The history of the Subaru Impreza....
MY00

This power was kept firmly on the road by the Subaru's all wheel drive system, ideal for the British roads and weather and controlled by a similar suspension to the standard Impreza but with uprated springs giving the car a definate sporty feel on the road. Braking was taken care of by large front vented discs and solid rear discs (unlike the standard Impreza rear drums).
The car was introduced with large front driving lamps, huge air scoops on the bonnet and a modest rear spoiler. Front and rear skirts also added to the Impreza sporty feel. In the cockpit the equipment levels were fairly high too, with, amongst other things, electric windows, central locking, stereo radio system and sport seats. Selling for £17,500 in 4 door and £18,000 for the 5 door, the car was an absolute bargain, and has remained so since, (especially if imported from abroad to save 25%!)

Updates & Modifications.

The cars are product coded by Subaru as MY followed by the year.

MY97 - Late 1997 : Interior modified to try and address criticism raised against it. Included better quality trim and improved bucket seats. Interior is still an Impreza "low" point. Bodywork improved by improved venting to the front bonnet, more up-to-date headlamps and slight change to the bonnet dimensions. Engine output raised to 211bhp and a smaller turbo helped with the problem of Turbo lag reported by owners of the cars.

MY98 - Mid 1998 : Interior again re-designed based on the Forester model in the Subaru range, including new rally style white dials and Momo steering wheel.. The engine was again modified slightly to increase the torque output, raised to a respectable 214lb ft. Externally the car is the same, apart from the wheels being uprated to 16" alloys. Suspension is tweaked, although this made the steering lighter and feel slightly less of a "drivers car" to the previous model.

MY99 - Mid 1999 : No changes to the interior, although both the exterior and engine are improved. The alloys are again replaced by new style 16", the rear spoiler is upgraded to a new high spoiler and the front bumper is redesigned to be lower. The power of the engine is boosted to 218Bhp@6000 rpm. The front brakes were also uprated, to four pot callipers and slightly larger vented discs. Colour coded body parts were now implemented into the Impreza, including the wing mirrors and some dealers offering the option of colour coded side and rear skirts.

MY00 - 2000 : No changes. Although some dealers are now offering the Impreza in 555 P1 or Sonic Blue.

Special Editions (AKA Collectors Items!)

1995/1996 Series McRae: Additions included gold alloys, Prodrive interior, with signed Mcrae seats, sun-roof and plaque displaying which of the limited editions you have.

1997 - Catalunya: 222 produced, with black paint work, Gold alloys, air conditioning, and uprated interior including black and red seats, restyled gear knob and numbered plaque.

1998 - Terzo: Featuring Rally blue paint, gold alloys, air conditioning, Alacantra interior, Cat 1 alarm and numbered plaque.

1999 - RB5 Limited edition: Subaru's idea of letting UK owners get a glimpse of WRX performance from a UK car. Included Blue Steel paintwork, Prodrive wheels, Prodrive quickshift gears, black cloth seats, with blue inserts. RB, standing for Richard Burns, Subaru's Rally Guru. Only 444 were built.