Unregistered – competition car

Chassis No PRO GDA 04 007 Prodrive number PRO WRC 04 007

- Winner of the 2004 Acropolis rally with Petter Solberg and Phil Mills

- Genuine Prodrive factory car

- Outstanding and continuous history, exceptional performance

- Beautifully preserved since new

 

June 2004: Since the beginning of the rally season, Sebastien Loeb won three times in his Xsara WRC but Petter Solberg was close behind with one victory and several podiums. On the 3rd June and at the wheel of his factory Subaru Impreza S10, he arrived at the Acropolis Rally with a knife between his teeth, so to speak. After three special stages won by Peugeot with the 307 WRC, Solberg got into his car and set five consecutive fastest times. By the end of the first day, he had a one-minute lead. But in rallying, nothing is set in stones and despite his best efforts, his brakes failed him during the thirteenth special stage. He still retained the lead on the third day until another twist of fate arose: Stewards punished him with a 30-second penalty due to missing mudflaps, which was overlooked during a bumper change. Combining speed and caution on the final day, Petter Solberg and Phil Mills held off the duo Loeb – Elena and claimed a superb victory. The latter contributed to his second place in the World Rally Championship later that year.

This particular Subaru Impreza S10 Prodrive example is a true factory beast and it is the one that was victorious in Greece. During the 2004 season, it was then entrusted to Mikko Hirvonen (the team’s second driver) who drove it during Rally Finland (crash) and in Rally Australia in November where he finished fourth.

When the 2004 season ended, this car (initially registered JT 53 SRT in England for Prodrive) was acquired in 2005 in Italy by Aimont Racing. The team raced it in local rally events for Subaru Italy; they then registered it (NM-808 U) in 2008 in Germany on behalf of M&R Motorsport in Neumarkt. As evidenced by its “FIA Gold” passport, this Subaru took part in the Sardinia Rally in May 2009, which was likely to be its final event. 

It was later part of a batch of cars sold by Subaru Italy and this is when automotive engineer Lionel Hansen immediately acquired it. After beginning his career at Renault Sport (in F1 and then in rally) Hansen collaborated with other teams such as Audi, Peugeot, Citroen, Toyota and Kronos, before starting his own business as a Porsche specialist in Ohain, Belgium.

Naturally, he’s familiar with the subject matter and as he explained in Rallyes Magazine (May-June 2014) written by Franck Amaudru: “At that time, when Prodrive sold a factory car to a privateer, they replaced certain components with less technologically advanced ones. In this instance though, this car is identical to the official version in which factory drivers used to race in”. Hansen sold the Subaru to its current owner in 2014. As they both have scrupulously preserved the car’s integrity, it is today very close to its original specifications and was repainted in its victorious Acropolis livery. Unlike privateer versions, this factory car boasts numerous special features that mark it as a true rally beast: titanium hubs and five-stud rims, a hollow carbon rear wing, special chassis and bodywork, thin aeronautical-type roll cage tubes, Kevlar bumpers, aluminium bonnet and wings, a 315 hp turbo engine with a “bang” system and a special cooling system, Reiger shock absorbers, water-cooled Alcon brake callipers with 6 pistons at the front and 4 pistons at the back… The mechanical complexity of this car is also reflected inside and features an impressive control panel and a display screen showcasing multiple pieces of data on the car’s status. Another distinction from “privateer” cars: its blue interior instead of white for the others. In the test drive highlighted above, Franck Amaudru wrote with admiration: “The torque catapults you out of corners as soon as you touch the throttle, it just keeps pulling. (…) Once you adapt to its handling, you leap from one corner to another, drifting naturally…”

Prodrive built only eleven examples in this configuration: acquiring such a car is therefore particularly rare. It comes with its precious “Gold” passport and the roll cage still bears its FIA homologation sticker, which evidences its authenticity. It is sold with its old German registration title, as well as a set of parts enabling it to be modified for gravel or asphalt configuration. A spectacular witness to the golden age of WRC, this historic racing machine is one of the last Subaru cars to have won in a World Championship event. In original condition and having passed only through the hands of connoisseurs, it remains fully capable of delivering extraordinary driving sensations and will undoubtedly appeal to serious rally and motorsport enthusiasts.