The Subaru Impreza WRC is a World Rally Car based on the Subaru Impreza road car. It was used by Subaru World Rally Team, Subaru's factory team, and replaced the Subaru Legacy RS in 1993. The car was debuted at 1993 Rally Finland and won a total of six world rally titles, including three consecutive manufacturers' titles and three drivers' titles.
For 1993, Prodrive recognized that a smaller, nimbler car would make a better platform for a rally car, and work on a Group A Impreza rally car began. It was 160mm shorter in overall length with a 60mm shorter wheelbase, as well as having a more neutral front/rear weight ratio. It also featured active differentials, a first for a rally car.[2] At the 1000 Lakes Rally, Subaru debuted their new Prodrive developed Impreza derived Group A rally car, driven by Vatanen and Alén.[3][4] Vatanen drove the car to second place on its debut.
For the 1995 season, the FIA mandated more restrictive air intakes in an effort to slow the cars down.[6] Subaru countered this by introducing a new boxer engine with revised camshafts and a different compression ratio.[6]
World Rally Car Impreza GC, 1997–2001
The first Prodrive WRC Car from 1997.
For 1997, the FIA replaced the Group A formula with a new formula called World Rally Car. This gave teams greater latitude in design and materials including vehicle width, suspension geometry, aerodynamics, intercooler capacity and engine modifications.[7] This led to a totally redesigned car, the WRC97, featuring modified camshafts, cylinder ports and combustion chambers.[7] The new body had two doors. The width of the car increased to 1,770mm (69.9in) with a revised suspension geometry.[7] Power increased to 224kW (300hp) @ 5500 rpm, and torque was now 470N⋅m (347lb⋅ft).[7]
The Impreza WRC98 was an evolution of the earlier WRC97, with computer controlled active differentials in the front, rear, and centre, and an electronic throttle.[7] Mechanical failures were common and took the team out of contention for the title.[7]
The WRC99, introduced at the first round of the championship, featured an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated semi-automatic transmission with a drive-by-wire throttle, allowing the cars to be shifted with steering wheel mounted paddles, similar to F1 cars.[8] This allowed the driver to shift gears faster, and reduced the chance of dog gear wear. Due to technical difficulties, the team struggled until the season's 7th round in Argentina.[9] However, the car helped prove much of the technology seen on later cars. Subaru was the first rally team to implement this technology, which has been used on all WRC cars until it was forbidden by the 2011 championship rules.
Although the WRC2000 looked almost identical to the WRC99, underneath the sheet metal, its execution was radically different. Developed by Prodrive engineer Christian Loriaux, the team used the lessons learned from the WRC99 and applied them in the WRC2000's 10-month development, in which over 80% of the car's mechanical and electronic components were redesigned.[10][11] The car debuted, and drove to victory, at the fourth event of the season, Rally Portugal.[10]
The WRC2001 featured an entirely new look, based on the GD chassis Impreza WRX.[12][13] The new body had four doors (instead of two), and featured revised aerodynamics, improved weight distribution, and a lower centre of gravity.[14] However, all the mechanical development from the previous year, including the engine, suspension, and drivetrain remained, with subtle refinements.[14]
The WRC2002 was introduced at Corsica, and looked largely the same as the previous year's car.[15] However, development of the car continued throughout the season.[15] Improvements were made to the driveshaft, transmission housing, and steering column, as well as to the turbo-charger and manifold, which was changed from a 4–2–1 configuration to a 4–1 configuration.[15] Savings found in modified brackets, wiring, and glass reduced weight by 15kg (33lb).[15]
The WRC2003 was introduced at the 2003 Rallye Monte Carlo.[16] It featured a revised look based on the updated Impreza production car introduced the previous year, with the "bugeye" headlamps replaced by the "blobeye" lamps.[16] Technical improvements were made to the turbocharger and engine, aiming to increase torque at lower RPMs allowing greater driveability.[17][16] The car's body shell was made both lighter and stiffer.[17][16] Throughout the year modifications were made to the car's suspension.[17]
The WRC2004 did not feature many cosmetic changes from the previous year's car, but did have refinements in the engine and body panels. It was introduced at Rally Mexico.[18] A revised gearbox was introduced halfway through the season.[8]
The WRC2005 was introduced following 12 months of joint development by Subaru and Prodrive, on 11 March 2005 at Rally Mexico.[19] Its re-styled bodyshell was stiffer, and 30mm wider to allow a wider track.[19] The car featured more composite body panels, including front and rear wheel arches and bumpers in order to decrease weight.[19] Engine enhancements included a lightened flywheel and revised IHI turbocharger.[19] Revised water injection and fuel injection systems were also introduced.[20][19]
The WRC2006 received the production car's second facelift with the "hawk eye" headlamps. It had several mechanical changes from the previous year's car due to rule changes which banned active differentials as well as water injection, as well as mandating that teams must re-use cars and engines on selected ‘pairs’ of events.[21][22] Due to the rule changes, the car was introduced on the first round of the season.[23][21]
The WRC2007, a revised version of the earlier year's car, was introduced at the fourth round of the championship, Rally Mexico. It featured new dampers, a different radiator and intercooler arrangement, as well as improved weight distribution, suspension geometry and differential set-ups.[20] It was considered to be underachieving compared to the newly introduced 2007 Focus WRC and the all-new Citroen C4 WRC.[24] The car suffered from extensive handling problems, resulting in Subaru withdrawing from Rally Finland on the second day of the rally.[25][26]
Each transmission in the WRC2007 takes 85 hours to build, and costs over £75,000.[27] The front and rear differentials are similar while the centre differential is unique.[27] Each takes around 16 hours to build and costs about £20,000.[27] The cases for the transmission and differentials are constructed from magnesium to reduce weight.[27] Filled with oil, the transmission weighs 95kg, and a differential weighs 25kg.[27] The car's engine, transmission and differential are individually oil sealed, so that they can be removed and replaced without fluid loss.[27] This also helps the team replace the components in 10–12 minutes. The transmission's lubrication system has a 4.5 litre capacity and includes an oil pump to help control differential temperatures, which usually operate around 100C.[27] The transmission retains the roadgoing Impreza's H pattern but utilizes a hydraulically actuated and electronically controlled semi-automatic gearshift.[27] The hydraulic gear shift system operates at a pressure of 17MPa (2,500psi), allowing gear shifts to be completed in less than 0.1 seconds.[27]
World Rally Car Impreza GR, 2008
In December 2007, Subaru began testing the WRC2008, based on the all new GR chassis Impreza WRX.[28] The 2008 car was expected to benefit from a decreased polar moment of inertia due to smaller overhangs, and also featured a double wishbone rear suspension. Prodrive deemed this configuration to be suboptimal and reverted the rear suspension to the original MacPherson design. An enhanced version of the 2007 car was utilized in the initial rallies, while preparations for the 2008 model were underway for competition. In 2008, Markko Märtin entered into an agreement to serve as the official test driver for the Subaru team, undertaking the majority of the testing for the WRC2008.
During a 4-day test at Sardinia between 30 April and 3 May 2008, Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson drove the WRC2008 for the first time. A date for its debut was still not given.[29] On 20 May 2008, the Subaru World Rally Team confirmed the WRC2008 would make its WRC debut at the Acropolis Rally of Greece, beginning on 29 May. On the car's rally debut, the WRC2008 scored its first podium finish with Petter Solberg placing 2nd in the Acropolis Rally.[30]
Petter Solberg is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver.
The World Rally Championship is an international rallying series owned and governed by the FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the second oldest of the FIA's world championships after Formula One. Each season lasts one calendar year, and separate championship titles are awarded to drivers, co-drivers and manufacturers. There are also two support championships, WRC2 and WRC3, which are contested on the same events and stages as the WRC, but with progressively lower maximum performance and running costs of the cars permitted. Junior WRC is also contested on five events of the World Rally Championship calendar.
Richard Alexander Burns was an English rally driver who won the 2001 World Rally Championship, having previously finished runner-up in the series in 1999 and 2000. He also helped Mitsubishi to the world manufacturers' title in 1998, and Peugeot in 2002. His co-driver in his whole career was Robert Reid. He is the only Englishman to have won the World Rally Championship as a driver.
The Subaru Impreza is a compact car that has been manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru since 1992. It was introduced as a replacement for the Leone, with the predecessor's EA series engines replaced by the new EJ series. It is now in its sixth generation.
A World Rally Car is a racing automobile built to the specific regulations set by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and designed for competition in the World Rally Championship (WRC). The cars were introduced in 1997 as a replacement for Group A regulations used in the manufacturers' championship, and were replaced by Group Rally1 in 2022.
Marcus Ulf Johan "Bosse" Grönholm is a Finnish former rally and rallycross driver, being part of a family of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland lineage. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is an upcoming FIA World Rallycross Championship driver. Grönholm's nicknames are either "Bosse" or "Magic Marcus". Grönholm is one of the most successful WRC drivers of all time, ranking third in rally wins (30), and winning two championships, in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing out to Sébastien Loeb by one point. The next year he again placed second, four points behind Loeb. He and his co-driver Timo Rautiainen retired from rallying after the 2007 season but returned to the championship in 2009 driving a private Subaru for a short period of time, and in the 2019 World Rally Championship where he competed in a Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT-maintained Toyota Yaris under the GRX Team banner.
The Subaru Leone is a compact car produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Subaru from 1971 to 1994. The word leone is Italian for lion.
Subaru Tecnica International, or STI, is Subaru Corporation's motorsports division. STI, along with Prodrive of the UK, specialized in the preparation of a variety of vehicles for the Subaru World Rally Team which competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC). It was founded in 1988 by Subaru Corporation, the parent company of Subaru, to promote the company's performance-oriented identity.
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI is high performance specification model of the Subaru Impreza compact car line, manufactured by Japanese automaker Fuji Heavy Industries Subaru.
Markku Allan Alén is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins (801) in the series, until Sébastien Loeb overtook it at the 2011 Rally Catalunya. Alén's phrase "now maximum attack" became well-known.
The Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru since 1989. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy was sold as the Liberty in Australia out of deference to Legacy Australia, an organisation dedicated to caring for the families of military service veterans.
The Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) was Subaru's World Rally Championship (WRC) team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow colour scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003, although less prevalent since 1999 due to BAT's participation in Formula One with British American Racing. Subaru's WRC efforts date back to 1980, however, in 1989 British firm Prodrive took over its operations, and its base moved from Japan to Banbury, England.
Mads Østberg is a Norwegian rally driver. His co-driver is Torstein Eriksen.
The Hyundai Accent WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team by Motor Sport Developments to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Hyundai Accent road car, and was debuted at the 2000 Rally Sweden.
The 2009 Neste Oil Rally Finland was the 59th running of the Rally Finland and the ninth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was won by Ford's Mikko Hirvonen. This marked his third victory in a row and his first in his home event. Last year's winner Sébastien Loeb of Citroën finished second and took his first podium since the Rally Argentina back in April. Jari-Matti Latvala beat Dani Sordo to the final podium spot.
Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation, the twenty-first largest automaker by production worldwide in 2017.
Anders Grøndal is a Norwegian rally and hill climb driver. His co-driver is Trond Svendsen.
The second generation of the Subaru Impreza compact car was introduced in 2000 and manufactured up to 2007 by Subaru in Ōta, Gunma, Japan, in both sedan and five-door Hatchback bodystyles, as well as two intermediate facelifts throughout its lifespan.
The Subaru Suiren Original name : スバルスイレン - was a concept made by Fuji Heavy Industries - It was proposed as a sport utility wagon / stylish touring pickup with a detachable canopy and large 'indestructible' plastic windows, allowing it to be turned into a sport utility wagon. The Suiren appeared to be a direct replacement for the BRAT / Brumby / MV Pick-up - however as it was a concept-only model, it was never officially developed any further.
The Subaru WRX is an all-wheel drive sport compact car manufactured by the Japanese automaker Subaru, originally based on the Impreza created for the World Rally Championship in 1992. Subaru claimed the name WRX stands for "World Rally eXperimental". Starting with the 2015 models, the WRX lineup has been split from the Impreza, with a different body style that is not offered as an optional hatchback/wagon, being introduced as the separate Levorg model.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Subaru World Rally Team 
1993 Rally Finland 
1994 Acropolis Rally 
2005 Rally GB 
