1996 Subaru Impreza Series McRae

With just two previous UK keepers, regular readers may recognise this as a car we sold about eighteen months ago. Having now scratched the Impreza Turbo itch (and, let’s face it, that’s an itch we’ve all had, isn’t it?) she now feels the time is right to pass it on to the next enthusiast to enjoy.

But first, a recap: the previous owner was a lifelong Colin McRae fan who had fond memories of running a standard Impreza Turbo as his company car back in the day. So, when the opportunity arose to buy a genuine, low-owner-from-new SERIES McRAE Impreza Turbo (number 170 out of 200) he jumped at it. He went on to own the car for seven years, investing an enormous amount of time, love and money into it during that time.

The work he commissioned included extensive bodywork, a full engine rebuild, and a thousand-and-one other smaller jobs to ensure that he kept on top of what might just be the best SERIES MCRAE Impreza Turbo in the country.

The current owner has continued to love and cherish the car, keeping it garaged when it isn’t being (lightly) used. So lightly, in fact, that she has only covered around 200 miles since buying it. Originally bought to share with her son, she’s realised that it really is too nice to risk letting a 21 year-old loose in, hence the sale.

The previous owner had the bodywork professionally restored. This included the areas around the windscreen and where the rear wheelarch joins the rear bumper, as well as repainting the front and rear bumpers. The result is nothing short of stunning.

There are a couple of small car-park dings in the door but there’s a fine line between a beautifully finished car and one that’s just too good to actually use and this Impreza is highly usable without having to worry about ruining an impossibly concours paint job by driving it. 

He also had the electrically operated slide-and-tilt metal sunroof resprayed before being refitted with a new seal. As a result, it looks terrific, works as it should, and is completely watertight and displays none of the wind noise that can plague cars where the sunroof isn’t as tightly aligned as this one.

The four alloy Speedline Safari wheels were also professionally refurbished in their original gold finish and are wearing matching Pirelli P7 tyres, all of which have good tread. 

Obsessives will probably want to pop a new pair of number plates on it, but that’s more for something to do than because the old ones are especially scruffy.

The original SERIES McRAE Recaro driver’s seat is in excellent condition with almost no visible wear. The rest of the seats and the matching door trims are in nigh-on perfect condition, as is the dashboard, which hasn’t suffered the indignity of having been modified with extra gauges or switches like so many have over the years.

The car also sports the original floor mats, Nardi Torino gearknob, Subaru-branded head-unit, and the numbered plaque on the centre console, bearing the legend ‘170 SERIES McRAE by Prodrive Subaru 1995 World Rally Champions’.

It could do with a quick vacuum, but that’s about the extent of the problems the new owner is going to face in there. Remarkable, isn’t it?

The engine was rebuilt by the previous owner’s local Subaru dealer back in May 2017 using original equipment parts specially imported from Subaru in Japan for the job. That should make the flat-four engine as good now as it was when the car was first delivered back in 1996, which is only to be expected given the £7,000 final bill. 

The current owners have just finished running it in and have treated it to a post-rebuild oil and filter change, so it’s ready for its new owner to use to its fullest.

The good news doesn’t end there because the car has had new brake discs, calipers and pads all round, a new/old stock OE exhaust, and new front wishbones in addition to the usual service and repair consumables during the previous owner’s seven years with the car. 

The vendor states that it drives perfectly and is ready for another twenty years of everyday use before it’ll need anything major doing to it again. You really have got to admire Subaru’s reliability, haven’t you?

The online MOT history shows the car only ever having failed on tyres, the odd blown bulb, and worn brake discs. 

The car comes with a fully stamped service handbook, owner’s wallet and handbook, a SERIES McRAE brochure, two keys, and a number of old MOTs and other miscellaneous paperwork.

Please visit the Documents section of the Gallery where you will find a huge number of invoices and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has an impressively comprehensive service history.

Colin McRae has a fanatical following and the SERIES McRAE cars are held in very high regard, especially in showroom trim; interestingly, the previous owner was a member of the SERIES McRAE Club and on a recent pilgrimage to Scotland to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Colin’s World Rally Championship win he couldn’t find a single unmodified car other than his own. 

And originality is where the interest lies among hard-core collectors, especially for those who demand that their cars drive as well as they look - and this reference-quality Impreza Turbo can still hold its own against an of its contemporaries, whether that’s on the road or the showground. 

As such, this is a rare chance to get your hands on an iconic car that could also happen to be a Grade A investment opportunity. 

But, it’s going to cost you. We estimate the car will sell for around £12-15,000, which is towards the top end of what they’re selling for these days and while this does mean you won’t be able to flip it to make a quick profit, you will be the owner of what is possibly the finest SERIES McRAE Impreza Turbo in the world. And to own a car like that, an investment of £15,000 seems like something of a bargain to us.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen near Silverstone; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.