Friday 24th October 2008

Subaru's 20th Anniversary

Subaru celebrate 20 years rallying with a special Impreza

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Subaru Technica International is celebrating its 20 year involvement in world rallying with a limited edition Impreza WRX STI.

Just 300 versions of the 20^th Anniversary edition STI will be built, featuring an ice-white paintjob with additional black aero aids at either end and a unique set of 18ins cast alloy wheels.

The suspension has also been upgraded with special dampers, while the interior gets Recaro

seats with red stitching highlights. The car will only be available in Japan, but we wouldn’t put it past Prodrive and/or Subaru in the UK to come up with something special for Impreza fans over here. Fingers crossed the parties might cook something up over a glass or two of sake at the Japanese round of the WRC next weekend.

The Prodrive connection has been part of the Subaru WRC story from day one, after STI’s then president Ryuichiro Kuze was introduced to the UK company on a ‘fact finding’ visit to the 1989 Safari Rally. The rest, as they say, is history.

[raf_gti]

Oooooooh that is rather nice.

The more I see of the latest Impreza the more I like it, looking good.

[Baffled Spoon]

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

[Neil G60]

Wow, the first in the line of about 30 "limited edition" versions with different paint and seats. Yawn.

[bitchling]

they should release the sallon version of this i saw pics of it it would look nice with the sti treatment

that hatch is gastly it looks chevrolet lacetti

[bitchling]

and all that extra cash just for some twin pipes they have lost there way

just like there sales of the imprezza shows

hawk eye was best in my op

[DeadMeat_UK]

I someone had told me they were pictures of a special sports version of the Focus I would have believed them.

[neh321]

Baffled Spoon said:

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

Never liked it and like it even less now I've seen a few around.
Excellent foot-shooting exercise by Subaru.
I note a lot of people must agree with me since they've sold only one-third the number of the new one as they sold of the old one, in the same period.
I wonder if sales of the Mitsubishi Evo have gone up by the same amount?

Mitsubishi 10 Subaru 0

[chrispedoe]

neh321 said:

Baffled Spoon said:

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

Never liked it and like it even less now I've seen a few around.
Excellent foot-shooting exercise by Subaru.
I note a lot of people must agree with me since they've sold only one-third the number of the new one as they sold of the old one, in the same period.
I wonder if sales of the Mitsubishi Evo have gone up by the same amount?

Mitsubishi 10 Subaru 0

Can't help but think that the lack of sales is also to do with the economic downturn, cars just aren't selling at the moment, sure the evo 10 isn't selling well either.
Have to say that they are growing on me but having owned a blob eye still think that they have much more prescence on the road than the new one which looks really quite plain and much like a lot of other new cars about, this one looks quite nice though and seen a few sti's now in blue which also look quite nice

[RB Will]

if its to mark 20 years of rallying then surely it should be blue with gold wheels. A modern 22b maybe.

[AtomicRex]

Which Blue though?

[sprinter885]

I find it surprising that they restrict all 300 to Japan only. I would have thought that the UK market had been good enough to Subaru to warrant at least 50-100 for sale here.

[neh321]

sprinter885 said:

I find it surprising that they restrict all 300 to Japan only. I would have thought that the UK market had been good enough to Subaru to warrant at least 50-100 for sale here.

Suppose they know they'd struggle to sell them all.
If sales of the 'standard' models are anything to go by...

[rjkm]

I wasnt sure about the new model at first, but it has really grown on me now, i prefer it to the evo 10 (blue with gold wheels)

[silly chap]

neh321 said:

Baffled Spoon said:

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

Never liked it and like it even less now I've seen a few around.
Excellent foot-shooting exercise by Subaru.
I note a lot of people must agree with me since they've sold only one-third the number of the new one as they sold of the old one, in the same period.
I wonder if sales of the Mitsubishi Evo have gone up by the same amount?

Mitsubishi 10 Subaru 0

whats so bad about it, i mean does it look so much worse than a focus or astra for example?

i love it, especially in white

i live in central japan and i see loads over here, much more than i have of the new lancer in fact, and thats for both sports and standard models.

wouldnt know the exact figure of course.

each to their own naturally

[traffman]

When i see the new model drive past me , i look and think to my self oh its one of those new scoobies.
When the old model passed me i used to nod approvingly , the new model just doesnt deserve the respect that the old one warranted.

[Zletsgo]

silly chap said:

neh321 said:

Baffled Spoon said:

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

Never liked it and like it even less now I've seen a few around.
Excellent foot-shooting exercise by Subaru.
I note a lot of people must agree with me since they've sold only one-third the number of the new one as they sold of the old one, in the same period.
I wonder if sales of the Mitsubishi Evo have gone up by the same amount?

Mitsubishi 10 Subaru 0

whats so bad about it, i mean does it look so much worse than a focus or astra for example?

Hell yes it looks a lot worse than both!

[silly chap]

Zletsgo said:

silly chap said:

neh321 said:

Baffled Spoon said:

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

Never liked it and like it even less now I've seen a few around.
Excellent foot-shooting exercise by Subaru.
I note a lot of people must agree with me since they've sold only one-third the number of the new one as they sold of the old one, in the same period.
I wonder if sales of the Mitsubishi Evo have gone up by the same amount?

Mitsubishi 10 Subaru 0

whats so bad about it, i mean does it look so much worse than a focus or astra for example?

Hell yes it looks a lot worse than both!

i suppose the VXR looks alright but the ford looks a little silly,

i think i'd still have a WRX over those two,

nice pics though

[neh321]

silly chap said:

neh321 said:

Baffled Spoon said:

I really liked the car when it first came out and love the look of the one in the pics, but oddly, each time I see one on the road I find myself liking the car less and less. It just seems so cubersome and plain, especially from the back.

Never liked it and like it even less now I've seen a few around.
Excellent foot-shooting exercise by Subaru.
I note a lot of people must agree with me since they've sold only one-third the number of the new one as they sold of the old one, in the same period.
I wonder if sales of the Mitsubishi Evo have gone up by the same amount?

Mitsubishi 10 Subaru 0

whats so bad about it, i mean does it look so much worse than a focus or astra for example?

i love it, especially in white

i live in central japan and i see loads over here, much more than i have of the new lancer in fact, and thats for both sports and standard models.

wouldnt know the exact figure of course.

each to their own naturally

I think it looks utterly boring with no style whatsoever.
The old one was brilliant - charismatic and very individual. Not sure Subaru really knew what they had come up with because they spent years trying their best to ruin it, but it was basically so 'right' to start with that even they struggled to do that.

They are so desperate however to sell the basic Impreza as a mainstream hatchback (and failing in the UK, incidentally) that they have simply gone for a generic hatchback look, which has lost all its individuality completely.

All IMHO of course...

[Dave_STI]

I have seen a lot written about the 2008 STI by people who don’t own one, and given that I own a 2008 STI, I thought I would say this:

All previous Impreza's were ugly (I should know I had a Bugeye), people just get used to them over time.

Owning, driving and enjoying an Impreza has little to do with the way it looks; I bought the car for the engine, running gear and tuning potential - the slightly better interior and more subtle/less in your face looks are only a bonus. Petrolheads sort of get it/understand....Audi TT owners do not.

All previous Impreza’s needed minor modifications to make them more fun/handle better. They have to build it to a relatively cheap price after all, it is not an M3. Factory/STI & Prodrive Special Editions are usually a bit better, but if you know what you are doing you can genuinely improve an Impreza beyond what the factory and/or Prodrive can do. Yes….you can also ruin it with a needlessly loud drain pipe exhaust and a load of WRC stickers, but I am talking about decent engine, transmission, brakes, chassis, suspension and weight saving modifications here.

Relatively minor, subtle and inexpensive modifications (that do not affect my warranty) have resulted in 345bhp & 355 ft lb torque 5 seat car (that I use every day) that does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds (timed at Santa Pod) and now handles (with the electric aids turned off) like a tarmac rally car. In the future when the warranty runs out, or if I just fancy it, a reliable 400-450 bhp is attainable…

If you love driving, drive a 2008 STI with the right modifications at 2am in the morning down your favourite B road, it’s like a shark chasing its dinner…

I have also taken the badges off mine and I like the fact that Joe Public has no idea what it is (one of my mates said in the right light it looks like the love child of a Kia and an Astra!).

As with all Impreza’s there is a good car hiding in there somewhere, waiting to be found…