Subaru Impreza

The Impreza is a small car that was introduced by Subaru in 1993 to help the company compete in rallies more effectively. Formerly, Subaru used its larger car, the Legacy, for rally purposes. However, Subaru needed a smaller and faster car. The Impreza was immediately successful and continues to be used victoriously to this day for that and other purposes, albeit in more powerful versions than initially introduced.

In 1993, the Impreza came in either front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) versions and only as a sedan. In later years, the coupe was introduced. The engine that came in the car initially was a 1.8 litre boxer-type engine (EJ18), followed in successive years by larger and turbo-charged engines. Starting in 1994, Subaru introduced STi (Subaru Technica International) versions of the Impreza, which were upgraded in all categories, especially engine and suspension. The STi versions of the Impreza were immensely successful in the aforementioned rallies and popular among street racers.