What's all this about?
This is the Prodrive P25, an absolutely stunning restomod built by Oxfordshire-based advanced engineering consultants Prodrive and based around the limited-run Subaru Impreza 22B from the late 1990s. Some 25 years on, Prodrive has revisited the 22B, using the latest technology to improve the car in several ways, replacing the engine and lightening the entire vehicle by adding lashings of carbon fibre.
Revisited?
Yes, Prodrive and Subaru had a long and successful partnership throughout the ‘90s and 2000s, with the Banbury firm running Subaru’s World Rally Championship team. It was a partnership that led to three constructor’s championship wins and three driver’s championship wins for Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg respectively. Because of their relationship, when Subaru built a run of 400 wide-bodied Impreza coupés — the 22B — the 16 official UK-import examples (others were brought in privately) were modified by Prodrive with longer gear ratios and UK-spec lighting. The 22B is a car with which Prodrive has history.
So how is the P25 different to the 22B?
It’s much lighter for a start, with the boot, bonnet, roof, sills, door mirrors, front and rear quarter panels, rear wing and bumpers all made from carbon composite meaning that the P25 weighs-in at less than 1,200kg. Optional too are lightweight race seats, carbon door cards and a lithium-ion battery. That’s before the extensive mechanical tweaks.
Oh? What's been done with the engine?
It’s been chucked out, which might sound like sacrilege, but Prodrive has replaced it with a block derived from Subaru’s latest turbocharged 2.5-litre boxer engine. It’s most definitely not a case of plug-and-play though as the entire unit has been totally re-engineered with new cylinder liners, pistons, con rods, and a valve train with variable cam timing. There’s a Garrett motorsport turbo with a high-performance intercooler and airbox, and there’s an Akrapovic titanium and stainless steel racing exhaust system.
That new engine is paired with a six-speed sequential gearbox with semi-automatic shifts via a paddle on the steering column, delivering 80-millisecond gear-changes. Power is delivered to all four wheels via a drivetrain which features an adjustable active centre differential and limited-slip differentials front and rear.
Has the interior gone all modern?
It has been upgraded, yes, but not totally reworked, with Prodrive attempting to stick as close as possible to an original ‘90s Impreza interior with its combination of Alcantara, leather and carbon. What is new, however, is the full-width high-definition display spanning the dashboard which includes a data logger for recording lap times. It’s through this system that drivers can select different engine performance maps, altering elements such as the throttle response to better tailor the car to the desired driving characteristics, for example, for track use. If a buyer does see themselves using the car more for sporting purposes, there’s the option of deleting the two rear seats and installing a partial roll cage. As well as the standard electric parking brake, there’s also a WRC style “fly-off” hydraulic handbrake, which automatically disengages the centre differential to remove drive to the rear wheels for tighter turns.
Any other changes?
A few, yes. Although the original McPherson strut suspension has been retained, there are new tunable uprights to account for the wider wheel track. Stopping power is now provided by AP Racing brakes with 380mm vented discs and six piston calipers at the front and 350mm vented discs and four-pot calipers at the rear.
What are the performance figures?
Prodrive hasn’t provided many details in that regard, but does say that the P25 develops more than 400hp and 600Nm of torque which should mean that it’s pretty brisk.
How much?
It’s £460,000 plus VAT, so £552,000 in total. That’s obviously a colossal sum of money, but considering the soaring price trajectories of old Imprezas in recent years, it could almost — almost — be described as pretty reasonable.
David Mullen - 21 Jun 2022