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Rare Subaru Impreza 22B STi Looking for a New Owner

Subaru was riding high in the 1990s, winning no fewer than three constructors’ championships in WRC with the help of Colin McRae. The Scottish rally legend with five titles under his belt is revered for his spectacular driving style and hot-headed mistakes, made possible by the Impreza with the State Express 555 livery and gold wheels.
1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi 19 photos
Photo: 4 Star Classics
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The 22B STi came to be in 1998, a special edition designed to celebrate those constructors’ championships mentioned in the opening paragraph. 424 examples of the breed were ever made, also commemorating the 40th anniversary of Subaru’s automotive division. The 360 is Subaru’s first car, a rear-engined city car dating back to 1958.

Of the 424 units, Subaru offered 400 for the Japanese domestic market, 16 were imported to the United Kingdom, 5 to Australia, and the remaining three were prototypes. Taking its name from the EJ22 boxer engine, the 22B came in Subaru’s rallying blue and with a WRC-inspired flared fenders.

From 2,212 cubic centimeters of displacement, the four-cylinder boxer was officially rated at 280 PS at 6,000 rpm and 363 Nm at 3,200 rpm. These numbers were made possible by the EFI system and IHI turbocharger. Deeper under the skin of the special edition, Bilstein suspension and red-painted brake calipers were also provided. By the way, B doesn’t come from boxer but the internal code Subaru used for turbocharging.

Now then, care to guess how much chassis number 196 out of 400 costs? 4 Star Classics listed the car at £99,995 with 25,655 miles on the clock, translating to either €116,260 or $129,835 at current exchange rates.

That's huge money for a 21-year-old widebody coupe, but on the upside, the 22B is a blue-chip investment as opposed to the STI S209. The most powerful STI sold outside of Japan cranks out 341 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque from the EJ25, a 2.5-liter boxer introduced in 1994 in the Legacy without a turbo.

Turning our attention back to the blue-painted Scooby, everything under the hood appears to be stock except for the Zero Sports radiator shroud. The car is accompanied by tons of paperwork and maintenance history, and 4 Star Classics has also serviced the 22B Sti with a new timing belt for the next owner’s peace of mind.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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