Subaru won three consecutive WRC manufacturers’ titles from 1995 through 1997.
The streak began in 1995, when Subaru’s Impreza 555 carried Colin McRae to the drivers’ championship and Subaru to the manufacturers’ crown. The team successfully defended its manufacturers’ title in 1996, even though Mitsubishi driver Tommi Mäkinen won the drivers’ championship.
Subaru completed the run in 1997 with the Impreza WRC. That season again saw Mäkinen win the drivers’ title for Mitsubishi, demonstrating that the manufacturers’ championship rewards a team’s combined results rather than simply matching the drivers’ champion.
This distinction explains a common mistake: Subaru won the manufacturers’ title in 1996 and 1997 while Mitsubishi supplied the drivers’ champion. Subaru’s three-year run ended after 1997; Mitsubishi won the manufacturers’ title in 1998.