Subaru's motorsport arm unveiled an Impreza limited edition at the Autosport show. Based on the WRX STi the WR1 is intended to celebrate Petter Solberg's world rally championship season last year and will be limited to a run of 500 units with sales starting in the spring.
For £30,000 buyers will benefit from a performance upgrade to around 316 bhp plus other modifications. Most important amongst these is the DCCD (Driver's Control Centre Differential) that allows front and rear torque biasing to be adjusted via a knob sited next to the handbrake. Other changes include a lowered ride height with stiffer springs which, along with the diff. control, may go some way to improving the handling of the STi. We drove that car recently and were not impressed with the amount of understeer present.
Visually, changes include a new design of 18" Prodrive alloys, driving lamps, a steel mesh grill and a unique 'ice blue' colour. The interior has been tweaked with new seats, special gear knob, carpets and a numbered tax disc holder. This could be a real rival for the recent range of
'FQ' Mitsubishis. The jury is out until we get the chance to drive the WR1 for ourselves.
Dave Jenkins - 27 Jan 2004
