2012 Subaru Impreza STi CS400 Cosworth

You can go out and pick up a Subaru Impreza WRX STI relatively easily, finding one with low miles and low ownership is not so easy. But finding a low owner, low miles and a CS400 model can only be described as something pretty special! That’s what the seller of this stunning 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STI CS400 thought when he first saw this car. Needless to say, he didn't hang about in making the decision to buy the CS400.

The Impreza WRX STI CS400 is number 73 out of 75 built by the famous tuners Cosworth. Registered on 31 January 2012, the car has just 12,255 miles and, just as you would imagine, it is immaculate! Totally standard as it came from new. The seller has owned the CS400 for just 2 years and covered just over 1,000 miles.

Finished in the wonderful Spark Silver the CS400 is in excellent condition throughout, as you would expect with just 12,255 miles showing on the clock. There's no denying the Impreza has road presence with the aggressive front end and wide wings. Blink, and before you know it, you'll see it in the rear-view mirror crawling all over you.

There are no noticeable chips to mention to the front bumper, or the leading bonnet edge and the fog and headlights are also chip free. The bonnet aligns well with the grille and wings. You can't miss the huge scoop to draw in cold air directly onto the intercooler, helping produce the massive amount of power the CS400 has. The only real giveaway to it being the more powerful model is the Cosworth badge on the lower nearside grille.

Around to the flanks of the STI, the edge of the bumper and wings have vents to allow air in and out from the huge brakes and just above the vent is an STI badge on either side. The door shuts and panel gaps align perfectly and again, there are no chips or carpark scars down either side. The glass is scratch free, with factory fit privacy glass fitted to the rear half of the Subaru.

Onto the rear, and the tailgate, like the doors aligns perfectly. The lights are crack free and working as they should. There is an upper and small lower spoiler fitted as standard to the CS400. Cosworth and STI badges are present, so you know what's just flown past you. Lower down are the quad tailpipes of the factory fitting Cosworth exhaust.

The wheels on the CS400 are slightly larger than those on a regular Impreza WRX STI, these measure 8.5 x 18 with an offset of et43. Finished in matt anthracite, they are also lighter and stronger. The tyres are the original 245/40/18 Michelin's which are approximately half worn.

Inside the Impreza CS400 is in excellent condition. Open the door and the figure hugging half leather and alcantara seats jump out at you with the Cosworth logo stitched into the seats. There is no wear to the bolsters on either driver or passenger side, which is a sure sign that it's been taken care of when getting in and out. The door cards are also in excellent condition to the front and rear. These have piano black trims to match the dash trim. Sitting in the driver's seat, the STI leather steering wheel with the center stripe to the top is in lovely condition with no wear. This is also a multifunctional wheel with controls for the stereo and cruise control. Just behind, the instruments show an odometer reading of 12,255 and no warning lights are displayed with the car running. Over to the left is the factory fit double din sized 6-disc CD changer head unit. Moving down the piano black trim towards the 6-speed leather gear knob, this shows no real signs of wear. The heater controls are an aluminium look finish and further down are the driver controls which allow changes to the differentials and how much power goes where at what point. This changes in milliseconds minimising the risk of losing traction. Another tell-tale sign of what you're sitting behind the wheel of, is the Cosworth badge on the passenger side of the dashboard.

In the rear, the seats are in excellent condition, they look like they've not been used very much at all. The carpet throughout the passenger area is all excellent, with some matching floor mats to protect it even further. Up above, the headlining is also nice and clean. Open the hatch and the carpet is clean just like the rest. There is the spare wheel, jack and wheel brace present along with the Subaru tool kit.

Cosworth completely rebuilt the already powerful flat-four all aluminum Boxer engine. There are forged connecting rods made from high strength steel, multi layered head gaskets, higher pressure oil pump, high performance pistons made using the same methods when creating Cosworth’s Formula 1 pistons and a new turbocharger with uprated boost pressure. All these things plus many more have given the CS400 a massive power output of 394.5 bhp at 5750rpm and 398 ft-lb of torque.

Inside the engine bay is extremely well presented and very clean throughout. The front slam panel has the Cosworth plaque showing the car is build number 73 of 75. For your peace of mind the CS400 had the timing belt replaced just 3,000 miles ago and 12 months ago the car was treated to new dinner plate sized 355mm grooved discs sitting comfortably inside the AP racing calipers. Also replaced were the top mounts and drop links.

Whilst in for the above mentioned work, it was the perfect opportunity to give the underside of the Subaru a freshen up, and so the task began to remove components and either repaint them or powdercoat them. The floor was all cleaned off and basically made spotless again. The seller also managed to source a new genuine old stock Cosworth exhaust which was fitted. The car did have two new springs fitted in 2016 by the previous keeper following a spring break. He replaced both to make sure they matched.

The Subaru is an awesome car to drive, with a 0-62 time of 3.7 seconds, it could even be scary in some situations. It starts up perfectly and sounds amazing thanks to the Cosworth 4 tailpipe exhaust. The car pulls smoothly and quickly, (very quickly), through the six-speed gearbox, with no untoward noises from the engine, transmission, or suspension.

A low owner car with the V5 showing just 3 previous keepers, a little story to go with that. Two of the owners were husband and wife. The Impreza was originally in the wife's name but when they decided to put a personalised number plate on, they transferred ownership into the husband’s name because the plate was registered to him. So yes, technically 2 owners, but they were husband and wife.

The service history is complete, apart from one service where the owner was overseas for 18 months and the service basically got forgotten about with the car not being used. Other than that, there are plenty of receipts for work carried out on the CS400 including, as mentioned earlier, the timing belt being changed at 9,129 miles. Previous MoT certificates are present. The current MoT, which passed with no advisories, expires on 3rd February 2022. Since 2015 the Subaru has covered just over 5,000 miles.

The owner’s instruction manual is present and also the service booklet. There is just one key for the car, unfortunately the spare was lost by the previous keeper. Making the car stand out even more is the addition of the personalised number plate CO51 ECC (COSSIE) which the seller is including with the sale.

2.5 litre turbocharged, tuned by Cosworth, the well-known company for the 90’s fast Fords. They have managed to squeeze an extra 33% more power over the standard WRX STI. We can’t think of a reason not to love this car! The underside has been made virtually as good as new, and regularly serviced with a no expense spared approach from the seller and previous owners.

This is a chance to purchase something very special indeed. Number 73 of just 75 made can only mean one thing! It's pretty well expected that prices for the CS400 will rise as time goes on. So why wait? When there's a perfect low mileage, low owner one right here.

We estimate this monster of a machine to reach between £45,000 - £65,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this car is located at our headquarters near Abingdon in Oxfordshire; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.