Litchfield Subaru Impreza Type 25 | Spotted

Think about all the legendary racing cars developed by Prodrive, like the Rothmans-liveried Metro 6R4s and the screaming Aston Martin DBR9s – and yet it is arguably still best remembered as the outfit behind Subaru’s World Rally Team. The pairing won three WRC driver’s and constructors titles apiece between 1995 and 2003, with countless Prodrive-tuned special edition Imprezas released to mark its many successes. And if you couldn’t quite stretch to one of the limited-run cars, you could option your Impreza (even the non-STIs) with a Prodrive Performance Pack for a bit more grunt and burble.

As synonymous Prodrive is with Subaru, other British firms have had a crack at building their own Impreza specials. Remember when Cosworth had a stab at the Impreza hatch? Seeing its name on the back of a Subaru felt sacrilegious at the time, what with decades of success with Ford in most major motorsports the world over. But that was swiftly forgotten by the 75 original (and very lucky) owners who experienced the CS400’s mighty 400hp first hand. Despite its many, many upgrades, the CS400 wasn’t nearly as well-received as the Imprezas tuned by Prodrive or STI. Or Litchfield, in fact, which had done a superlative job with the Type 25 like the one we have here.

As you’ll likely know, Litchfield hasn’t pigeon-holed itself into exclusively specialising in one particular make or model. Yes, it knows more about Nissan GT-Rs than just about anyone in the UK and was the first company to import an R35 into the country, yet it’ll gladly sell you upgrades for your BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and the like. But before all of that, the company imported hot Scoobies from Japan and made them eligible for life in Britain. And because our laws are a little different here, a few changes had to be made to get them through an MOT, namely around exhaust emissions on startup. At the same time, Litchfield began experimenting with different upgrades, which ultimately resulted in them being offered on customer cars. 

This all culminated in the Type 25, based on the ‘blob-eye’ generation Impreza STI and limited to just 40 units, though later extended to include the follow-up ‘hawk-eye’ version. The list of upgrades were extensive, as it was essentially used as a showcase of Litchfield’s abilities. The brakes, for instance, were originally from a Porsche 911 GT3 and paired with AP Racing discs and Pagid pads, while the AST suspension offered 12 stages of adjustability. But it was the Cosworth-tuned 2.5-litre boxer engine that stole the show, featuring forged pistons and conrods, as well as Litchfield’s own turbocharger. What resulted was 421hp and 420lb ft of torque, a monumental leap over the regular STI’s 280hp and 289lb ft.

Reviewers heaped praise on the Type 25 for its immense power delivery and mind-bending grip. The original test cars were based on the JDM-only Spec C, which is odd because Japanese models came with 2.0-litre engines. The car we have here, however, looks to be based either on a UK Spec D, which offered all the goodness of an STI but with more restrained looks and black part-leather seats, or the A-Line Japanese equivalent. It’s also wearing a set of Alcon callipers, smart Speedline Turini wheels and stacks upon stacks of other upgrades.

What you’re looking at here might be one of the most underrated Imprezas out there, not least because only the geekiest of Subaru geeks will know it exists. There’s no concrete number on hawk-eye production, but this being number 43 suggests it is one of the earlier builds. And because it’s not wearing a Prodrive badge, it’s priced a lot more affordably at £21,990. Not silly money for a special Subaru, especially with 18,450 miles on the clock. A grand more gets you this immaculate Prodrive Style ‘bug-eye’, which won’t be nearly as quick as this Type 25, but it’s a dead ringer for the rally car and considerably more blue if that’s more your thing. 

Engine: 2,457cc four-cylinder boxer, turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 421@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 420@3,800rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 18,450
Price new: £39,995
Yours for: £21,990