The Subaru Impreza S5 WRC driven by Colin McRae goes up for auction

When we think about the great names that have passed through the World Rally Championship, Colin McRae’s is undoubtedly one of the first to come to mind, even though he had only one drivers’ title in his record. However, his runner-up finishes, his driving style and his charisma turned him into a legend of the sport. A legend who, sadly, left us prematurely in 2007, when the helicopter he was piloting himself crashed very close to his home, killing him along with one of his children and two friends.

Colin McRae will always be a legend of the WRC, and the videos that remain are what we will remember him by, especially driving the Subaru Impreza rally car, although he also drove for Ford with the Focus WRC from 1999 until 2002. His name is always associated with the Subaru Impreza, and it was with the Japanese brand that he won his only world title in 1995. He also finished as runner-up in 1996 and 1997, and helped Subaru win the manufacturers’ championship in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

A Subaru Impreza driven by Colin McRae is precisely what Silverstone Auctions will auction on 25 February. This unit has a special history, piloted by a WRC legend, and now it could end up in your garage, to simply admire it or to drive it, because it must be said that it is in perfect condition for that purpose. What is the small problem this may pose? If you are a fan of the WRC and the Subaru Impreza, none, apart from the small detail of having in our wallet the between 340,000 and 380,000 pounds it is expected to fetch at auction.

This particular unit corresponds to the Subaru Impreza S5 WRC with registration “P2 WRC”, the first Subaru Impreza with WRC homologation. It differed from its predecessor in that its bodywork became a two-door with wider dimensions that gave it a greater presence, along with the enormous rear wing, despite being shorter in length. As standard, the P2 WRC carried a 1,994 cc boxer engine, positioned more centrally to improve weight distribution, which delivered 300 CV together with 470 Nm of torque, sent to all four wheels through the all-wheel-drive system.

This Subaru Impreza P2 WRC was built on chassis “number 3” to be driven by Colin McRae and co-driver Nicky Grist during the opening round of the 1997 World Rally Championship, the Monte Carlo Rally. The performance of both drivers and the Impreza P2 WRC in that event was satisfactory until the end of the second stage, but shortly after the start of the third stage they had an accident that left the car badly damaged, forcing both drivers to retire from the event.

Once the event had ended, the Subaru Impreza P2 WRC returned to the Prodrive facilities in England to be repaired and prepared once again, at which point it was fitted with chassis “number 21”. Since then it has had a fairly interesting history of use and victories, which can be consulted in full through this link. It was used privately in Europe until 2000, including victories in the Hungarian Championship. In 2000 it returned to the United Kingdom to be used in some events, while in 2003 it was acquired by driver Noel Redmond, who used it in several events, and in 2004 it was bought by the current owner.

Since then it has only been modified to fit the steering wheel on the right-hand side by Stan Harper, a modification that can be reversed at any time if desired. Meanwhile, the specialist company Autosportif rebuilt the gearbox and the engine a few kilometres ago, and EJM Preparations has been responsible for preparing and maintaining it. The owner who has had it since 2004 used it in several rallies with great results in 2005, 2005 and 2007, and then used it occasionally until 2015, when its engine roared back into action at events such as the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Wethersfield Stages Rally, winning both, and at the Race Retro of 2020 as its most recent appearance.