Cars
Subaru Impreza P1
The latest special Impreza
is with us - the P1. Subaru UK decided it was time to beat the grey
importers and gave Prodrive, the company who run the rally cars, the
task of making an Impreza to beat the Japanese import metal from STi,
and challenge Mitsubishi's Evo. Prodrive were given all the 'best
bits from the Subaru chocolate box' and put them all together to
create possibly the ultimate Impreza - P1.
The P1 is to follow a long line of special edition Imprezas and has a
hard act to follow. The standard UK spec turbo is enough of a beast
to beat, but with modern classics to follow such as the 22B, RB5,
Terzo, Series McRae and Catalunia, the P1 has a lot to live up
to.
Peter Stevens, of McLaren F1 and Subaru WRCar fame, takes the credit
for design of the P1's aerodynamic tweaks and bodykit including the
towering rear spoiler, front spoiler complete with pin-head spot
lights and fabulous 17" OZ Racing alloy wheels.
The P1 could be described as a supercar because of its stuning performance, 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds and accelerating on to 155mph with fantastic handling to match the speed thanks to the clever four wheel drive, viscous coupling and differentials, splitting the 253 lb ft of torque and 276 bhp of power 60/40 between the front and rear axles during normal driving, but varying according to road conditions.
The interior includes a Momo stearing wheel, Prodrive labeled racing seats, and the cabin is trimmed with blue and grey alecantra and suede. The remainder of the interior is comparable to the standard UK spec Impreza Turbo, with black on white dials and Impreza dash. Standard on the P1 is air conditioning which is an optional extra on the standard Imprezas, also included in the P1 package is the usual Impreza goodies such as electric windows and mirrors. Unlike past special edition Imprezas, the P1 includes antilock brakes. In the past Subaru have opted for having intercooler water spray, but because of the lack of under-bonnet space there isn't room for ABS in adition to this, and this time the safety braking system was chosen for use. The P1 is available in any colour, as long as it's Sonic Blue.
|
Engine size |
1994 cc / 2 litre 16v Turbocharged |
|
Driven Wheels |
4 (AWD) |
|
BHP |
276 bhp @ 5600 rpm |
|
BHP/Tonne |
215 bhp per tonne |
|
Torque |
253 lb ft @ tonne |
|
Top Speed |
155 mph |
|
0 - 60 mph |
4.7 seconds |
|
0 - 100 mph |
12.3 |
|
30 - 70 mph (through gears) |
4.7 seconds |
|
Braking 70 - 0 mph |
49.6 metres / 162.6 ft |
|
Gearbox |
5 speed manual |
|
Combined mpg |
25.5 miles per gallon |
The P1 costs £31,495 and 1000 examples will be produced, unfortunately if your name isn't on the list then you're out of time, all of the cars were accounted for long ago. Subaru have opened a backup list in case they do decide to produce more examples.
Subaru Impreza MY2001
This review is coming soon and more will follow it.
If you can help with this or any part of the site please
mail me.
For pics of how the new Impreza will be in the US, visit
http://www.maitreg.com/cars/impreza/2002
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