SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI GC8 RA -1996
THIS CAR IS CURRENTLY FOR SALE AT $55,000
1996 - SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI GC8 RA " HOMOLOGATED "
In 1995 Subaru won it's first World rally Championship title with none other than the spectacular Colin McRea. from its early year's campaigning the larger legacy to learn its craftin the world of rallying, Subaru had finally cemented their status in the WRC, however almost more importantly was that the Impreza had become an icon. It was now the car everyone wanted, a car that would let you live out your inner rally legend on the school run.
These early days saw many evolutions of the GC8, 4 door, 2 door, STI variants and more limited editions than could be imagined. all leveraging heavily on its motorsport success. However, Subaru had another customer who's requirements that it needed to meet. These customers were motorsport teams which they had built there legacy upon.
Enter the Subaru Impreza WRX STI RA. The RA naming convention is a widely contested topic, does it stand for Race Application or Rally. The question remains as Subaru has never officially confirmed the internal designation. What is known is that car was made for race teams, Built for competition, however available as an option tot the public. Essentially this is one of those incredible times you could buy a road registered car direct from the manufacturer> The 90's were an incredible time for Japanese road cars, no doubt in this case inspired by Group A and Group N regulations linking Road to Race cars.
The RA variant was focused on light weight, removing power windows, radio, air conditioning, side skirts, sound deadening, floor mats, even down to removal of color coded options. The cars base paint colors were also limited, owing largely to the cars having liveries applied once arriving to the race teams. It features a roof vent, which was not only critical on the rally stage to disburse dust from the cabin it also helped distinguish them from their road going counterparts.
Mechanically it found the STI boxer mated to shorter gear ratios, underbody bracing and numerous suspension improvements. On the road it's raw. The road noises are very apparent, you hear every stone hitting the inner wheel liners as a symptom of its lightweight, deliberate, stripped out focus. The shorter ratios remove any turbo lag between gear changes, Once on the move the claimed 276Hp is almost always available. It's urgency demands attention, with its point to point abilities second to none. Incredibley light on its feet an eminently willing , the quick steering rack gives you confidence with immediate turn in while mechanical diffs front and rear dig the tyres into the tarmac and pull you out of almost any angle you can conger on the road or mud. The RA is a brutally effective, stripped out model from a time when Subaru would sell you a car from the showroom that was built for a race team- something i doubt we will see again.
This particular car is about as original as you can get, unusually for this model it has no modifications and for a car that has only travelled around 80,000klms is a fantastic example indeed.
Written by Tom Bowsher.
Photos by Luminda Perera.