RE: Incredible Prodrive P25 revealed ahead of debut

RE: Incredible Prodrive P25 revealed ahead of debut

Monday 20th June 2022

Incredible Prodrive P25 revealed ahead of debut

There are going to be a lot of exciting cars at Goodwood this week - but possibly none better than this...


Even though we knew the P25 was coming, and that it would look like a two-door Impreza and be very powerful and expensive, we’ll admit to being bowled over by the end result. Granted, we haven’t seen it in the flesh yet - the covers come off at the Festival of Speed this Thursday - but there can surely be no argument that the P25 looks the business. Having launched the original WRC Impreza 25 years ago, Prodrive says it has ‘reimagined what this car would have been today’. Nice job, guys. 

And of course it gets better. Those tweaked body panels? Carbon composite, the lot. Boot, bonnet, roof, sills, door mirrors, front and rear quarters, WRC-style rear wing and bumpers. Peter Stevens, who designed the WRC version back in the day is responsible for the new look (those rear arches alone are making us come over all funny) and Prodrive expertise in putting it all back together again means the P25 weighs less 1,200kg, despite retaining a WRX’s steel monocoque. 

Into this updated, lightweight mix the firm has inserted Subaru’s latest 2.5-litre flat-four, albeit totally re-engineered with bespoke internal components, including new cylinder liners, pistons, con rods, and a valve train with variable cam timing. Oh and there’s a Garrett motorsport turbo too with an uprated intercooler and airbox, plus Akrapovic titanium and stainless steel racing exhaust system. All told it puts out 400hp and 443lb ft of torque, and we’re going to go right ahead and say the P25 probably sounds as good as it looks. 

It is also going to seriously go. Prodrive reckons 62mph will come up in less than 3.5 seconds, partly thanks to a six-speed sequential ‘box with helical cut gears, but also because it gets a WRC-style launch control system that combines the fly-by-wire throttle and clutch in the floor mounted pedal box to automatically take the car through first, second and third gear. Just imagine that away from the lights. 

The power goes to all four wheels via an adjustable active centre differential and limited-slip diffs front and rear (which gives you some idea of how the P25 is going to handle). Prodrive has retained the McPherson struts, but says it has used machined aluminium uprights that can be tuned for the optimal geometry of the car’s wider 1770mm track. New Bilstein dampers are adjustable for compression and rebound while the springs and anti-roll bars are apparently optimised for tarmac handling. You also get AP Racing brakes and gorgeous 19-inch Prodrive rims. 

We haven’t seen inside yet, although the dashboard is said to feature a full-width high-definition multi-page display including a data logger, and there is the option of a 'partial' safety cage and racing seats. Clearly the firm is expecting owners to take the car on circuit (you’d have to, right?) and has catered to the track day use with ‘various throttle response and engine performance maps, including anti-lag adjustment.’ And if you’re thinking "Lordy", there is also a WRC-style ‘fly-off’ hydraulic handbrake, which automatically disengages the centre differential to remove drive to the rear wheels. Which means the P25 is custom-made to accommodate all sorts of silliness. 

This is a good thing because, predictably, the P25 does not come cheap. For one thing there is only ever going to be 25 of them (obvs) and for another - if the description above didn’t signal it for you - it’s about as close to a rally car for the road as you’re ever going to get. Accordingly, Prodrive is going to charge £460,000 plus VAT for each and every example. Big money, sure - but if these don’t disappear off the Banbury shelves like hot cakes, we’ll eat our PH-branded hats. In fact, with Goodwood imminent and runs up the hill in the development car scheduled, we expect them to be all gone by the end of the week. 

David Richards, Prodrive chairman, said: “The iconic blue Subarus bring back memories of an extraordinary era of the WRC and it was the Impreza 22B that brought this rally car performance to the road. By reimagining this car using the latest technologies and materials the Prodrive P25 pays homage to its roots and there will be little else able to match its performance on the open road. I therefore believe we have achieved our vision of creating our own modern interpretation of the most iconic Subaru Impreza ever.” Deliveries to the lucky few are due to begin later this year.


Author
Discussion

jmcc500

Original Poster:

644 posts

217 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
No gold wheels?

Maccmike8

1,016 posts

53 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Easy one this. This please. I hope it has a 90s interior too.

Russ_M247

7 posts

70 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Over half a MILLION pounds.... I was expecting a couple of hundred but. just. ugh.

Skylinecrazy

13,986 posts

193 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Russ_M247 said:
Over half a MILLION pounds.... I was expecting a couple of hundred but. just. ugh.
Would you have bought it at a couple of hundred?

FA57REN

1,012 posts

54 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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It's like a Hollywood remake of a classic samurai film. All the looks but none of the spirit.

Chunkychucky

5,941 posts

168 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Shame they went with the 2.5 litre, although fingers crossed the aftermarket internal components mentioned mean it revs as high/freely as the old 2.0 litres of the STI Versions 1-6.

Would have this over a Singer anyday, being the 'chav' I am cloud9

BoRED S2upid

19,641 posts

239 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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How much?! Crikey.

trails

3,623 posts

148 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Classics were bad enough on 18s, let alone 19s. It’s not an Audi FFS.

Can’t see anything different from the original…or am I missing the new bits?

whp1983

1,168 posts

138 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Perfect, just perfect…

Sad they’ll all roar…… straight into a warehouse under a cover.


2ZZ Top

2,981 posts

138 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
You could build something that looks and drives very similar for about £50k. That's £410,000 left over to make it look pretty and add a bit more lightness. I can't wait to see where the money has gone.

wpa1975

8,593 posts

113 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Nice but wheels are too big and the price is madness.

ChocolateFrog

24,847 posts

172 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Lol.

There'll be someone in their 40's with enough nostalgia and money to but it.

The price is sheer lunacy. They probably stamp the invoice with MUG rather than PAID.

Edited by ChocolateFrog on Monday 20th June 16:07

cerb4.5lee

30,169 posts

179 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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That is a very good looking car to my eyes. cool

Speed Badger

2,667 posts

116 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Just think you could buy a 911 GT3 (991), Caterham 620, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Impreza P1, Impreza 22B and still have £50k odd left...

Edited by Speed Badger on Monday 20th June 17:29

RudeDog

1,652 posts

173 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Lack of gold wheels means I'm not going to bother ordering one.

The price would also put me off a bit too. I guess they are hoping that there are enough people who had an Impreza back in the 90s who are now wealthy enough to want to relive the good times from their youth. Its not like they have Porsche or Ferrari heritage/following is it.

navmangt

57 posts

117 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
2ZZ Top said:
You could build something that looks and drives very similar for about £50k. That's £410,000 left over to make it look pretty and add a bit more lightness. I can't wait to see where the money has gone.
Yeah I feel like I'm not understanding the cost of this anymore, a lot of components can be bought and there are enough tuners that could sort it out. There's even a full carbon WRC panels you can get from Ireland for less than £10k last time I checked. Gearbox is a X-shift unit, dash is motec, brakes AP etc.

georgeyboy12345

3,479 posts

34 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Pointless.

originals

1,635 posts

26 months

Monday 20th June 2022
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Lovely but not half a million quid lovely.

Augustus Windsock

3,340 posts

154 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Skylinecrazy said:
Russ_M247 said:
Over half a MILLION pounds.... I was expecting a couple of hundred but. just. ugh.
Would you have bought it at a couple of hundred?
Most of us on here couldn’t afford it even at a couple of hundred thousand but Prodrive are off their t1t5 pitching that at £552,000.
I miss my mint low miles ‘classic’ but even a healthy slab of nostalgia wouldn’t make me part with my hard-earned for one of these, let’s face it prospective new owners will be £millionaires.

boholoblanka

1,846 posts

137 months

Monday 20th June 2022
quotequote all
Buy it and get some 555 stickers for it and some gold paint for the rims....