Subaru Impreza WRX Type RA STI Limited Version 6

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Welcome to my Readers thread for possibly one of the longest vehicle names ever….

I imported this car from Japan in February 2022 using an import agent and it has been a dream car of mine for years. Prior to this Subaru I’ve owned a humble Turbo 2000 and a Version 4 Type RA STI.

This Version 6 is a Limited model to just 2,000 models released for the Japanese market but only 1,577 were produced.

The Type RA model stands for “Rally/Race altered” that focuses on being a fully-fledged sports model. It includes weight saving measures plus a range of special enhancements to offer an incredible raw driving experience. Being an STI version, it also includes the addition of various fine tunings dedicated to Impreza STI models. Finally, as a Limited edition model, it includes extra unique features (mainly cosmetic).

Subaru models can get extremely confusing with all of the different versions and models but I will summarise to the best of my knowledge about my car. I may not be 100% accurate but have taken the research mainly from Type-ra.com.

Special Enhancements/Features as standard:
- WRC type roof flap/ventilator
- Adjustable DCCD (Driver's Control Centre Differential). Allows you to adjust the differential lock ratio of the LSD (limited slip differential) as necessary. Adjustable torque to the rear wheels 70:30 front, or lock it up to a 50:50 split
- Front helical LSD and R180 rear diff
- Quick steering rack (13:1)
- 16 inch RAYS lightweight forged wheels
- Lightweight aluminium bonnet and thinner glass
- No ABS, no side skirts, no fog lamps, no rear wiper
- Manual/auto intercooler water spray
- Exclusive ‘sonic blue mica’ body colour with colour coded wing mirrors
- Serial number plaque
- Six-star front grille emblem (cherry red)
- Titanium WRC gear knob
- Exclusive blue front seats
- Exclusive blue dash and gear surround
- Aluminium sports pedals
- Auto air conditioning
- Power windows and wing mirrors
- Central locking
- Super lightweight, 1260kg

Standard STI Specs:
- 2-litre EJ20 STI engine, 280bhp and 260 ft/lb torque standard specification
- 7900 RPM red line, stronger engine/factory forged pistons, and a more aggressive setup
- VF28 turbo
- 4-pot fronts, 2-pot rear callipers
- Close ratio 5 speed transmission
- STI suspension
- STI strut brace
- STI intercooler
- Larger rear spoiler

In Japan going through USS auction house


Collection day


Home

Edited by Prohibiting on Saturday 5th March 17:16

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emmetb said:

Epic car and the right colour too, had 5 Impreza in my time and the classic shape is still the icon. I remember this particular version as being somewhat special. Presumably coming from Japan there is less chance of the nasty rear end corrosion that afflicts many of the classic shape Imprezas in the UK. Will you be undersealing it at all?

Correct. The Version 6 (year 2000) is the last of the “classic” Impreza shapes and are very sought after, especially the STI versions from Japan. This is super clean underneath being a Jap import and yes, I had her undersealed as soon as she landed on UK shores!

I took her to Caffeine and Machine today and was put right at the entrance



There’s a few bits I want to do and I will update this thread accordingly, but she’s staying pretty much factory standard.

Edited by Prohibiting on Sunday 6th March 16:13

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plenty said:

emmetb said:

Nice one, she's a beauty and yes I think more or less standard is the way to go as apart from anything it will preserve the value. I modded the heck out of a couple of mine and to be honest it devalued them even at the time. That said the WRX Type RA Ltd V6 is a substantial road weapon out of the box. Look forward to the updates.

100%. With such a special car factory standard is the only way, except for perhaps a remap and P1/P11L springs which drive much better than STI v6 springs on British roads and are easily reversible.

To be honest, the JDM STI springs aren’t too bad. But this is probably because my daily driver is a Clio 172 Cup with Cooks springs. The 172 Cup is very hard in comparison!

In terms of mods, I’m basically aiming for a stage 1 remap (exhaust, panel filter, map) and that’s it. But no rush!

ChrisCh86 said:

A beautiful and very special car, it must have cost a lot given the recent price increases in anything JDM!

Enjoy

Yes, to be honest it was now or neither. As said, it’s been pretty much a dream car of mine. I remember just a few years ago you could get one for £10k and 90’s/00’s JDM cars are rocketing in price. I made the man maths work, just. But it means I won’t be moving house anytime soon

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First few goodies have arrived… I managed to find a mint condition OEM factory upgrade Subaru-Kenwood Limited stereo as per the brochure which will replace the aftermarket Japanese SatNav unit currently fitted.





Upgraded OSRAM headlamp bulbs to replace the candles:


Gear linkage and knuckle rebuild kit to remove the play/slop in the gear stick:

Edited by Prohibiting on Wednesday 9th March 09:52

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RB Will said:

OP your Mrs looks thrilled with the trip to C&M
Car looks good though

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca4WNy6MoHI/?utm_mediu...

We’ve both had a laugh at that! She’s told me she is more than happy to be dragged along to car shows but she gets cold with the roof vent open

Edited by Prohibiting on Wednesday 9th March 19:35

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I’ve been busy this week cramming in some jobs after work before the evenings get dark.

Seats before:


Seats after (wet vac’d and logo touched up):


All wheels off, cleaned and sealed. Before:


After:




Gave the STI backbox a little polish while the car was up on stands:

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My car has been away with a specialist all last week having quite a few little jobs done and I’m really happy with it. All of the aftermarket Jap wiring, Sat nav, Defi gauges, CD changer under the passenger seat and rear speakers were removed which has given it a clean look. I’ve also had the factory optional extra stereo fitted, the gearstick linkage kit fitted so the shifter is now top notch and changes beautifully, new quick steering rack bushes, and new plastic roof trim including front and rear windscreen trim.

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Mr.Jimbo said:

Looks lovely, a friend of mine in Germany has the same ltd edition and I always drooled over it. As a fellow JDM (Hawk STI so very plain compared to a WR ltd RA) owner it is lovely to have such a clean car underneath.

What Defi gauges did it come with? I've got Prosport in mine which are OK but wouldn't mind seeing if Defi are worth the money over the prosport.

JDM cars are so clean underneath- I wouldn’t consider anything else now.

The gauges were aftermarket fitted by the Jap owner and I want to keep everything OEM, hence had them removed. They were oil temp, oil pressure, and turbo boost. I can’t really comment as they’re the only gauges I’ve ever experienced.

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John Laverick said:

Looks very nice!

I've been considering one of these for a little while now, could you offer any advise on how I would go about importing one?

How do the numbers work out? Is it cheaper to import? Could I be cheeky and ask what sort of number would have imported your Impreza?

Will PM

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Cleaned her this morning and then drove out to some woods local to me for a photoshoot. Here are a few of my favourites:









Really loving this car and the positive attention she gets!

Edited by Prohibiting on Sunday 15th May 14:36

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thelostboy said:

Looks cool, and nice spec! Did they do a 2dr version?

Yes, that’ll be the Type R but they do not have a helical LSD like this model. Then of course you have the holy grail, Impreza 22B, and finally the UK 2 door model called the P1 which has ABS instead of the DCCD (Japanese models have the DCCD) and is a little softer. But if you asked me what all the differences are, it’ll be like opening a can of worms

Edited by Prohibiting on Monday 16th May 09:58

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I know that I said I’d keep her 100% standard, but the desire for more noise was too strong… welcome a Group A rally exhaust and contrasting mud flaps. She really turns a lot of heads now!





I feel like it’s completely transformed the look of the car and made it appear more aggressive and wider which personally I really like.

For those that use Instagram, I have videos etc of my car on my account called Impreza_typera

Edited by Prohibiting on Monday 8th August 20:42

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RacingPete said:

Where did you get the flaps from? Been thinking about a pair for my STi v2 JDM

I got them from an eBay seller that makes mudflaps in different colours and logos:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255187920829?mkcid=16&a...

I wanted them to look exactly the same as original GC8 JDM ones which are impossible to find, so asked him to replicate the logo text so messaged him the below pics:

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Mud flaps are definitely going to divide opinions. Personally, if I’m going to drive a lightweight special model Impreza, I want it to be shouty, especially as it’s a summer weekend car. The contrasting mud flaps and rally spec exhaust heightens this massively and makes driving it feel special. They’re something I can take off and put the original guards back on if desired

Video here of exhaust in action:
https://youtube.com/shorts/rXnMDrN7jcc?feature=sha...

Edited by Prohibiting on Tuesday 15th November 11:41

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Couple of updates! Last weekend I took all the wheels off and DIY refurbished the brake calipers.

Before:


After:





I also took the opportunity to really clean the underside:



Oh, and for those that follow Pistonheads on Facebook, I'm now their cover photo for the month of December!

Edited by Prohibiting on Friday 2nd December 14:06

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Jaaack said:

Great car, immaculate condition too!

I think we follow each other on Insta. Really need to do a thread for mine, maybe when I'm off work over Christmas.

Mine's a typeR Version 5 Limited - I'm envious of your front LSD and quicker rack! Saying that - the steering already feels pretty bloody responsive so I can only imagine what yours is like. Do you also find the brakes to be shockingly crap?! Mine does need discs and pads but even so, I've never experienced the feel changing with worn consumables before so I suspect they're just not very good.

Played with DCCD yet? I find mine extremely lively in the wet with the centre diff open, you really have to be awake! But with it locked 50/50, you can hardy tell it's wet!

Yes, we do follow each other- I always enjoy seeing your updates

To be honest, I am no driving God and I actually find the car not as sure-footed as I'd like. I've been speaking to Simon Stanley at Chevron Motorsport (they specialise in Championship winning Imprezas and are one of the best in the business) about setting up the handling and alignment of the car properly including replacing any worn parts/bushes etc. That's my next job which will be in the New Year.

Edited by Prohibiting on Monday 5th December 10:06

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Big update!

I sold this car in February earlier this year....

However, it was actually a part-exchange against an identical model. Meet my new Type RA STI Limited Version 6, number 0142/2000.

Why did I part-ex to this one? It's only on 49,000km and in the best condition I've ever seen of an old Impreza. 1 previous Japan owner and 1 previous UK owner, imported in 2022 (graded 4.5 which is super rare). It is all standard apart from my Group A exhaust that I took off my old one and put on this one. It also sports the rare factory optional extra, twin-blade S201 spoiler.

Here are a few random shots:

Edited by Prohibiting on Wednesday 10th May 13:57

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wol said:

Wow, very jealous. Makes my UK Turbo look very boring and a bit rubbish.
Sadly I could never afford one of these when I was looking, but having had the Turbo since 2004 it can't be that bad a car.

What's your Instagram? I feel I need to follow the updates

Thank you. I used to own a humble Turbo 2000! Lovely car! But the RA STI is on steroids in comparison!

@impreza_typera is my Insta

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M3kent said:

Hi, do you still have it? Thanks

V555 VRA? Yes I do- currently in storage and not for sale. Sorry.