Friday 17th September 2004

Prodrive builds first RHD World Rally Car

Homologation model for the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

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Prodrive has built the world’s first fully FIA homologated right hand drive World Rally Car. The car, based on the standard left hand drive Subaru Impreza Series 9, was specially built for customers competing in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

In order to maintain the existing design of the Impreza’s engine bay, Prodrive developed a new mechanism to link the steering column to the standard left hand drive steering rack. This uses two very low friction, high angularity constant velocity joints to ensure the same driving feel of the standard left hand drive car. The whole steering mechanism underwent the equivalent of 25,000km in bench testing to verify its durability.

In the cockpit, the centre console, dashboard, pedal box, driver’s controls and handbrake have all been modified to suit the right hand layout.

The forthcoming Impreza S10, currently being used by the Subaru World Rally Team, will also be available in RHD.

[cptsideways]

Yee haaaaa

That models going to known as the RB9 = Right Bodge 9


That sounds like the mods they do to RHD cars in Africa except they use some bike cogs & bits of chain

Note: Obviously its not a normal bodge, but a well executed & professional bodge so it'll be ok then

>>> Edited by cptsideways on Saturday 18th September 09:12

[greg_D]

They probably like to call it "re-engineering", but i agree with you, it's a bodge.

PS are you going to entered in the Sideways Challenge this tuesday at Brands Hatch.

I am, it would be good to hook up and say hi

greg

[campbell]

How can this car be a bodge, the cars are made in Japan and all there cars are right hand drive, surely the left hookers are the bodges

Campbell

[D-Angle]

Aaaahhhh, right hand drive, how very civilised

:tweedjacketpoloclubandpimmssmiley:

[Fatboy]

campbell said:

How can this car be a bodge, the cars are made in Japan and all there cars are right hand drive, surely the left hookers are the bodges Campbell

I was thinking much the same thing? I gues they now design the bodyshell in LHD first for the euro/US markets?

[htsd]

I doubt that the design is based on being LHD- their primary market is still Japan, RHD. I think its probably some sort of WRC regulation that the cars have to be LHD so they get factory LHD's in to kit out as rally cars. But it sounds like a dumb thing to do, completely re-engineer the steering when they could have imported one from Japan with the 'conversion' as a factory fitment ie the original design!

Oh and if you want a deathly quick Subie for the road but can't afford one of these ProDrive versions try and track down an Impreza 22B. Don't know if you chaps ever got them new tho.

[Fatboy]

htsd said:

I doubt that the design is based on being LHD- their primary market is still Japan, RHD. I think its probably some sort of WRC regulation that the cars have to be LHD so they get factory LHD's in to kit out as rally cars. But it sounds like a dumb thing to do, completely re-engineer the steering when they could have imported one from Japan with the 'conversion' as a factory fitment ie the original design! Oh and if you want a deathly quick Subie for the road but can't afford one of these ProDrive versions try and track down an Impreza 22B. Don't know if you chaps ever got them new tho.

IIRC there were only about a dozen (maybe 50) 22Bs that made it to the UK officially as road cars - utterly insane they were too

[annodomini2]

If they had to be left hand drive, why would they get homologation?

Its more likely that they are left hand drive because of equipment in the engine bay e.g. turbo location or something would interfere with the steering column!

So although i agree its a bodge, It may have been cheaper and simpler to just alter the steering from within the cabin than alter the location of probably quite a few items in the engine bay!

[Frik]

htsd said:

I doubt that the design is based on being LHD- their primary market is still Japan, RHD. I think its probably some sort of WRC regulation that the cars have to be LHD so they get factory LHD's in to kit out as rally cars. But it sounds like a dumb thing to do, completely re-engineer the steering when they could have imported one from Japan with the 'conversion' as a factory fitment ie the original design! Oh and if you want a deathly quick Subie for the road but can't afford one of these ProDrive versions try and track down an Impreza 22B. Don't know if you chaps ever got them new tho.

The point is this is a World Rally Car, not a road car. They are not bought and then "converted". That's what Group N is for. I should doubt there's more than 10 components that are shared between this and a road going version. The price difference is probably about a factor of 10 too!