30 years ago: Subaru Impreza rocks the World Cup/WRC

Over the past three decades, the Impreza has evolved into the modern Mk2 Escort, achieving a cult status that no one could have predicted. When Hideshige Gomi left his office in the city of Shibuya, even the man himself could not have dreamed that he had designed a car that would become so popular.

Has the Impreza changed the face of the rally? In many ways, yes. As the Impreza has evolved, many new technologies have been introduced, including active transmission and active suspension, to keep it up. But on this day in 1993, one man still wasn’t convinced that the new car was better than the old one.

It was, of course, thanks to McRae’s victory in the Subaru Legacy at the 1993 Rally New Zealand that Prodrive was able to push the button and deliver the Impreza to Finland. Subaru had made it clear: the old car must win before the new car can move on.

Impreza entry thanks to Colin McRae

And the new car was shorter (170mm), narrower (15mm) and had a 60mm shorter wheelbase. For McRae, this made the car uncomfortable. The wider, longer leg provided more stability, especially at high speeds and when flying. Prodrive technical director David Lapworth took the Gomi road car design and turned it into a world-beating rally car. Lapworth trained at Des O’Dell’s Peugeot-Talbot Motorsport department and remains one of the most innovative and talented designers of all time. The Impreza 555 was largely his creation.

As can be expected, Richard Burns had a wise opinion on the situation, pointing out that the predecessor of the Impreza was so capable that it would be difficult for the next generation to exceed. “The legacy that Alister McRae and I drove at the 1993 RAC Rally was fantastic,” said Englishman Burns. For this reason, the Lagacy K44 LNX ended up in Burns’ personal collection. He has always been her favorite. But then he could look into the future.

“The Impreza was faster, sharper and more accurate,” explained Burns. “It was a chopped Legacy, a car that was less likely to have its trunk ripped off.” A little nod to Colin “McCrash”.

Lapworth’s thinking was clear: Group A was on fire, Toyota had turned the Celica into a real weapon and Mitsubishi’s Lancer had become a contender for the all-round title. Group A had gained a lot of momentum.

“We had six of the best drivers in the world who gave everything,” Lapworth explained. “The cars were going faster and the question became more about finding a way to make the car more driver-friendly with a car that is inherently more nervous. The extra 20 hp didn’t hurt either!

Increased performance in the Impreza

And this performance increase came from extensive modifications to the four-cylinder boxer engine under the hood. The bigger turbo was the first step towards more power, especially when combined with a complete overhaul of the car’s cooling package. Work was done on the cylinder head as well as a new data acquisition system and semi-automatic transmission. A hydraulically modified transmission was tested on the Legacy, but was used on two 555s starting in Finland from August 27, 1993.

Neither McRae nor Burns built any of these cars. Colin’s thrilling race in Finland 12 months ago was no doubt still fresh in David Richards’ mind and Burns was still in the process of winning his first British title with the Prodrive youth team.

Ari Vatanen and Markku Alén had won their home round of the World Championship nine times between them. The new Subaru toy was placed in the hands of the locals and with both drivers being closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, it was thought that these hands would be in safe hands. For Alén, this day was famous 30 years ago, almost before it started. At the Valkola stage north of Tikkakoski, his new Subaru Impreza 555 was in the trees and Alen retired from the rally before 8am. Alén, famous for his fast start, his desire to set his mark from the first corner and lay the foundation for a public victory, gave his best on the first stage. “I don’t know what happened,” Alén said at the time, searching for an explanation. “I started normal, 110%, and it started as a minor accident and became a major accident.”

Not one to mince words, Prodrive’s John Spiller wasted no time in taking the microphone with a message that Alén had probably better leave his overalls in the car. He wouldn’t need it anymore.

Alen must go

Vatanen coped well with the added pressure of being the only new Subaru to beat Juha Kankkunen’s Toyota. He briefly led, but was slowed in a night test when coolant spray hit the windshield and he couldn’t find the windshield washer button on the new car.

Vatanen’s second place was the perfect start to a story that began 30 years ago today. And how the story continued, with six world championships in eight years and a car that helped crown the careers of McRae, Burns and Petter Solberg. The Impreza’s sights and sounds go beyond Group A. David Richards recently recounted how he was filling up his car at a gas station when the Impreza pulled up at a nearby pump. The noise brought him right back to the time when he, Lapworth and his team ruled the world. (Source: DirtFish)