COLIN MCRAE'S 1997 PRODRIVE SUBARU PROTOTYPE CAN BE YOURS, FOR THE RIGHT PRICE.
Over in the UK, there’s a company that does a fair bit of trade with rare and classic cars, and a current listing on their website is a very rare, very cool and rather iconic Subaru from the days when the World Rally Championship was where all the best motorsport action happened. The sport created legends, and one of them was Colin McRae, the Scottish-born driver who had a long and successful career, most of it from piloting a few different Subarus with ridiculous skill and amazing flair. The iconic blue 555-emblazoned JDM cars are instantly recognisable, and legions of fans have copied the race livery to their own personal weekend toys. We’ve seen these Subarus come up for sale before, it’s rare, of course, but it does happen. Some of these cars are in better condition than others and some fetch more money than others, it all depends on the car’s race history and condition, and sometimes the chassis number. This particular car listed at Fiskens LTD in London may just be a little more special thanks to the provenance of the car. This specific car wasn’t raced in McRae’s time, but the man did use it to get used to the car and rule changes that happened in 1996 for the 1997 race season. McRae spent a fair share of time behind the wheel of this Subaru Impreza WRC car - Chassis number 001.
This JDM-spec Impreza WRX STI Type R was rebuilt to competition-spec by the masters of the game at the time, Prodrive, and the changes made the car very competitive. Chassis 001 was the primary test and development car with a high-tuned, turbocharged 1994cc boxer engine that was rated at 300 hp and 470 Nm of torque, it had more travel on the McPherson strut suspension, a 6-speed manual gearbox with upgraded front / centre / rear differentials and it was kitted out to the full FIA safety standards with an integrated Chromoly roll cage and the associated racing-spec interior. While McRae drove the car plenty, it never saw competition at his hands, but when checking the car’s history on the eWRC-results.com website, it lists Chassis 001 as winning the 1998 Boucles de Spa Alphonse Delettre Rally driven by the team of Gregoire de Mevius and Jean-Marc Fortin. The car was then acquired by Procar in Italy, and once again pops up in competition in 1999 when it took first place on the Rali Vinho da Madeira, Rally Cyprus and Aviano Rallies. Again in 1999, it took the eighth spot on the Rally di Monza at the hands of Valentino Rossi. Yes, that Rossi. There’s plenty more after that, the car raced right up until 2007. So Chassis 001 has a pretty cool history, and it should fetch some pretty good money. The best we could find was that the car last sold for close to $250 000. We’ll be keeping an eye on this car as best we can, we’re keen to see just how much the car is worth to one lucky Subaru fanatic out there.
Take a look at the YouTube video from a few years back when the Carfection crew and driver Henry Catchpole put one of these Prodrive Subarus through its paces to see what it was like for the legendary Scottish rally driver at 10/10th back in the 90s. This car is pretty much identical albeit with a different chassis number: We Drove Colin McRae's 1997 Subaru Impreza WRC Car! | Carfection
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!