You are here : Cars Homepage > News and Reviews Hub > Colin McRae's Subaru Impreza

Colin McRae's Subaru Impreza

20 September 2007

The motoring world reeled in shock at the tragic news that 39 year-old rally legend Colin McRae had died in a helicopter accident, along with his young son Johnny.

In tribute to the great man who brought rally glory to the British Isles, guest columnist Vijay Pattni casts a misty eye over the car that he steered to victory in the 1995 World Rally Championship – the Subaru Impreza.

Mention the name Subaru Impreza to a person on the street and most will associate it with one of the most focused rally cars to have ever existed.

Exactly how a humble competitor to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla morphed into something the God of Thunder himself would use as ‘something special’, only experts can tell.

But the mighty Impreza has always had racing in its bloodline.

British engineering and motorsport group Prodrive formed a close collaboration with Subaru back at the start of the 90’s – and when the old Legacy puffed its last breath of carbon, Subaru decided to introduce the world to one of the greatest names in the business.

The signs were there from the start. The engine, always the beating heart of any performance car, was the precursor which ensured the Impreza would remain at the forefront of rallying for many years.

The engine is a marvel of engineering genius – it is a boxer engine, which means it can sit lower down in the car. This, as any self-respecting physicist will explain, is essential in lowering the car’s centre of gravity, and makes it easier to hustle through the corners.

Banbury-based Prodrive sat up and took notice – tweaking the humble family saloon into the rally-bred monster which stormed to the top of the table and into the collective psyche.

McRae’s special edition 555 – named after a Japanese cigarette brand – was powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which chucked out a whopping 300bhp. The monster engine was so powerful that the Intercooler used to cool down the turbo had its own cooling water spray.

The power was slapped to the road via a short-shift gearbox and handled through specially set-up suspension components made of alloy.

Add to this the permanent all-wheel drive system which Subaru installed as standard, and you have the foundation for a serious machine.

This meant the Japanese built, four-door family saloon would rocket to 60mph in under five seconds while entertaining millions around the world, for many years to come.

Such is the prominence of the name, a special edition Impreza was launched to celebrate the success Colin McRae had brought to Subaru in rallying.

And the PlayStation generation were also bestowed with a permanent reminder, although slightly ungainly to look at, the four-wheel drive rocket was a serious performance machine that was capable of humbling much of the world’s exotica – Lamborghinis and Ferraris included.

The Gran Turismo series popularised the car’s appeal to the gaming masses, while McRae himself advised on the excellent Colin McRae Rally, which still stands today as one of the best rally games on the market.

In today’s world of 1,001 horsepower Bugattis and 200mph BMWs, the Impreza almost feels real-world; almost normal.

But put a committed genius like McRae behind the wheel, and suddenly every ounce of power the Subaru had to offer was planted to the streets of Chester in the 1995 season finale which saw him take the driver’s title and propel the Impreza onto the world map.

Check out this video of McRae showing his prowess in his Impreza: