Photo: Appreciating Classics
Oh, remember with enduring care the good old days of rallying when Subaru and Mitsubishi were trading fast blows based on what were actually quite simple compact cars. Among the Subies one alphanumeric designation was like a Holy Grail of JDM-awesomeness: 22B. The impressive widebody coupe is now a highly sought-after collector’s car that can fetch quite impressive figures.
Probably one of the most iconic versions of the Impreza, the WRX 22B STi has been produced in a mere 424 units for just a few months back in 1998. Reports have chronicled on numerous occasions how the entire lot of 400 examples for the Japanese domestic market were snatched in mere minutes (or hours, details differ with the passage of time).
The other 24 vehicles were allocated to the U.K. (16) and Australia (5) and three were used as homologation prototypes. It turns out Subaru even had to wait an entire year to register its British-spec 22Bs because at least 50 units in Japanese specification had been imported privately.
We are dealing with one of these cases in this particular instance, the 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi being offered for sale by Appreciating Classics with just 271 miles on the odometer and a single owner on the pink slip. The car has been kept in storage for over two decades – it was originally acquired by a family as an investment and has been driven on just a couple of occasions.
The total mileage count – 271 miles or 436 kilometers – is an interesting statement to the willingness of the owner to stick to its forecasted financial plan. We would have driven the 2.2-liter turbo blue devil just about everywhere – even at the local grocery shops. But the reality is that today it would have been impossible to claim everything to be authentic as is the case with this example.
Imagine the care: the car even has the original Pirelli tires complete with their iconic P Zero decals. The selling company guarantees everything on the 22B is genuine and explains the few parts that were changed - original cambelt, pulleys and water pump, along with all fluids and filters – were in accordance with the standard full service treatment.
Of course, such an original car will not come cheap. But we are not so sure the fans will appreciate the £295,000 ($373,000) asking price, even after seeing everything is ready for a genuine time warp back to the crazy 1990s.
The other 24 vehicles were allocated to the U.K. (16) and Australia (5) and three were used as homologation prototypes. It turns out Subaru even had to wait an entire year to register its British-spec 22Bs because at least 50 units in Japanese specification had been imported privately.
We are dealing with one of these cases in this particular instance, the 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi being offered for sale by Appreciating Classics with just 271 miles on the odometer and a single owner on the pink slip. The car has been kept in storage for over two decades – it was originally acquired by a family as an investment and has been driven on just a couple of occasions.
The total mileage count – 271 miles or 436 kilometers – is an interesting statement to the willingness of the owner to stick to its forecasted financial plan. We would have driven the 2.2-liter turbo blue devil just about everywhere – even at the local grocery shops. But the reality is that today it would have been impossible to claim everything to be authentic as is the case with this example.
Imagine the care: the car even has the original Pirelli tires complete with their iconic P Zero decals. The selling company guarantees everything on the 22B is genuine and explains the few parts that were changed - original cambelt, pulleys and water pump, along with all fluids and filters – were in accordance with the standard full service treatment.
Of course, such an original car will not come cheap. But we are not so sure the fans will appreciate the £295,000 ($373,000) asking price, even after seeing everything is ready for a genuine time warp back to the crazy 1990s.
Google News