Prodrive has a long history of working with Subaru, including as the automaker’s World Rally Championship competition partner in the 1990s and 2000s. renewal of this golden era for Subie.
The teaser image is a simple line drawing of what appears to be a mid-1990s Subaru Impreza WRX. The fender and hood scoop design closely matches the design of this car. Also, the location of the B-pillar towards the rear of the roofline hints that it could be a coupe.
There is also the mystery of the name P25, but we have a theory. “P” could easily stand for Prodrive. The “25” could be a reference to an anniversary. A quarter of a century ago, in 1997, Subaru won its third consecutive WRC constructors’ championship. In 1998, Subaru celebrated the trio of titles by building the famous Impreza 22B STI. This model attempted to create a road version of the 1997 rally car.
Given the similarities between Prodrive’s teaser design and the look of the 22B STI, we have to wonder if the company plans to build a homage to the classic model.
Prodrive’s announcement is particularly timely because Subaru does not manufacture a WRX STI this generation. The company said it could eventually return, possibly with electrification. This happened despite Subaru showcasing an aggressive concept for a modern STI at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Show.
A later report claimed that Subaru’s decision stemmed from rapidly changing regulations around the world. This situation would have limited the time of the new TSI on the market. The automaker decided that the investment was not worth it.
Prodrive is currently building 25 examples of the Hunter, which is a road version of the BRX Hunter T1+ Dakar Rally car. It features a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine from Ford developing more than 600 horsepower. That’s enough for the off-road-focused machine to hit 62 miles per hour in under four seconds. Prices start at £1.25million.
