2000 Subaru Impreza P1

Finished, of course, in Sonic Blue, with blue/grey cloth and Alcantara upholstery, this unmodified, highly authentic P1 is in excellent all-round condition.

The car has two previous owners and a comprehensive service history. It has 85,185 miles under its belt and had a full engine rebuild (costing £4,800) at 47,600 miles in 2005.

A brief look at the car and its history will tell you that it hasn’t been fitted with tail pipes the size of paint cans; it hasn’t been modified by some bloke with a Haynes manual and a Fisher-Price toolkit; and it hasn’t been ragged around an Asda car park in the rain by some shell-suited muppets.

It is pretty much as it left the factory and it’s all the better for it. It’s also in really quite exceptional condition, inside and out.

We have driven it and can attest to the fact that it goes like a nervous cheetah at a firework display and exhibits handling characteristics that almost defy belief.

As Car Magazine said of it at its launch, "Ordinary Impreza turbos sort of tweak playfully with the edges of the law of physics. The P1 sits down and re-writes them."

It’s feels hugely capable and perfectly balanced in pretty much all circumstances. It gives you the confidence of knowing that, even if your abilities aren’t quite in the Colin McRae league, its most certainly are.

The blue paintwork is shiny and has a good depth of colour and lustre to it. It’s recently had a few spots of touch-up work done and, aside from the very occasional stone chip here and there, the finish is pretty much blemish and flaw free. The most noticeable chips are on the nearside front wing.

The badging, grille, lights and trim – including the strip of carbon fibre on the lip of the rear spoiler – are all good.

There are no scuffs, warps, dinks, dents, scratches, ripples, creases or folds of any note that we can see.

The OZ racing wheels are untroubled by age & have been freshly refurbished prior to the sale.

The matching Toyo tyres are in good nick and have plenty of life left in them.

In general, the shut-lines and door gaps are all good. The only exception is on the front spoiler/dam section below the headlights, which seems to be rather too separated from the upper section and has dropped down to create a gap.

This discrepancy is more pronounced on the front nearside section.

It’s a Subaru, not a Bentley, so the interior is always going to be more about cloth and plastic than leather and veneer.

But this one is doing its best to impart an up-market feel and it broadly succeeds. There’s subtle red stitching to the edges of the seat bases, around the gear and handbrake leather, and the blue of the exterior is echoed in here to good effect, with a blue cloth finish to the outer bolsters and tops of the seats.

The same shade of light blue shines from the centre console build plaque. Alcantara sections in the centre of the seats, front and rear, add a premium touch.

The Prodrive bucket seats are both supportive and, refreshingly, comfortable. So many other manufacturers seem to insist upon bucket seats that are hard, unforgiving and viciously try to break your hip when you’re getting in and out of them.

Overall, this Impreza’s cabin presents almost like new.

The carpets, mats, door cards and headlining are all in very good nick, as are the rear seats. So, too, are the steering wheel and gear lever.

As far as we can tell, all toggles, levers, buttons, dials, switches and knobs do what they’re supposed to do.

There’s really nothing to remind you that this car is more than 20 years old, save for a few errant rattles and squeaks from around the dashboard.

As we said, it’s a Subaru, not a Bentley.

The boot is clean and tidy. Lifting the carpets here or anywhere else on this car reveals…just an entirely normal bloom of rust dust here and there.

If you’ve read this far then you likely won’t need us to tell you that Imprezas are not typically averse to a bit of rust.

This UK special edition has had to brave 21 of our winters and all the salt and punishment that involves. So, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it’s done a decent job of fending off the worst of it and appears to have a good deal of structural integrity in all the right places.

There is some superficial rust dust on some suspension components.

There is some rather less superficial rust that’s starting to flake in one of the jacking points.

The engine bay is largely in keeping with a car of this age and mileage. It’s business-like and appears leak free. The red paint that originally covered the engine’s intakes has flaked off.

It’s evident from looking at and driving this car that it’s been well looked after and maintained by people who have appreciated both its rarity and pedigree.

It’s always been garaged and has covered just 10,000 miles in the last decade.

The car comes with a comprehensive service history and a wad of bills, receipts (including first receipt for original purchase) and invoices for work done. It comes with the original P1 manuals, video, Prodrive handbook and 2 keys and fobs.

It currently has an MoT certificate, with no advisories, valid until 11.11.22.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

This car is one of just 1000 ever made. This is number 328, from the first run of 500.

Currently, there are only 234 taxed examples out there.

So, it’s properly rare then.

But it’s also properly authentic. It hasn’t been fiddled with, mucked about or otherwise pimped into submission.

It’s the real deal. And it’s in very fine fettle indeed.

We can safely say that these won’t be getting cheaper any time soon.

Now might just be the perfect opportunity to get yourself a very special, and very usable, piece of iconic automotive history.

Go on, you know you want to.

We have the confidence to offer this fine vehicle for auction with an estimate of £25,000 - £35,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.