Yahoo Autos The Prodrive P25 is a half-million-dollar Subaru WRX restomod
When Fountains of Wayne sang about their '92 Subaru, we're pretty sure it was a satire of musicians bragging about their Maybachs and Rolls Royces. But now, 30 years after the Impreza debuted, some first-generation examples are worth just as much as those buzzy brands. From never-sold-in-America versions like the 22B to ex-WRC rally cars, top Imprezas have already sold for low six-figure prices.
So apparently the time is right for a $564,000 Impreza WRX restomod in the vein of a Singer Porsche or one of those 400-horsepower V12 E-Type Jags. But to reflexively exclaim, "Half a million bucks for a Subaru!?" would be missing the point. The Prodrive P25 comes from a firm known for their engineering and craftsmanship. After all, Prodrive helped build Imprezas into WRC championship cars in the first place, not to mention created other legends like the Paris-Dakar Rally Raid 959 for Porsche and the Bastos E30 M3 rally car for BMW.
Each Prodrive P25 starts life as a 2-door Impreza WRX. Under the iconic blue paint, however all the major body panels — hood, trunk, roof, sills, fenders, rear quarter panels, bumpers, wing, and mirrors — are formed from carbon composites, resulting in a curb weight of just 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs).
Under the hood lurks a 2.5-liter Subaru boxer generating 400-horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Between a new airbox and Akrapovič titanium and stainless steel exhaust lie an upgraded intercooler, Garrett turbochargers, and built internals including new cylinder sleeves, pistons, connecting rods, and valvetrain with variable cam timing.
Instead of a classic 5-speed transmission, the P25 utilizes a 6-speed semi-automatic paddle-shift gearbox with helical-cut gears that can change gears in just 80 milliseconds, according to Prodrive. They also added a WRC-style launch control, floor mounted pedal box. and anti-lag, returning a 0-62 time of less than 3.5 seconds.
