Just thought I'd say that I cannot believe people would pay £37,878 for a P1 WR Sport.
Thanks.

Stef.
PS Oh, and it was beaten by the HSV monster thingy from Australia.

 

Stef,

Yep £37k is a LOT of money. Just think what kind of mods you could do to an STI for 15k Mmmm then again you could just go and buy a 22B

As for it been beaten by the Holden. I always thought the Scooby was a back road car, a 'rally car' for the road. Not a race car. I know a lot of people take them on a track but it is still just a road car.

That's why I don't take any notice of track reports of cars like the Scooby since its not the cars natural habitat. Just try taking that Holden down any good back road

DaveW

[This message has been edited by DaveW (edited 02 September 2000).]

[This message has been edited by DaveW (edited 02 September 2000).]

 

I'd consider a used P1 in the future when prices are around the mid £20k's and I think that anyone who paid the extra £6k for the mods will be extremely dissappointed come re-sell time! The WR version may be only worth a 1-2k premium.

 

Rob

This wasn't a subjective thing. The Holden actually put in a faster lap than the P1 Also LOVE the noise from a high output V8.

DaveW Deffo in agreement about £15K mods to an STi, that could be some car

DJ

 

For the record there is no such thing as a WR P1. Autocar made up a new model. Secondly when people do upgrade the parts on their P1 from say 17 to 18" wheels they sell the 17's. So when you do the sums its more like 3.5k more with all the mods. So come resale if the car is worth 2k more in the end it only cost 1.5k which is nothing for the improvement.

The Holden wasnt rated as a better car than the P1, just about 0.5 sec quicker on the lap. As has been said before a well driven powerfull rear wheel drive car will have the edge anyway.

Seems people didnt read the whole article when they praised the P1 in the wet over the other cars. Also the P1 was quicker round the track than the other 4 wheel drive car the RS4. The brakes also recieved praise, but at the end of the day on a track its not as much fun as a R500, 340R etc. But these are different types of car. Porsche Turbo excepted.

Jonathan

 

Everyone who has driven an HSV has been VERY impressed. It is not the run of the mill Aussie big V8. Most tests have put it as able to hold its own against M5/E55/XJR.

Holden=GM=Vauxhall=good relationship with Lotus=magical track handling??? Could be!!

 

I have not had the opportunity to review this Autocar report , but I am absolutely amazed the Holden was rated above the P1.
All the Aussie big V8's handle like dogs - so much so the cops are refusing to drive them as a pursuit car.
Reasonable straight line performance - but the standard WRX kills 'em!
I have driven the top of the range Ford - lots of suspension bits from jaguar now incorporated - still uses as does Holden the antiquated push rod V8. Really low tech.
Both these machine are a nightmare in the wet - back end wants to break away under the slightest throttle . ugh!

 

The Impreza is not a track car.
The Impreza is not a track car.
The Impreza is not a track car.
The Impreza is not a track car.
The Impreza is not a track car.
The Impreza is not a track car.

One day it will sink in...

 

Spot the P1 owner in the respondants above - answers on a postcard please.....

 

Just re-read the Autocar article - the result is less than convincing for the P1.

Can't help thinking how much Prodrive had in the influence of certain words - and being even more cynical, with the absence of any Sti version or Mitsubishi Lancer, it makes me think IM spat their dummy out.

Thing that makes me sit up is the comment "the only way to do a quick lap was to throw it at the corners..." OR you could have re-worded to say "driven normally the P1 understeers like a dog."

This doesn't sound like much fun on the public highway does it?

The lap time highlights it's short comings - given the lap is made up mostly of hairpins (5 corners have corner minimums of around 50mph - to put that in perspective that's like the Esses at Donington Park National) what's going on here?

A VX220 is only 2.5 seconds per lap down and this is only down to it's lack of power - if you look at the corner minimums in the slow stuff (where you'd expect an Impreza to go well) the VX220 is FASTER in the majority. Even that well know hairdressers car the MR2 was AS FAST!!!

The fact that the Impreza's speed was achieved only by being so agressive just makes things worse. Maybe vehicle dynamics have moved on over the last few years and the latest Impreza hasn't come a moment too soon? Either that or have Jason chasing you in his MR2 - chase me!

Hey you don't think IM just needed to sell off the last few old cars and so just upped the spec? You know like Ford did with things like the Sierra and Escort - stickers and sunroof cars?!!

 

aaahh Phil, you old cynic

btw, they should have had Scoobynet members driving. It would then have been miles faster than all the other cars.

DJ

[This message has been edited by DocJock (edited 04 September 2000).]

 

DJ - even faster if they'd have taken a few "Jason's" to drive the MR2's!!

I'm very dissappionted no P1 owners have risen to the bate by now - mind you I guess they've all been caught by now!!!

They do say the truth hurts.

 

The Impeza is not a track car. I agree with David. It's a rally car, that is why when pushed along great back roads etc it excels.

We take them on the track 'cos that's where you can legally max them. However it's not the same feeling you get when it's taken by the scruff of the neck and driven hard down you favourite B roads. Cambers, bumps, crests etc. You get the picture.

As I mentioned on another thread about the P1. evo magazine (www.evo.co.uk) conducted a test entitled 15 to 1. The winner going up against a 550 Maranello. The P1 beat the 14 other cars in subjective tests to take on the Ferrari. The P1 only just came out second best to the Super Car. evo have also tested the latest high spec Holden. They liked it but it is not a backroad car. Straight line dragstrips and dare I say it, the track.

Get back issue 19 of evo for a good read.

Please people, read a decent magazine, leave Autocar et al to the town cars. My opinion about Autocar.

I don't have a P1 and don't work for evo magazine.

Slightly wound up, now cooling off.

P.

 

Mind you evo (even though I read it) arn't biased are they ?????

Subaru calendar last year...etc... SOmeones in IM's pocket (allegedly ;> )

Ids

 

Sith - Like I said with most corners on that test track being very low speed - you could not have got a more P1 friendly place.

If you like understeer then I guess a P1 is just the job - may I suggest other understeering classics :-

Audi Quattro (Any model from early 80's to date)
Morris Marina 1.3L
Volvo C70 T
Volkswagen Lupo
Mitsubishi Galant

Enjoy!

 

Nah -----

Bone Out Mk5 Escort 1.6LX with snapped front anti roll bar - now thats understeer ...if you remember !

 

I remember it well!!

The sound of that front anti-roll bar snapping free...Arggh those were the days.

Mat's Toyota Corolla was another udersteering classic!

 

Phil

Youre just to obvious. I reckon you got turned down for a job by Prodrive at some time thats why you hold the grudge.

Still Ive seen the errors of my way and ordered a new M3. You have convinced me I have the a car that understeers so badly that you would be quicker than me in a metro 1.1.

I'm just so happy that you now have seen the errors of your ways and belive motoring journalists. Now make sure you avoid EVO and Autocar from a couple of weeks back.

Jonathan

 

LOL Should've expected this

Phil,

That's part of my point. The P1 is not a track car and it was beaten on track. In the wet tests in evo it was beaten (just) by a Boxter. Alot also depends on the driver, go into the corner too fast, hello understear, power on to early, whoops there it is again. It's on the road that counts. evo reckons it slaughters the rest out on the roads.

ids,

Surely not, evo biased to the scoob, couldn't be! I do have the calendar on my desk at work. Good to see you read evo

Enjoy.

P.

 

John - glad to see you're still biting looks like I was fishing a bit early - I'll remember to set out a bit later next time. LOL.

You love it really.

 

"Imprezza isnt a track car" - I think someone needs to attend some track days in this country and inform all the poor old Imp owners that their cars are in the wrong place!

(With full scepticism due to the fact that I dont usually rate Autocar in any way at all due to its depressing lack of accuracy)...had the P1 only lost out to the R500 and 340R I would agree with some more of the 'rattle out pram' comments...but really, it was bloody miles down the list

 

Its nice to see all the Impreza enthusiasts enjoying the P1's sucess.

Jonathan

 

****!!