Subaru Impreza WR Sport Prodrive

Subaru Impreza WR Sport Prodrive

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Carlson W6

Original Poster:

857 posts

123 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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I bought this car in 2000.It was the first and only car i have ever purchased new.I was about 30 years old and
was looking for something more sensible but just as fun as the 16 Valve 1990 Lancia Integrale i had been driving for the last few years
and had been costing me a fortune in running costs at John Whalley's as well as having a dislike of rain (it was always 50/50 whether it would start after heavy rain).

I started reading about the Impreza in Performance Car magazine and at the time it had been getting outstanding reviews for about 3 years.
The other enticing factor was that it seemed to win the 'JD Power survey' each year in two categories- customer satisfaction and reliability.

The former was important to me.I had excellent,albeit expensive service at the Lancia specialists John Whalleys for a number of years.
I don't blame the garage for the price of keeping the car in good shape,i blame the design and also the fact i was in my twenties and drove it in a spirited fashion.

The problem was John Whalleys is a 3hr return journey for me so when i started looking at new car options i wanted to find a main dealer i would be treated well at but was a bit more local.

Before going to Subaru i went around the corner to a Mitsubishi main dealer in Putney and asked for a test drive in a Lancer.They basically laughed at me and intimated i would not be able to afford the car so it was with some trepidation that i walked into Cheam Motors and asked to test drive a Subaru Impreza Turbo.They could not have been more helpful and sent me out in one on my own and told me to take my time.
The car was OK,but frankly after my Integrale which was running a motorsport chip and putting out around 260bhp the Scooby seemed a little breathless.It was also understeering on the limit instead of the oversteer i was used to in the Integrale.

Apart from these issues i was impressed with the feel of the car and the balance.It felt right.When i got back to the garage i mentioned what i perceived to be the cars shortcomings to the salesman and he showed me a Prodrive catalogue and told me the two issues i had mentioned could be resolved with a Prodrive Performance Package and a Prodrive Tarmac Rally suspension upgrade.
The problem was,i had started getting carried away reading the catalogue and the salesmans enthusiasm coupled with my own resulted in me ordering a new Impreza Turbo which would be sent from Subaru UK straight to Prodrive where it would be upgraded to WR Sport spec.This was-
Prodrive Performance Package (ECU upgrade,Intercooler pipe,De-cat stainless steel exhaust)
Quick Shift
Prodrive Tarmac Rally spec suspension (Bilstein to Prodrives unique spec)
Colour coded body and fabulously chavtastic rear wing.
17 inch Prodrive Alloys (gold of course).

I also left air con off the spec list as the salesman told me it weighed 70kg and sapped a little power and in my mind that was sacrilege.
Nowadays i regret that decision sometimes but back in the day i was only interested in performance and handling.

For those of you unclear about the PPP on this model it takes the car from a base 212 bhp (iirc) to around 240bhp and 0-60 from 5.55s to 5.19s

The other Prodrive upgrade that to this day i think was one of the best options ever was the standard fog lights were changed into 120 watt PIAA driving lamps from their rally range.In the real world these monsters lit up country lanes in the dark as if it was daylight but also when flashed at someone hogging Lane 3 were so bright i think they induced nervousness from the hogger that the vehicle flashing was a police car.I only suspect this because a single flash was all it ever took for drivers to move into L2 immediately.

It felt like a long time waiting for the vehicle and when i finally picked it up i was over the moon.As i was about to drive away,and the sales man had gone back into the dealership a mechanic in overalls darted out of the garage.

He asked me if i was going to be servicing the car with him at the dealership.When i told him i was he said that he had to be careful as they were not supposed to recommend non-prodrive equipment but that in his opinion the De-Cat of the rear cat by Prodrive only went halfway to freeing up the breathing of the car.He told me that a company called Scooby Sport in Essex could supply a downpipe to delete the front Cat too.He then advised me to buy one,get it delivered and if i brought it down to the dealership he would fit it after the car was run in for its first oil change service.
When i asked what i could expect powerwise he told me it felt to him like about 10% more peak power but that the main difference was the lack of lag and it felt like the car could just breathe easier and spin the turbo up quicker.

Of course,i went straight home and ordered one and after he fitted it (i never told the salesman the mechanic had suggested it,instead saying i had found the company on my own LOL) it was clear it unleashed another enormous piece of torque on the already very torquey motor in comparison to the standard UK Turbo.

I've never had the car dynoed or mappped but i suspect around 250 bhp.

Torque from the PPP was already up to 350Nm at 3500 rpm from standard which was 290Nm at 4000 rpm and the scooby sport de-cat certainly saw this figure rise further.

In about 2007 it became the Missus's car after i was enticed into a widetrack Blob Eye STi Type UK after another very generous day long test drive (this salesman knew his trade......).The STi was great and certainly a fun piece of kit but there was something about the overall balance and rawness of the WR Sport that made me realise it was very special.

In 2009 Cheam Motors the supplying main dealer closed down.They had been absolutely first class and stuck to their word that the scooby would be "no more expensive to run than a ford fiesta"- i cannot dispute that claim! It was serviced as per the service schedule with fully synthetic oil.It never did more than 3000 miles between changes and has never needed a drop of oil between services.

It has also never,not once,ever broken down or not started in any way.A welcome change after the Intergrale and proves the JD Power survey that enticed me into buying the car originally was correct.


Here is a recent picture of the car,i will write more later.








Edited by Carlson W6 on Saturday 17th September 22:36


Edited by Carlson W6 on Sunday 26th March 09:52


Edited by Carlson W6 on Sunday 16th April 20:51

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Enjoyed reading that, thanks.

Reminds me of the very similar one I had in my youth although mine was the more common silver.

Carlson W6

Original Poster:

857 posts

123 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
quotequote all
Thanks Steve.

When Cheam Motors was closing they contacted me to let me know and advised me to start servicing the car with their competitors,Bell and Colville.
I took the car for it's annual service there in 2010 and met Ken Paterson who is their Subaru expert in the servicing department.Ken seems to have been around these cars since the beginning.I immediately felt very comfortable having him take over the responsibility of looking after the car as he seemed to be a genuine enthusiast and also knew exactly what the WR Sport was and seemed enthusiastic about the car.

Ken has been looking after the car ever since and it still hasn't ever broken down or used a drop of oil between services.


In January 2014 i decided to buy my first Porsche,and as well as a bit of man maths i also had to negotiate with the missus.

My Blob Eye STi was long gone and had been replaced with a far more grown up C5 RS6 which was a little more fitting of a man now in his forties.
The missus had never been keen on the scooby image (looking back i don't know how i managed to keep her in it for so long).But she couldn't
dispute the absolute pleasure the WR Sport was to drive,rain,snow or shine and the superb reliability.

However,my only succesful strategy in the negotiation for a 997 Turbo was offering to give her the C5 RS6 and get rid of the scooby.

An extremely painful process ensued where i advertised the car on the scooby forum,but as luck would have it before i could sell it my little sisters VW Golf had a catastrophic failure when the cam belt snapped.

I offered her the scooby as she need something cost effective and reliable.The deal was done like this - "You can have the car for XXXX if you promise me when you need to sell it i can have it back at the same extremely beneficial price you bought it for.Also,it must be serviced at Bell and Colville by Ken Paterson annually and anything he says needs doing gets done".

And so the Scooby left but stayed in the family.

Last week i got the call.My sister needed a bigger car and could i buy the scooby back.

So i now have ownership of this incredible car again.

It has 67K on the clock,has only been serviced in main dealers and that service schedule and the lack of miles it has encountered means it has still never been more than 5000 miles without fully synthetic oil and filter.

As a long term test of the brand i have to conclude the car has been faultless and in todays world of heavier,more safety conscious vehicles driving the little scooby with its free breathing engine and tarmac rally spec suspension is a real delight.It is perfectly balanced and the power i think is just right.

The body work is a little tired after London living for 16 years so i intend to prioritise that and i may just fit some winter tyres........


Edited by Carlson W6 on Saturday 17th September 19:56


Edited by Carlson W6 on Saturday 17th September 20:07


Edited by Carlson W6 on Sunday 16th April 20:52

Carlson W6

Original Poster:

857 posts

123 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Edited by Carlson W6 on Saturday 17th September 20:05

jamiem555

750 posts

210 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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That is lovely. I know what you mean about the PIAA lights. I fitted them to my classic and it was one of the best things I did. I drove mine regularly from the north of Scotland to the south in the middle of the night on many occasions.

Freds

947 posts

136 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Nice write up ! I've had Subarus for three decades, there's something about them that gets in to your blood ! I had a P1 from new and have always regretted selling it.

ScoobyChris

1,667 posts

201 months

Saturday 17th September 2016
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Really enjoyed my classic which was lightly breathed on (we went for the TSL downpipe and SS backbox) and ran 251bhp at a RR. Not sure I'd agree on running costs similar to a Fiesta though! biggrin

Chris

Prohibiting

1,734 posts

117 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
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Congrats on buying her back. I have a completely original Turbo 2000 that I sold and bought back. I made a thread here and you posted your Turbo 2000 WR Sport. As a fellow owner, I can truly appreciate how rare your WR Sport is.



R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Sunday 18th September 2016
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Here's mine, as you can see mine wasn't left standard smile

Loved that car! It went over to Ireland when I sold it.



rossub

4,400 posts

189 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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I have the WR Sport Bilstein/Eibach suspension on my 93 WRX. I was lucky to get them at the time for just £200 with 38k miles on them. Worth considerably more than that now - the ultimate road suspension for Classic Imprezas IMO.

MrMoonyMan

2,582 posts

210 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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Great write up and what a pleasant ownership too.

I trust you won't be selling it ever again?

Prohibiting

1,734 posts

117 months

Monday 19th September 2016
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rossub said:
I have the WR Sport Bilstein/Eibach suspension on my 93 WRX. I was lucky to get them at the time for just £200 with 38k miles on them. Worth considerably more than that now - the ultimate road suspension for Classic Imprezas IMO.
Any chance of selling the shocks and springs anytime soon? If so, I'd be very interested biggrin

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Carlson W6 said:
Before going to Subaru i went around the corner to a Mitsubishi main dealer in Putney and asked for a test drive in a Lancer.They basically laughed at me and intimated i would not be able to afford the car so it was with some trepidation that i walked into Cheam Motors and asked to test drive a Subaru Impreza Turbo.They could not have been more helpful and sent me out in one on my own and told me to take my time.
If that is the Misubishi dealer in Keswick road? if so it closed down last year. I went in there for a look around a few years ago (I worked around the corner) and it was like a ghost town, I literally had to grab a passing mechanic to see if he could find a salesman for me to talk to. Amazed they were in business at all as I never saw a single person go in there.

I too bought a brand new 2000 Impreza Turbo in blue but from Bell & Colvill. After a terrible experience at the first service I ended up going to Cheam Motors as I worked in Epsom and the difference was night and day. I sold the car after two years, but I should have fitted the PPP and used the car properly.

Strangely enough I was looking on eBay this morning at these, reliving my youth and wishing I had my car still sitting in the garage.

If I were you I would never sell that car!

Carlson W6

Original Poster:

857 posts

123 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
Hi Joey,

Yes it was the Mitsubishi dealer in Keswick Road.

They had a very strange attitude towards selling cars and expected the car to sell itself,they seemed
incredulous that I was asking for a test drive.

Cheam motors really did provide terrific customer service.
I have a feeling the great treatment I get at Bell & Colville is down to Ken and I only speak to him there.

No I won't be letting the Impreza go again.

Manual Performance cars without driver aids are going to be gone forever soon....

MDMA .

8,849 posts

100 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
car looks great. IMO, the classic suits a smaller rear spoiler, but that's just me. I think the series McRae car was one of the best looking Impreza of all times. they nailed the look with that car.

credit to you for staying with it for so long. I am a recent Subaru convert and can't see me having anything else at the moment. great cars smile

Gav147

976 posts

160 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Great to see one in such great condition OP, brings back so many memories, nigh on exactly the same spec as mine back in the day. The one car I have always regretted selling, I wish I knew what reg my old one got after my plate came off it would to see if I could find it again after all these years :


Carlson W6

Original Poster:

857 posts

123 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
Prohibiting,Steve,Myph and Gav its great to see your classics.

Gav,I've never seen another classic so close to my ones spec.

R8Steve

4,150 posts

174 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Carlson W6 said:
Prohibiting,Steve,Myph and Gav its great to see your classics.

Gav,I've never seen another classic so close to my ones spec.
Thanks Carlson, although you've now had me scanning the classifieds/eBay for another one!

For that I thank you. biggrin

Gav147

976 posts

160 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Carlson W6 said:
Prohibiting,Steve,Myph and Gav its great to see your classics.

Gav,I've never seen another classic so close to my ones spec.
Cheers, looking at your list I think the only differences are with mine being just a turbo not a WR it didn't have leather and it had the standard turbo wing, all the prodrive extras where the same and also no aircon in mine. I honestly thought it was my old car when I first opened the thread and saw the first glances of the pics before I read your OP. We obviously share great taste laugh

Edited by Gav147 on Tuesday 20th September 13:25

Carlson W6

Original Poster:

857 posts

123 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
a bit of the history,I was always fastidious about it.This lot goes up to 2013 when I passed the Impreza to my sister.

These pictures formed part of the cars advertisement in the Scooby forum- thank goodness it went to my sister before someone else could buy it.

Should be interesting to readers here looking at the bills for the Prodrive upgrade on the new car.
















Every single MOT from first issue 2003



Edited by Carlson W6 on Tuesday 20th September 14:41


Edited by Carlson W6 on Tuesday 20th September 14:43