously argue with competitors like the Mercedes-AMG A45 or the Audi RS3, and the arguments about "analog" technology and honest character are losing credibility every year. And you can't cling to the locomotive of rally victories, because the company left the World Championship 12 years ago.
On the other hand, only the WRX STI has survived to this day. Lancia Delta Integrale and Toyota Celica GT-Four, Ford Escort Cosworth RS, Audi Ur-quattro and many others are in the past. Merciless war with Lancer Evolution - and that ended two years ago, and forever. And "Verse" is still in the ranks and even prepares for a generational change: it turns out that a quarter of a century ago she managed to bang so that the echo is heard to this day. But if these arguments seem too speculative to you, here is the argument in the language of numbers.
The car that you see in the photographs costs more than 100 thousand euros, and the same "time capsule" with a mileage of only 500 kilometers this summer went under the hammer for three times more. Imagine, about 30 million rubles. for an old "Japanese woman" with a simple interior and not too "space" equipment! None of the competitors dreamed of this, except for the road versions of the "Group B" monsters, released in an edition of 200 homologation copies.
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 22B is a rare beast too: 426 cars all over the planet. But the basis here is the performance of Type R, which, in turn, does not differ much from the usual "Poems" - that is, it is not a piece product, but only one of the special versions, which Impreza has always had innumerable. Where does this value come from?
It's simple: 22B is that wonderful moment that the Japanese managed to stop. Almost an exact copy of a combat vehicle that has won three consecutive championship titles in the team competition. Sister of the blue-gold legend, flying under the control of Colin McRae on the verge of the laws of physics and common sense. This dance of speed, roar and dust was fascinatedly watched by the whole world, and even a quarter of a century later it is one of the main answers to the question “why is a rally cool”.
But then, in 1998, no one knew that Subaru would never again become a champion among manufacturers, that after the personal titles of Burns and Grönholm in 2001 and 2003, an endless era of Loeb domination of Citroen would come, and in 2007, blue cars in general leave the WRC. The Japanese just enjoyed the success and celebrated the 40th anniversary of the entire company at the same time. The gift was 22B.
From the outside, it is almost indistinguishable from the rally version - with the exception of a couple of small details and, of course, the lack of sponsor decals. Special bumpers, a huge adjustable rear wing, maddening widened fenders - it was this image of the Impreza that became iconic, and for good reason: the British Peter Stevens, responsible for the appearance of the McLaren F1, Le Mans' BMW V12 LMR, the rarest Jaguar XJR-15 and other impetuous beauties.
In the salon - holy simplicity, also typically Imprezovan. Version 22B is distinguished only by a three-spoke Nardi steering wheel, blue suede on the doors and a plate with a serial number (our copy is one hundred and second in a row). Everything else is just to the point: the most comfortable tenacious "buckets" that were installed on all WRX STIs, excellent fit, nondescript gray plastic and a minimum of equipment. They did not amputate the air conditioner, but the audio system was sold only for a surcharge, and there were no airbags at all: the aforementioned Type R version was intended to be converted into a rally combat vehicle, so nothing superfluous was put into it at the factory.
Appearance "from the TV", Spartan interior ... It doesn't cost one hundred thousand euros yet, right? Technique, however, also cannot be called mind-blowing. The Type R equipment differed from the standard WRX STI by the close gear ratios of the five-speed "mechanics", a shortened steering rack, an intercooler water sprinkler system and more powerful brakes. To all this, the 22B adds a special suspension with an extended track, Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach springs, reinforced axle shafts, different front lower arms - and, in fact, that's it! Oh yeah, another motor.
The Japanese increased the working volume of the famous boxer turbo four from 2,0 to 2,2 liters, changed the turbine, installed special forged pistons, conjured up the injection system - and ... Nothing has changed! Power as was 280 horsepower, and remained - at least on paper, because in Japan then a gentlemen's agreement was in force, forbidding to declare higher figures. The real numbers are not reliably known until now, so some even believe that under the hood of the 22B there are as many as 350 "horses". But this is a myth: if the engine is boosted, then a maximum of 300 forces, and the increase in torque turned out to be symbolic: 362 Nm instead of 351 Nm for the standard WRX STI.
Therefore, one should not believe the legends that this car could wipe the nose of the supercars of those years. The 22B was said to take less than four seconds to accelerate to 4000, but a realistic figure is something around five. And that's pretty damn fast too! The main thing that you notice in comparison with other Subaru, even modern ones, is the almost complete absence of a turbo lag. The increased displacement and another turbine allowed the thrust peak to be shifted from 3200 to 22 rpm, so even at low speeds the XNUMXB does not sleep, but works - recklessly and with pleasure.
To accelerate this coupe is a real thrill: the short-stroke transmission lever flawlessly clicks the gears, the sintered clutch responds unexpectedly smoothly and clearly, and the speedometer needle does not slow down even at very high speeds. At the same time, there is no drama in the character of 22B - she is not trying to buy you with special effects, but simply does her job with amazing ease. And not only on the straight line.
Handling has never been a lethal advantage of the WRX STI: these cars liked to stubbornly at the entrance to the turn, did not indulge in perfect feedback, in a word, they performed this discipline more for show, and not for the sake of the driver getting high. But the 22B drives in a completely different way: even on winter tires, it has precise and quick reactions, the steering wheel does not need to be twisted too much, and the direction change happens with the readiness that you expect from a cool sports car. True, you have to pay for this with comfort: the suspension here is stiff, short-travel, emphatically asphalt - if you start from the rally roots, it is more likely for Corsica than for Kenya. But with energy intensity, complete order.
How does it slide? Divine! The all-wheel drive transmission does not yet have electronics (yes, there is not even ABS here), but there is already an adjustable DCCD center differential of the very first version. In the open position, by default, it sends 65 percent of the thrust to the rear wheels, and in the fully locked position it distributes the moment between the axles strictly equally. There are also several intermediate modes that allow you to customize your character to your personal preferences - and it really works!
This Subaru can be a drift bully: "open" the differential, press the gas - and the 22B immediately rises sideways, requiring delicate control, because overdoing it with traction and bringing things to a turn will be as easy as shelling pears. We block the "center" - and we get deadly efficiency on acceleration and stability in sliding, but the skid already has to be provoked by counter-displacement: if you just press the gas at the entrance, you will simply go outside, and that's it.
And in one of the middle positions, you can find the perfect balance of fun and work: as soon as it happens, 22B turns into the ideal partner for winter fun. The same direct continuation of yours, like, for example, snowboarding. It can be controlled almost by the power of thought - if, of course, this thought is based on an understanding of the laws of physics - and this feeling of complete unity makes you want to laugh with delight.
This is probably the magic of 22B. Instead of an uncompromising super-version of Poems, the Japanese have made an incredibly harmonious machine in which all the components work exactly as they should - and form something special. The perfect Subaru, the best of its generation - and maybe in history. And this is already a good answer to the question why it costs so much money, isn't it?
