Descrição
This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The August Online Timed Auction on Thursday the 29th of August, Online. Please note this car was a category Insurance loss in March 1997.
Background:
Subaru’s rally exploits turned the brand’s image on its head. From being staid, unimaginative all-wheel drive oddities that only a farmer might want, the cars campaigned by the likes of Ari Vatanen, Markku Alen, Colin McRae and Richard Burns became the darlings of the 1990s go-faster brigade, as the Legacy and Imprezza conquered rally stages across the globe and won World Championships.
Subaru Tecnica International partnered with Prodrive in the UK to produce both the competition cars and a number of limited edition specials for road car customers, over and above the performance end of the regular model ranges.
The first of these to appear was based on the successful Legacy four-door saloon and appeared in 1989 as the Legacy RS, featuring a 220PS (220hp) 2-litre EJ20 turbo-charged flat-four engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox and all-wheel drive, with a top speed of 155mph and designed to be homologated for 'Group A' racing.
STI also took a trio of specially-modified Legacy RS saloons and set new world records for endurance driving, covering 100, 000km (62, 000 miles) averaging 223. 345kmh (138. 780mph) over most of January 1989.
The car:
This Legacy RS is even rarer than most, being in the unusual Black Mica and has covered a genuine 29, 700 miles from new – an average of only 1, 000 miles per annum! This is about as far from the heavily modified and even more heavily thrashed Subaru as you can get. This car was fettled by Prodrive and used by a senior staff member when new only for it to be stolen from the 1997 Autosport International Show's car park at the NEC. It was recovered, but ended up receiving the aforementioned category C insurance write-off marker as a result of damage during the theft, all of which has been professionally rectified.
This prime example has received plenty of love and attention during its life and in the extensive history folder are receipts for two major overhauls, with work being done by Robinsons of Rochdale, plus an order for the correct Speedline wheels, with tyres, from Prodrive. The shell is excellent with no rust whatsoever.
An engine rebuild has more recently been undertaken by renowned Subaru specialists Town End Garage (TEG Sport) of Carnforth, including new cam buckets, main and big-end bearings, high-flow oil pump, piston rings, timing belt kit, all internal seals and steel gaskets, along with a new air mass meter installed while being run in on the dyno. The car still retains its original brake calipers, which were rebuilt with new pistons and seals in 2022.
A new dash from Japan has been fitted to the interior, which remains in largely excellent original condition. The driver’s carpet is heavily worn in the heel area but Legacy overmats cover this. The radio is a US version of the original and is missing a knob and parts of the dash are a slightly different hue to the rest but the overall effect is of a close-to-showroom condition example.
The exterior has a couple of imperfections, as might be expected of a car of its age but the RS remains extremely presentable and is sure to turn heads at any gathering of car enthusiasts.
Summary:
Subaru’s Legacy is a rare beast in the UK, performance versions even more so and pristine, low-mileage examples are near-impossible to source. If you miss this one, you’ll not find another.
Location: Cumbria
Seller: Private
Photography: Professional
