Subaru’s Impreza WRX actually started production late in 1992 with the first models of the WRX landing on Australian shores in 1994. With 4 wheel drive and turbo charging a necessity to be competitive in the World Rally Championship (WRC), Subaru designed the small four door sedan to accept the 2 litre turbo flat four and all wheel drive running gear from the Legacy (Liberty) RS.
With close to a 50/50 front to rear weight split and an ideal wheel base it didn’t take long for the factory team to start winning. In 1995 Colin McRae became World Rally Champion with the Impreza WRX. Subaru took three successive manufacturer titles with same car too.
Popular down under
With outstanding performance and handling for the money, the car quickly became popular in Australia. Production of the WRX continues to this day. The shape and size has changed having had several face lifts across models during it’s more than 30 years of manufacture.
Rally Cars
As the Impreza WRX was developed for rallying, building rally cars is a fairly straight forward process. Approached using the right formula it takes roughly three months to complete a bare shell build. With thousands sold here, parts are mostly fairly easy to source.
20+ Impreza WRX rally cars built and counting!
We have built more than 20 Impreza WRX rally cars in our workshop. Within our team, we have mostly stayed with the classic shape WRX. Even 20 years after it won the WRC, the car is still winning championships. It shows how inherently good the design was way back then.
Having rallied these cars with great success for nearly 20 years, we know them inside out! We use a tried and tested base spec for all of our builds. Work includes; careful shell preparation, full roll cages and all the necessary safety and rally equipment.
The rules say that production engines and intercoolers must be used. Approved performance parts (such as substitute turbos) may be fitted. Reliable power outputs of 300Hp and 400+Nm of Torque are easily attainable.
Depending on whether the car will be used for gravel or tarmac sets the specifications for the transmission, suspension, brakes and tyres. Five or Six speed gearboxes with active or passive centre differentials are fitted (we can also fit sequential transmissions).
Suspension brands range from Pro-Drive to STD, Reiger & MCA. Gravel cars are limited to 15” tyres by the regulations so brakes are chosen to fit behind 15” wheels. When running in tarmac spec larger 
wheels and brakes can be fitted. There are a selection of tyre brands and patterns available to us depending on the conditions and the driver.
