A little context for this article may be needed. Prodrive has a history of exceeding engineering and craftsmanship expectations. The brand helped Imprezas claim WRC championships, and the team’s handiwork includes the Paris-Dakar Rally Raid 959 for Porsche as well as the Bastos E30 M3 rally car for BMW. So when you read about someone spending $600k on a Subaru, having that context in mind will help you be a bit more receptive. That’s what we’re talking about with Prodrive’s Restomod WRX.
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Prodrive P25 WRX | Image: Prodrive
Dubbed the Prodrive P25, the project starts with a 2-door Impreza WRX. Prodrive starts by replacing all the major body panels, including the hood, trunk, roof, sills, fenders, rear quarter panels, bumpers, wing, and mirrors, with carbon composites to drop the curb weight to just 1,200 kg. To power the car, Prodrive opts for a 2.5-litre Subaru boxer that is capable of 400 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. They add in a stainless steel exhaust, an upgraded intercooler, a new airbox, Garrett turbochargers, and new internals (cylinder sleeves, pistons, connecting rods, and valvetrain).
The five-speed transmission is swapped out for a six-speed semi-automatic paddle-shift gearbox. That new transmission can change gears in just 80 milliseconds. The AWD system comes with an active centre diff between both sets of wheels. On the inside, it’s all nostalgic 1990s, although there are upgrades to the leather, alcantara, and carbon accents.
Prodrive P25 WRX | Image: Prodrive
“The iconic blue Subarus bring back memories of an extraordinary era of the WRC and it was the Impreza 22B that brought this rally car performance to the road,” said David Richards, Prodrive’s chairman. “By reimagining this car using the latest technologies and materials the Prodrive P25 pays homage to its roots and there will be little else able to match its performance on the open road.”
Needless to say, the new restomod has a lot more going on under the hood than its unassuming silhouette may suggest. A true collector’s item, the Prodrive release is a piece of history hidden in plain sight. Whether that’s worth the six-digit investment or not, is really in the eye of the beholder.
