Colin McRae’s rare Subaru Impreza prototype crops up on sale

Subaru only made 400 Impreza WRX STi 22B coupes for Japan in the late 1990s (see video). Before that, it had produced three unnumbered prototype chasses, one of which will be going on sale this August estimated at £0.4M–0.5M thanks to its great condition and the identity of its first owner.

That’s between $508,000 and $635,000 in U.S. currency. The 22B was Subaru’s way of celebrating its third World Rally Championship victory in a row. Before it started mass production, the company released three prototypes and presented them to the drivers who made it possible – David Lapworth of Prodrive, star racer Colin McRae and his co-driver Nicky Grist. The car comes with a special plaque bearing the numbers 000/400: all three pre-production Impreza 22B models had a plaque like this.

The seller claims that the coupe is in flawless condition and has been carefully maintained throughout its entire life. It is also barely used with 12,000 km (~7,500 miles) under its belt. The auction holder also points out the car’s completely transparent background, although it is not disclosed to the public.