1999 Subaru Impreza 22B

Number 381 of 400 Japanese cars built, this wonderful 22B was imported from Japan in 1998, and the vendor has been the one and only UK owner.

With just 28,545 miles on the clock, the vendor certifies that the mileage is genuine and this is supported by the car’s MOT and service history. Maintained and serviced by Kenneth Brown Motor Engineers of Hillington, Glasgow from the time of purchase until it went into storage in 2014, it has been kept in a Carcoon and connected to a trickle charger since that time.

The modifications were all carried out by API Impreza of Leamington Spa under the guidance of David O’Brian. The car has never been smoked in or eaten in, and the owner reports that “this car has been cherished since the day I bought it. It has been like a member of my family and I shall be sorry to see it go.”

The WRC Blue coachwork is nothing short of stunning; the Impreza shape has aged well anyway and the added muscularity of the 22B gives that iconic silhouette even more presence.

It’s all in great shape, too. The flanks are straight and free of ripples and the rest of the panels are free of dents, dinks, and other damage. The blue paintwork is excellent, and is beautifully offset by the legendary gold BBS alloy wheels.

The all-important ‘22B’ badging is present and correct, as is the adjustable rear wing, and STi foglamp covers. The light lenses are all good and, as a Japanese-spec car, the 22B wears an auxiliary rear foglamp, as per the regulations.

It’s nice to see the AP Racing calipers peeking out from behind the gold BBS wheels (is an Impreza Turbo even an Impreza Turbo if it doesn’t have gold wheels?) and the wheels themselves are in great shape with none of the kerbing marks, scrapes and scuffs you’re used to seeing on lesser examples. They’re shod with good 235/40ZR17 Bridgestone Potenza tyres too, all of which have decent tread left.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Blemishes? Well, there are a few stonechips and minor marks here and there but there is nothing that would bother us and it is all consistent with the car’s limited use and careful storage.

In fact, the only things that do grate a little are a tiny rust spot under the rear wiper (slide #108) and a wonky rear numberplate but isn’t this the very definition of a #firstworldproblem?

The blue and black cloth upholstery still look almost new with no wear, tear or bobbling. The front seats give as much support as you’d expect of a car with the 22B’s performance, and yet they’re still more comfortable than most of the seats that come out of Germany.

The door cards, headlining, dashboard, and controls are all still very good, too. While the Impreza’s interior might not be the most exotic you’ll ever see, there’s no denying wither the ergonomics or the quality; this one, which you’ll recall dates back to the dying days of the last century, is still excellent and, more importantly, fully functional. That’s remarkable.

But then it has had an awful lot of money spent on it, all of it with the right people. The full Thatcham-approved alarm system was installed by Hannah Auto Sound of Glasgow, the same folk that fitted the Panasonic stereo system and Parrot Hands Free system. An amplifier is located underneath the passenger seat.

An alarm immobilizer override keypad is located at the top of the front window beside the passenger sun visor, and a Parrot Bluetooth receiver sits alongside the switch and warning light for the immobilizer and the plaque confirming this is #381 of 400 JDM cars in the centre console.

The ‘Knock Link’ and ‘Lambda Link’ displays sit above these, and the Parrot display sits alongside three additional engine management gauges at the top of the centre console for exhaust temperature, and oil pressure and temperature. A turbo boost gauge sits on the steering column.

The boot is home to the spare wheel, the (now defunct; see the next section for details) alloy water tank, Panasonic CD multichanger, and tool kit. The boot floor is good and shows only solid, well-painted metal. There is no corrosion but the new owner might like to run a vacuum over it.

Problems are few. There are some scuffs to the central armrest and some staining to the carpets. That’s it.

Oh, and don’t rely on the traffic police sticker in the windscreen to keep you out of trouble; traffic police are called ‘black rats’ because they’re the only species that will happily eat their own…

The work carried out by API Impreza on the 22B is ridiculously comprehensive, with the engine rebuild alone comprising:

• The cylinder block was re-bored oversize

• An STi crankshaft and ACL race bearings were fitted along with an

API-modified oil pump

• Supertech forged oversized pistons and rings were used along with API steel connecting rods, and the cylinders heads were overhauled, the valve seats re-cut, and the inlet and exhaust valve ports were polished and de-burred

• STi gaskets and seals were used throughout when rebuilding the engine along with an API 11mm head stud set

• A Cosworth baffled sump was fitted as well as an API oil catch can with return to sump. A Mocal API-spec remote filter oil cooler kit was also fitted

• An AP Racing 240 mm organic clutch and a lightweight API six-speed flywheel join the engine to the gearbox

• ‘GT spec’ unequal length tubular exhaust headers and heat wrapping link the engine to a Hayward & Scott three-inch stainless de-cat exhaust system, all of which helps the engine exhale more easily, while an out-of-engine-bay induction kit helps it breath

• An API parallel fuel rail kit, Fuel Lab pressure regulator, and modified injectors help the fuel system keep up with the engine’s demands, demands that are increased by the use of a Blauch billet S46 turbo

• A hybrid GT2-spec front mount intercooler kit was fitted, which involved modifying the bodywork to suit

• The waterpump was pressure tested

The post-rebuild oil pressure was measured at 95 psi, with an average cylinder compression of 150 psi.

A Simtek ECU was fitted and then mapped and set-up using premium pump unleaded petrol. The mapping was carried out by Bob Rawle who is still in business and can be contacted for any information on the mapping settings and while the car has never been dyno-tested, API Impreza estimate that the power output is in excess of 400bhp, which resulted in the installation of AP Racing six-pot calipers and discs on the front axle to keep the whole thing balanced.

The suspension needed upgrading to match and now comprises coilovers on all four corners to API Impreza specification, after which the car was weighed and corner balanced, with laser tracking setting the alignment.

Prodrive supplied a six-speed gearbox, and this was fitted with a new gear linkage, clutch fork, propshaft and rear differential.

A Knock Link unit has been fitted. For those who haven’t come across this, it is an engine monitoring safety feature that will inform you if you have any major engine issues: The lights all illuminate green when everything is normal but in the event of a problem the large red LED illuminates.

All-in-all, the work took a year to complete and set the owner back £18,000. He confirms that the chaps at API Impreza are happy to talk to prospective bidders.

The engine bay is very neat and clean. It bears witness to the judicious modifications the owner has fitted, and it looks as purposeful as it does pretty. If you’re looking for something to do then some of the mounting brackets and bolts are a bit rusty but that’s very much a nice to do job rather than anything that is going to demand you immediate attention.

NB: The water tank in the boot is no longer functional. It was fitted because the intercooler water tank was not adequate and emptied too quickly when the vendor was running on boost.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

The Impreza’s MOT certificate is valid until December 2021. It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

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

Genuine icons are rarer than you think, and most can be identified by a single word: F40; Testarossa; F1; Countach; and the 22B.

Because, if you know then you know – and while the Impreza Turbo changed the world of high-performance driving almost single-handed, then the 22B proved that the Impreza was so much more than a set of wheels for the chav-in-waiting.

Ultra-rare, they were instant classics when they were released and snapped up by the sort of folk with deep pockets and the insight to acknowledge that we’d probably never see their like again.

This means that most of them were cherished from day one, carefully modified and preserved with an understanding that they were merely looking after it for the next generation, curating what they knew was an icon that would transcend the millennia.

This means they aren’t cheap. We think this one will sell for somewhere between £85,000 and £110,000, which seems like a lot until you factor in the future resale value, at which point you realise that you could place yourself in the presence of greatness for not a lot of money in the long-term…

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), 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’.