TONY F

hi all, looking to get back into scooby ownership and would just like to know about the P1,s as thats the model i would like, any info at all is much appreciated

cheers tony

172sport

iTrader: (6)

A mates got one and although he loves it to bits still says he should have bought a type r.

500

HTH



Throughout 1999, there were strong rumours that the UK market was at long last going to receive a Japanese specification Impreza, with improved levels of overall performance. A two door white Impreza Turbo running on 17 inch gold alloys and Prodrive number plates had been spotted several times. September 22nd 1999, Autocar magazine run a scoop showing this very same white car, along with a glowing write-up, and an estimated price tag of £30k. Despite having a few inconsistencies (eg 2.2 litre engine with 350bhp!), the article answered many of the questions enthusiasts across the country had been asking for many weeks. The white car was actually a prototype for the forthcoming UK spec Impreza supercar. Based on the 2 door Impreza body shell (but without the wide arches of the 22B)., the car had been developed by Prodrive during the previous year in conjunction with Fuji Heavy Industries and Subaru Tecnica International in Japan. It had been designed from day 1 to be Subaru UK’s response to both ‘grey imports’ and the phenomenal Mitsubishi EVO 6, which had been receiving rave reviews all year long. "Shock Subaru Announcement - New UK Spec 280 PS Impreza Turbo" was the title of the press release, which ran to a full 9 pages. This car was to be called the Prodrive P1 (Prodrive One), would have the full 280PS (276bhp) of the Japanese spec cars and carried a full 3 year warranty with support from all Subaru UK dealers. This astonishing car had been painstakingly developed, and not only met all requirements necessary for full European Type Approval, but also set class-leading standards for both ride and handling. The main features of the car are as follows:

* 2 Door Saloon Body
* Available exclusively in Sonic Blue, similar to the WRC cars, and the same as the 22B
* 280PS engine, with an estimated 260 lb/ft of torque
* Top speed of 155mph, 0-60 in 4.6 seconds
* Special Hella driving lamps
* Specially Designed "Titanium" 10-spoke O.Z. 17 x 7 alloy wheels
* High Ratio Steering Rack
* Ventilated front and rear brakes
* Shorter throw "Quickshift" gearchange
* 4 Channel ABS brakes
* Rear wiper
* Specially designed aerodynamically superior front and rear spoilers
* Category 1 alarm/immobiliser, and RAC Trackstar tracking system
* Air Conditioning

A production run of 1,000 cars was eventually produced, and there were some delays in getting the earlier cars to customers, following production problems with some of the parts fitted here in the UK.

The Japanese spec WRX STi is also available as the 2-door coupe "Type R", which has the same equipment as a STi saloon plus driver-controlled diffs, and an intercooler water spray, but no ABS!.
The "Type RA" (Race Altered) is a lighter weight car with some options deleted and deemed the most suitable model in the range as the basis for a rally car. Generally they come without air conditioning, electric windows or radio, but these are available from the options list, and fitted to many road cars. The RA comes with a closed deck block, shorter gearing than standard (150mph at 8,000 rpm!), and rally style vent(s)/flap(s) on the roof.

Oh, and when the engine is rebuilt, ours will be for sale 2000 'W' 75k miles, no mods apart from better brakes, an exhaust and re-map to 320 Bhp

stevie333

iTrader: (2)

and the white one still lives,its mine..

trails

iTrader: (41)

I've just posted about it...rarest scoob thread; you should post some pics for those that haven't seen it

stuh1981

Hi mate, get yourself over to the P1 Owners club, you will get some great advice there.

Mine is for sale if you are interested

P1 Web Owners Club :: Warning, may contain nuts!

stuh1981

He must be the only P1 owner that has said that

FerryScoob

Here you go Stu your autotrader link.

Auto Trader UK - SUBARU IMPREZA P1 4WD 2dr Saloon Special Editions

stevie1982

iTrader: (16)

bit of advice try and get one that has had an engine rebuild as the p1 (which the previous owner found out) has a habbit to pop an engine but this can be down to how it has been looked after and driven same as any impreza to be honest, other point is check the struts again another common fault as well as my uk turbo the as that can be an expensive set up as the dealership wanted 240+vat a corner plus fitting so it will be time to upgrade the lot!!! other than that my P1 was the best car and never let me down
some will say yo umight as well get a type r and this can be very true as i dont think there is much in it and with the type r you get a few extras and they can be had cheaper, but not so much anymore the P1 has come doown in orice lately and some good bargins can be had seen some go for 8k makes me glad i sold mine last year for 11k. still miss it everyday but needs must i guess

TONY F

cheers guys, the one i,m looking at is a y reg, its got 60k miles with full service history, not had an engine rebuilt thou but it sounds sweet

bob r

iTrader: (46)

The P1 is one of my favourite Imprezas. Awesome all round cars.

My advice is just be aware that the bottom ends can let go and it very costly to repair so ensure you can afford the repair bills.

There is a pole thread on the P1WOC that many owners have contributed to, showing rebuilds or not and the cars' mileage.

Hope this helps.

aggs

Superb car.
But I am biased as I own one.
Servicing and using the correct grade petrol will cut the likely hood of the engine problems that are so well documented.
As well as avoiding prolonged top speed runs which causes the engine to over heat due to air deflecting over the bonnet and missing the intercooler,same as any Scooby but some P1 s are driven harder than others!

Most owners now are all P1 nuts and treat the cars really well.

The P1 web owners club is great, and will offer loads of advice.

A good standard car will do you well and should not depreciate as fast as other models.
The car is pretty strong and can accept mild tuning but bigger bhp s can wear the gear box quicker. (Again like any Scooby)
I find 280bhp plenty fast enough!

Ownership is a bit more special than a ordinary Classic and Evo rate it as a special car.

The car and suspension was developed on 17" wheels but an optional extra of 18" wheels was also available.
From reviews I believe that the 18" wheels improve road holding but make the ride a bit harsher.
I find the 17" wheels ok, and the road holding is exceptional anyway.

Also upgraded brakes are available.
Again these improve braking but I find the std. set up perfectly good for normal fast road driving.
The Prodrive brakes are more expensive to service than AP or Brembro Brake upgrades.

Hope that helps.

Aggs

stevie1982

iTrader: (16)

fi you do decide to get one, and as has been said they are great fast road cars, i would buy one from the p1 owners club, they other thing i did not mention is hold out and find one which has had the wheel upgrade and either the AP or Prodrive Alcom brkae upgrade as this will save money in the long run as the std brakes are not the best i went from the AP conversion to std 4pots on my uk turbo and i have t osay the std setup is poor (imo)

also please use your head and not your ticker, try not to get blinded by the lights of a shiny new car as i did this on my current car and have had nothing but grief for 6 months and a lot of cash later and now the car is running right.

the other thing to comsider and if i bought another p1 is, the date of registartion you are looking ata 2001 modle which will fall in the NEW tax scheme but if you bought a 200 model you woul dskip the new system and pay 215 a year compared to the 400 quid or whatever the new scheme is

just my 2 bits worth

steve

bighead

iTrader: (1)

the prodrive alcon 6 pots brakes are crap compare to the Ap 6 pots brakes

so go for one with AP racing brake kits