CARS OF THE WORLD

Prodrive P25 2023.

Prodrive P25 restomod based on the Subaru Impreza 22B STi.

The British company Prodrive has revealed the design of the acclaimed Prodrive P25 restomod ahead of schedule.

It looks almost the same as the original Subaru Impreza 22B STi coupe developed a quarter century ago, but many of the exterior body panels have been replaced with carbon fiber and the tech stuffing is almost completely new.

The Prodrive P25 will have its full premiere on June 23 at the Goodwood (UK) Festival of Speed, but you can already take a look at the first official restomod photos and get a look at its key features.

Prodrive, behind the success of the Subaru factory team in the World Rally Championship, is now positioning itself as a full-fledged manufacturer of exclusive cars.

In March, the British company presented Hunter off-road supercar based on the rally-raid bolide and promised to release 25 copies, and in April they announced Prodrive P25 restomod with the same number of copies — its development was timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first rally Subaru Impreza WRC class.

From the outside, Prodrive P25 is barely distinguishable from the 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi coupe, the road-going version of the rally car, which is now considered one of the most coveted and rare Subaru models.

Only 424 copies were made, and prices for this car reach $300,000 on the secondary market.

The Subaru Impreza 22B STi had a modified Bilstein suspension, reinforced clutch, a wider body with unique trim, and adjustable rear wing on the trunk lid.

The number 22 in the designation indicates a 2.2-liter four-cylinder supercharged diesel engine rated at 280 hp.

Not expensive used copies of Impreza 22B STi, but more mass GC8 coupes, which are not a pity to saw them off, will be taken as a basis of Prodrive P25 restomod.

In fact, only body frame is left from the donor, and the roof, fenders, hood, trunk lid, sills, bumpers and mirror housings are made from carbon fiber.

The design of the original model has been carefully reproduced, as designer Peter Stevens and Prodrive Technical Director David Lapworth, who worked on the first original Subaru Impreza WRC, were brought in to create the restomod.

Nevertheless, the track is slightly widened, the exterior mirrors are made narrow in the manner of racing, and in the rear there is a «double-barrelled» exhaust instead of a single spigot.

Due to carbon fiber and installation of a lithium-ion battery instead of lead acid one the sports car «lost weight» more than half a percent: curb weight is less than 1200 kg.

There are no pictures of the interior yet, but it is known that the new seats are installed, and the rear ones can be abandoned in favor of a half-skeleton safety cage.

The place of the old dashboard was taken by a multifunctional electronic «scoreboard» with telemetry. Carbon fiber, leather and alcantara are widely used in the interior.

The restomod engine is made on a modern 2.5-liter Subaru block: installed new liners, pistons, rods, timing mechanism, a high-performance turbocharger Garrett with intercooler, Akrapovic stainless steel and titanium exhaust system.

Claimed power output — more than 400 hp and 600 Nm. The gearbox is a racing six-speed sequential with paddle shifters, with a claimed shift speed of 80 ms.

In addition, the driver has a hydraulic handbrake with a high rally-style lever that disengages the inter-axle differential when activated.

The inter-axle differentials are self-locking. Up to 100 km/h the Prodrive P25 accelerates in 3.5 seconds.

The basic architecture of the suspension with McPherson struts «around the circle» is maintained, but all components are new, with adjustable geometry, adjustable shock absorbers Bilstein, replacement springs and anti-roll bars (for different types of roads / ground).

AP Racing’s ventilated disc brakes are 380mm in the front (6-piston calipers) and 350mm in the rear (4-piston tires). The tires are Bridgestone Potenza 235/35 R 19.

The first copies of the Prodrive P25 will be shipped to customers by the end of this year, with restomod prices starting at £460,000 tax-free.

We believe that all 25 cars planned for production are already sold out, but the full premiere at Goodwood with spectacular races Prodrive, of course, will hold, as promised.