After 18 months of painstaking preparatory work, the Safari Rally-winning ex-Colin McRae Subaru Impreza WRC97, ‘P8 WRC’, is finally being reassembled at Prodrive by the very same engineers who originally built it 21 years ago...
It’s been a while since we’ve updated you on Prodrive’s exhaustive restoration of ‘P8 WRC’, the Safari Rally-winning ex-Colin McRae Subaru Impreza WRC97.
Needless to say, the journey on which we embarked in the summer of 2021 has been fraught with challenges – then again, nobody said ensuring this car is every bit as authentic as the day Colin drove it onto the Safari Rally starting ramp 26 years ago would be easy.
So, where does the land lie? In our last update, we outlined the painstaking work Prodrive had undertaken returning the bodyshell to Safari Rally specification, as per its original technical drawings. Hundreds of hours were invested on this task alone, such was the condition of the car after so many years and the drastic changes that were made for the grueling East African endurance test. Take the ultra-strong bull-bar connected directly to the chassis behind the front wings, for example.
P8 WRC was then sent to be painted, by the very same company responsible for painting Prodrive’s WRC Subarus in the 1990s and 2000s, and its boxer engine and drivetrain had been meticulously rebuilt, ready for its moment on the testbench.
“Nobody said ensuring this car is every bit as authentic as the day Colin drove it onto the Safari Rally starting ramp 26 years ago would be easy.”
The stunning World Rally Blue bodyshell is now back at Prodrive’s Banbury HQ, parked in the very same preparation bay in which it was first disassembled, and is slowly coming back together, piece by painstaking piece. The engine has indeed been run in on Prodrive’s dyno – a truly momentous moment, which almost brought tears to our eyes (and blood to our ear canals!).
Rather pleasingly, the myriad small details which make this Subaru so special, all of which have been restored, rebuilt, refreshed or simply remanufactured, are finally being installed. Take the carbon-fibre door cards and wing mirrors, twin air vents in the roof, pedal box and snorkel. Many of these parts were sourced from Prodrive’s archive and, with our support, the network of Subaru collectors around the world.
The finish line is truly in sight and we’ll be keeping you updated as completion of this epic project draws closer. We’ve got grand plans for ‘P8 WRC’ – its last public outing before the restoration was the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2021. The world-famous event feels like the right place to start – though perhaps on the asphalt this time, not the forest rally stage.
Until next time…
Photos: Robert Cooper for Girardo & Co.