Subaru Impreza RB5 (PPP) #70, 1999
Subaru Impreza I
Subaru Impreza I•
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Chassis No.: JF1GC8KD3XG039570
Engine No.: 489141
Not Sold
- Transmission: Manual
- Body Colour: Blue Steel (Grey)
Considered one of the finest ever model incarnations and this is possibly the best available example; single-ownership from new, impeccable service history from the supplying dealer and just over 40,000 miles. For many people the Impreza WRX is the epitome of Subaru; standing for World Rally Experimental - the WRX and its rallying success transformed the Subaru brand from a company famed for workhorse 4x4s loved by farmers to a firm synonymous with performance and handling. ‘RB5’ is the name of a very special first-generation Impreza, a rare limited edition version of the iconic rally-derived performance saloon.
The return of Richard Burns in 1999 to the Subaru World Rally team brought this Special Edition to the Subaru fans, with just 444 examples produced. Named after the late Richard Burns and his rally-winning car’s number, all RB5s were finished in Blue Steel paintwork with colour-coded mirrors, door handles, skirts and driving lamp covers, in addition to 17'' six-spoke Speedline alloys, blue Alcantara and suede trim, plus air-conditioning, PIAA front driving light conversion, roof-mounted map reading lamps, RB5 side and rear decals, RB5 embossed carpet mats and individual RB5 interior number plaques.
However, of more interest, was that an RB5 could be ordered with the Prodrive Performance Pack (PPP), a dealer option offered by Subaru’s World Rally Championship team operator that included revised intercooler piping, uprated centre and rear stainless-steel exhaust silencers, a quick-shift gearchange and – crucially – a remapped ECU that helped boost peak output to 238bhp. Lift the passenger carpet and you’ll find the box adorned with the pink go-faster lettering of the firm’s tuning arm – Subaru Tecnica International. EVO magazine. said 'The RB5 is truly outstanding, each ingredient perfectly in balance with the next – power to grip, weight to damping force'.
The car presented here is a 1999 Subaru Impreza RB5 (PPP), number #70 of the 444; it was ordered from new with the PPP (documented on its accompanying original order form) and was supplied new via long-established Tiley Motors Ltd. of Bristol (Subaru) to an older customer, also based in Bristol. He returned the car to Tiley routinely for servicing, accruing just 40,000 miles over the last 24-years. The car is completely unmodified and is in superb condition. It is surely one of the best, low-mileage/one-owner examples of its type available and is accompanied by its full book-pack, invoices for maintenance and all the associated RB5 accessories.
If limited edition, great in-period reviews, originality, low-mileage and low-ownership are ‘markers’ for what makes a great modern-classic then this car is surely ‘Holy Grail’ material – and even today, when journalists have revisited the driving experience of the RB5, the sheer composure, agility and dynamics are about the best an Impreza can offer – this side of a 22B. Coming to auction freshly cambelt-serviced and MOT’d, this rally-car-for-road is one for the enthusiast to really appreciate.
