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I still have a uk2000, it was my daily for 7 years and im slowly bringing it back to life as a track car. Another few months and it will be in the bodyshop and then back on the road.
As im fully remote for work and hardly do any miles I decided to treat myself and get something a bit fun and special:
R205 STI R205 STI R205 STI
LIttle vid from a hill climb i attended with type-ra.com last weekend.
Was a couple of years of searching to get one in the colour I wanted and with the optional seats. It was worth the wait though. Glad i didnt go golf r or m power I love the old school feel.
Nice car. i really like the hatches, once you've owned one they really grow on you, the handling is superb esp on the limited editions, they are so nimble and pointed. Its always nice to order a few goodies then having the fun fitting them, i'm similar to yo at the min, i recently ordered discs and pads all round for my 20th anniversary, i also have the Motul gearbox and diff oil to go in but i'll do that once the winter is over as the car doesn't get driven in the winter so it's not really worth changing them now, its a couple of fun jobs for next year. What mileage does your R205 have and what grade was it ?
Last edited by The Joshua Tree; Dec 7, 2024 at 07:09 AM.
Yea I don't know why hatches go a bit unloved. I love the shape personally, especially from the rear. I did wrap the clear rear lights straight away though as they look terrible standard.
Absolutely loved driving it this year. The handling and grip are immense, literally no understeer and the brakes are another level, its such a fun drive. It's got that old school feel but also feels modern especially compared to my classic. The suspension can be harsh at slow speed but the faster you go the more it just seems to soak the bumps up and it just eats up the road effortlessly.
It had 35k miles when I got it and I've done 2k this year using it as my daily. Enjoyed it every time I take it out. Will never sell this car it's definitely a keeper.
Hoping to do some more hill climbing next year and maybe a track day.
Yea I don't know why hatches go a bit unloved. I love the shape personally, especially from the rear. I did wrap the clear rear lights straight away though as they look terrible standard.
Absolutely loved driving it this year. The handling and grip are immense, literally no understeer and the brakes are another level, its such a fun drive. It's got that old school feel but also feels modern especially compared to my classic. The suspension can be harsh at slow speed but the faster you go the more it just seems to soak the bumps up and it just eats up the road effortlessly.
It had 35k miles when I got it and I've done 2k this year using it as my daily. Enjoyed it every time I take it out. Will never sell this car it's definitely a keeper.
Hoping to do some more hill climbing next year and maybe a track day.
Lovely motor! A friend of mine had an R205 which I was fortunate enough to drive, it was an absolute beast.
I totally agree with you about wondering why the hatches are unloved; they are good-looking cars in the flesh especially if you add some exterior mods (I love the rear under diffuser look on the hatch). I ran a Cosworth hatch for eight years and it was an awesome road car with bags of presence and genuinely astonishing performance - like the R205, the setup was designed for the road and it was so easy to live with for that reason.
Lovely motor! A friend of mine had an R205 which I was fortunate enough to drive, it was an absolute beast.
I totally agree with you about wondering why the hatches are unloved; they are good-looking cars in the flesh especially if you add some exterior mods (I love the rear under diffuser look on the hatch). I ran a Cosworth hatch for eight years and it was an awesome road car with bags of presence and genuinely astonishing performance - like the R205, the setup was designed for the road and it was so easy to live with for that reason.
You've driven both the R205 and the Cosworth CS400, which is regarded as the quicker car and which has the bigger torque, i'm just curious with both of them being at the top of the tree in the hatch models.
Stock vs stock, the Cosworth would simply beat it for power especially on an open road. In third and fourth it kept going where regular Imprezas would feel rather leggy. The R205 is certainly more confidence-inspiring in terms of the way it feels and I suspect it would be quicker through bends. But map an R205 and uprate the turbo and I suspect it would be the quicker car.
The brakes in the Cosworth were among the best I've known in any road car. It literally stopped on a sixpence. AP 356mm six pots and Continental SP3 tyres.
Stock vs stock, the Cosworth would simply beat it for power especially on an open road. In third and fourth it kept going where regular Imprezas would feel rather leggy. The R205 is certainly more confidence-inspiring in terms of the way it feels and I suspect it would be quicker through bends. But map an R205 and uprate the turbo and I suspect it would be the quicker car.
The brakes in the Cosworth were among the best I've known in any road car. It literally stopped on a sixpence. AP 356mm six pots and Continental SP3 tyres.
What did the CS have brake wise on the rear? Standard hatch brakes dont inspire confidence!
Stock vs stock, the Cosworth would simply beat it for power especially on an open road. In third and fourth it kept going where regular Imprezas would feel rather leggy. The R205 is certainly more confidence-inspiring in terms of the way it feels and I suspect it would be quicker through bends. But map an R205 and uprate the turbo and I suspect it would be the quicker car.
The brakes in the Cosworth were among the best I've known in any road car. It literally stopped on a sixpence. AP 356mm six pots and Continental SP3 tyres.
Nice insight. I would love to drive a Cosworth to see how they compare. The reviews all comment on the cosworths lag but I'm sure it can't be as bad as made out.
Im biased but i would think everywhere other than straight line speed the R205 should come out on top.
The R205 is based on the spec c chassis with the addition of all the sti handling goodies, aggressive diffs, 6 pot monoblock front brakes, 4 pot rears, vf56 twin scroll turbo and upgraded ecu.
The cosworth I think is a uk sti, with a built 2.5 engine, bigger turbo, lowered suspension, ap front brakes and custom seats.
So alot more going on with the R205 handling wise.
Been enjoying driving the car but time has come to take it off the road and start fitting the parts I've built up. Maf, 02 and afr sensors, plugs, discs, pads, cambelt and fluids is the plan.
Started last weekend and should be done by this weekend. Loving my new little workshop , be nice to get a ramp in eventually.
Been a bit slack with organising anything for this year as our house move has kept me busy. Got RAde day coming up with type-ra.com but thats all I have booked in so far.
Bugatti hill climb club have a new event for road legal cars with ten rounds across the country. Would love to have a go but probably missed the boat this year.
Old belt. Old belt off. New belt and pulleys on. New accessory belts. Air con is a stretch belt and required a tool. All back together. Weather is to nice to be in the workshop, will do oil and coolant tommorow and its ready to go.
Grey R205 STI
