This forgotten ‘90s Subaru rally car is one of the rarest and only costs £15k

This is the ground floor. The first edition. The Macintosh 128k. The Boeing 747-100. This is the beginning of an icon (and I think you’ll allow me to use the word). This is the very first Subaru Impreza WRX, or Impreza Turbo, as it was known in the UK. To be precise, this car is a Japanese domestic market (JDM) Subaru Impreza MY93 WRX Type RA; not only the first WRX ever produced, but at 1170kg, also the very lightest WRX ever produced. 

Standing, gazing at a ‘GC8’ Impreza on a blustery and bright B660, the unchanged scene of so many evo and Performance Car tests over the years, it feels a little like I’ve stepped back in time. The Impreza was launched in November 1992 and while in rallying terms it was the replacement for the venerable Legacy, on the road it was a slightly more direct replacement for the more similarly sized Leone (there was some overlap, with the Leone continuing to be produced until 1994). The badge on the nose of this car is obviously not the Europe-familiar six-star oval, but what was at the time a new ‘i’ for Impreza badge.

> This Subaru STI concept takes direct aim at the Toyota GR Corolla

What is the Subaru Impreza WRX Type RA?

• Numerous weight saving measures take 30kg from its kerb weight
• UK cars received less desirable kit from factory
• Sparse interior as per the Type RA formula

With a shorter, more agile wheelbase than the Legacy, an Impreza WRX was a much better starting point for Prodrive to build a Group A World Rally car around, but Subaru knew that the Impreza would be doing valiant service in lower categories of rallying too, and it was for Group N homologation purposes that the Type RA was produced. Some people say that RA stands for Race Altered or Rally Applicant or Rally A (as in Group A), but in actual fact RA originally stood for Record Attempt. Subaru attempted and achieved a world speed endurance record in 1989 and the Legacy RS Type RA was the upshot. 

People also tend to assume that RAs were painted, if not exclusively then predominantly, in Feather White like this car, but in reality 80 per cent of these first RAs saw daylight with Vivienne Red bodywork (none of them were blue and gold…). As on the Porsche GT3 RS, white certainly does look the most motorsport of all colours, making bodywork appear stark, stripped back and bare – indicative of a lightweight philosophy. The weight-saving measures on this RA might not be quite as high-tech as on Porsche’s RS models, but they were very effective, shedding 30kg from the kerb weight. 

10

This car belongs to Dan Leach, who bought it in 2014 for just £3300 (with a spare gearbox), not far from £10,000 less than its worth today. It’s only had three owners, but it had done more than 212,000 miles when I drove it more than a decade ago and is Dan’s cherished but daily driver. Normally at evo we like to get the most original, unmolested examples of cars for these features, so initially I’m slightly worried when he begins telling me about the few changes made to his car. My heart sinks a little further with every modification mentioned, like a dingy being weighed down in the water with each additional item. But then Dan says something that buoys me. 

‘The trouble is that people on forums will often complain about this or that not being original, but Subaru made these cars to be modified. For example, you cannot tell me that the engineers in Japan honestly thought a two-pot sliding caliper setup for the front brakes was adequate. They merely put the most basic items on because they knew that everyone going rallying would change them.’

This hugely sensible outlook brings me up short and makes me look at the car afresh. Dan really hasn’t done anything that Subaru wouldn’t have expected and it is still very much a stripped-out MY93 Type RA. The lack of side skirts gives it a very clean look and Dan is hoping to find an original unadorned, undrilled boot, as even the low-level wing you can see here is a later addition. You might think that the front grille with its blanked-off fog lights is as basic as it comes, but this first RA actually rolled out of the factory with two totally impractical gaping holes where owners were expected to put their own fogs. 

Pull the black door handle, marvel at the frameless window and then settle into the driver’s seat. The first UK Impreza Turbos got truly rubbish chairs with about as much support as a broken flip flop, but the JDM WRXs got buckets from the outset and they are ace. For me, the best seats cradle you gently at the bottom of the rib cage, locating rather than restricting, just like these. The dark material that covers the chairs has a curiously rough weave that looks like a modern interpretation of Harris Tweed. However, your eyes are more likely to be distracted by the gloriously naff ‘red tiger’ panels that are situated on the side bolsters, below the headrests and in nightclubs all over Essex. 

10

The rest of the interior is pretty sparse, as you’d expect of an RA, although this car has manual air conditioning, which was a dealer option. The original (optional) carpet mat set in this car is also worth a mention as it has the sort of lustrously deep pile that you could lose small Dachshunds in. Something I hadn’t expected to see is a button marked ‘I/C Water Spray’, as I’d thought this only arrived in much later Imprezas, but there it is to the left of the steering wheel. The wheel itself is a tasteful three-spoke OMP item. Dan has the original three-spoke Nardi in his garage at home, but says it has become noticeably flexy with age. Being of a similar stature to me (i.e. lanky in the leg), he’s also added a boss behind the wheel to get himself more comfortable. 

Twist the small all-metal key, blip the immobiliser, turn the key to its stop and the engine gives a couple of familiar dry rasps before catching and settling. The distinctive burble of the flat-four at idle is a wonderfully comforting sound. Pulling hard at high revs in a forest, we know it has a guttural purpose (particularly when helped with a bit of anti-lag), but at idle its deep, mellow vibrato is the aural equivalent of a favourite soft woolly jumper. 

Which engine was fitted to the Subaru Impreza WRX Type RA?

• 2-litre turbocharged EJ20 flat-four with 237bhp in this trim 
• Robust closed-deck engine design built for tuning
• Ultra-short gearing for strong acceleration, and noisy motorway runs…

The 1994cc EJ20 engine has, as you might expect, a few interesting peculiarities. The main difference compared to the UK cars is that this is a ‘closed-deck’ as opposed to an ‘open-deck’ engine. Closed-deck engines have more metal connecting the cylinder walls to the outer wall of the block, making for a stiffer block and better sealing of the head gasket. This, of course, means they are slightly more robust and therefore suitable for tuning. Also with tuning in mind, the Type RA has a slightly larger Mitsubishi TD05H turbo. Although the smaller TD04 turbo found in the UK cars spins up more sweetly, it’s only good for about 270bhp, whereas the TD05H is good for around 320bhp. Perhaps the most fascinating detail is the inclusion of a non-working fifth injector on the inlet manifold, which was almost certainly included for homologation purposes. 

As standard, this RA already has an impressive 237bhp and combined with the short gearing it instantly feels quicker than expected as I head off onto some of England’s finest roads. Very soon, however, I discover just how short that gearing is. With a 4.111:1 final drive and fifth (top) gear being 0.972:1, we’re talking Jacques Villeneuve short. The B660 is not a road that I’ve ever likened to a motorway, but very quickly it begins to feel too big and fast for the RA’s ratios. At 60mph the engine is pulling 3600rpm in fifth gear. At 70 it is over 4000, the turbo is fully lit and your left hand is impulsively twitching to go searching for another gear. 

10

This is a proper tarmac rally stage gearbox, one that would be perfectly at home on the Col de Turini or on Irish lanes so narrow that the mirrors are brushing the banks on both sides.

Instinctively I go in search of tighter tarmac, where the RA makes more sense. With the corners coming thick and fast you are constantly busy, your left hand barely back on the wheel before it’s called back into action, syncing with your constantly dipping left leg. The noise of the boxer rises rapidly with each rush of acceleration before the sound of waves crashing on a shingle beach signals the release of boost as you back off the throttle and go for another gear. 

A tiny gearlever sits atop the large pyramid of the rubber gaiter and the shift is satisfyingly mechanical without being outstandingly precise. On a long journey this setup would undoubtedly be wearing if you tried to settle at a half-decent cruising speed, but on small B-roads it’s huge fun being so busy – and all at legal speeds. In this age of emissions and economy, the idea of a manufacturer producing something so preposterously short-geared seems crazy, but in terms of driver involvement it is just brilliant. 

What’s the Subaru Impreza MY93 WRX Type RA like to drive?

• Highly engaging car to drive on a British B-road
• Exceptional fluidity and textural steering 
• A true lightweight pioneer

The handling is typical early Impreza, but compared to an RB5 (arguably the best of the UK cars) it feels even lighter on its feet and sharper than I’d expected. Clearly the lack of mass is a boon, but JDM cars also have alloy lower suspension arms where the UK cars had steel. Turn-in is encouraging and more eager, helped by the slightly larger anti-roll bars fitted to this car. The springs and dampers are the original-spec items, however, and they give the Type RA a wonderful fluidity. Turn in hard to a medium-speed corner and the front tyres will initially grip then gradually bleed away their hold on the road as the car reaches maximum lean. As you drive through and out of the corner, the rear of the car will swing gradually through. It all happens in one continuous motion, with momentum rather than power the catalyst when you oversteer, and it’s such a smooth motion that you feel like you have oodles of time to enjoy the sensation. 

On really bumpy stretches it feels like the rebound damping doesn’t quite keep up, but overall the sensations are an absolute joy, with really lovely textural feedback through the steering. The original wheels were tiny 15-inch items, but 16-inch rims were an option and Dan has fitted a set of very apt Speedlines. When he bought the car it was wearing rather track-biased Toyo rubber, but he wanted something with slightly less grip that was going to give the car more authentic and enjoyable grip levels on the road. The Goodyear EfficientGrips that he finally settled on seem to do a very good job of matching progression with sensible lateral limits. The brakes are good too; upgraded to four-pot items, they have plenty of power, but the servo is lighter than on later cars so you’ve got a lovely firm pedal underfoot.

10

Combine it all and you have a car that positively encourages you to grab it by the scruff of the neck and dance it down the road, waltzing through corners with a lift here and a provocative early turn-in there. Given a closed stage you could easily imagine Scandi-flicking it on the entry to hairpins and living out every 555 fantasy you’ve ever had. 

Of course, at the time that this first GC8 car was produced, no one knew the stardom and cultish following that the Impreza would go on to gain thanks to its exploits in the hands of Sainz, McRae, Burns and Solberg, amongst others. Some must have hoped, and I’m sure Prodrive predicted it, but plenty of cars are born with great expectations that are never fulfilled. There were numerous future Type RAs down the years and divining the correct specs of each one is tricky to say the least (although type-ra.com is a very good resource). 

To complicate matters, there are also various STI Type RAs as well as the WRX Type RAs, and then there are the Type Rs, the Limiteds and V-Limiteds, plus the various special editions both for the home market and abroad. It is a minefield. But the GC8A47D (G for Impreza, C for Sedan, 8 for Turbocharged, A for MY93, 4 for four doors, and 7D for Type RA) definitely remains the earliest, the lightest and one of the best I’ve ever driven.

Subaru Impreza MY93 WRX Type RA specs

Share this on TwitterShare this on FacebookEmailAdd as a preferred source on Google