Background
Subaru’s debut on the WRC can be traced back to the 1980 Safari Rally when they entered the Subaru Leone. The car finished 18th overall out of 59 starters and 1st in class on the gruelling 5333 km event. The team’s best result came on the 1987 Rally New Zealand, when Possum Bourne took 3rd in the Subaru RX Turbo.
But it will be 1990 that people remember as the start of the Subaru rally campaign with the formation of the Subaru World Rally Team, a joint venture between Subaru and Prodrive. The first car to rally under the Subaru World Rally Team banner was the Legacy RS, which made its WRC debut on the Safari Rally in 1990, finishing 8th overall. Its best place finish of the year came on Rally Australia when Possum Bourne secured 4th overall.
However it is the British Rally Championship that the car will be remembered for most, as a young Scot called Colin McRae secured a drive with Prodrive sponsored by Rothmans for the 1991 British rally championship in a works specification GpA Legacy RS. This season was also the one that earned McRae his nickname of ‘McCrash’ as he frequently redesigned the car on events. No matter how many times he put his car off the road he could drag it out of the ditches or trees and still go on to win the rally anyway.
Having won the British Rally Championship in 1991 McRae was entered along side Ari Vatanen on the Swedish round of the WRC in 1992 with the Subaru World Rally Team. Ari crashed out on SS1 which piled on the pressure for Colin to step up to the mark, he won 5 stages challenging for the lead and secured second spot for the team and 15 championship points on his debut works outing.
The 1992 season saw Colin win every stage bar two on every rally in the British championship in his Rothmans backed Legacy securing his second British Championship title. The Legacy’s only WRC victory was to be in the hands of Colin in New Zealand 1993, which was also the last time the factory team fielded a Legacy on the WRC. Following the victory the Legacy was retired and replaced by the newer, smaller and ultimately dominant Impreza.
1993 also saw a new arrival to the Subaru rally team, with his 1992 National rally championship title secured rising star Richard Burns drove a works specification Legacy GpA to overall championship victory making it three British Rally Championship titles in a row for this iconic car.
This Car
Is K555BAT and built to comply with the Gp A regulations and was driven by Ari Vatanen on the Acropolis Rally in 1993. An event he led from the start, until he misjudged a corner on Special Stage 21 on day 2 and crash out.
The car was then recovered by Prodrive and rebuilt before being sold to the Italian team “ART” where it was driven very successfully by Piero Liatti, Andrea Navara and Gustavo Trelles on rounds of the Italian and European rally championships.
In 1995 the car was driven by the late Richard Burns, finishing 2nd overall on the Bettaga Memorial Rally Sprint.
Autosportif have since carried out an exacting restoration to bring this rare and iconic car back to its original factory specification.
Technical
Engine : Turbo Charged, Fuel Injected, 4 Cylinder, DOHC, 16V 2ltr,
Power : 300 BHP +
