Which road car was the Subaru Impreza WRC based on?

The Subaru Impreza WRC was based on the Subaru Impreza road car. Subaru and its competition partner Prodrive developed the Impreza rally car as a smaller, more agile successor to the Subaru Legacy RS, which had served as Subaru’s previous WRC platform.

The first Impreza-based Group A car appeared at the 1993 Rally Finland, where Ari Vatanen and Markku Alén helped demonstrate its potential. Its compact dimensions, turbocharged boxer engine, four-wheel drive and responsive handling made it particularly effective on the varied surfaces of the World Rally Championship.

The road-going Impreza and the WRC machine were not identical cars. The competition version received extensive changes, including rally suspension, reinforced structure, competition transmission, active differentials and aerodynamic modifications. The familiar blue-and-gold Impreza 555 became one of rallying’s most recognizable liveries.

A common mix-up is choosing the Mitsubishi Lancer, another famous four-wheel-drive Japanese rally car. The Lancer Evolution was a rival, not the road-car basis of Subaru’s WRC entry. The Impreza WRC ultimately won three drivers’ and three manufacturers’ world titles.