The Prodrive P25 Is The Candy Shop For Enthusiasts

6 June 2024 Redazione Lifestyle, News, Supercars Lounge

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Words Carlo Brema / Photos Prodrive

The abuse of terms such as restomod and retromod is increasingly poisoning the car world and we often find ourselves with what was a good idea in the very beginning, but which unfortunately leads to an execution that leaves more than a few doubts. This is not the case given that Prodrive is not a random manufacturer, but rather the legendary name behind the contribution of many successes gained by one of the most iconic sports cars of all time: the Subaru Impreza. It was the golden age of rallying, when the pressure of the now extinct Group B was still palpable thus attracting fans and resources in a landscape that was about to give birth to other models that would make history even away from special stages.

To celebrate 25 years of the legendary Impreza 22B, Prodrive realizes a dream that not even the most optimistic nostalgic would have ever imagined, bringing the Subaru myth back to life according to the laws of heartbeats: noise, power and unprecedented violence. The P25 has a 2-door Impreza as its starting point, but turns it on its head by adopting every single panel in carbon fiber and a widebody that leaves no room for doubts: this car doesn’t just smell of racing, it is the embodiment of motorsport. Under the bonnet we find a more modern engine than that of the “coupe” version, but you can rest assured because there is no trace of electrification. It is a 2.5-cc EJ25, obviously 4-cylinder boxer in perfect Subaru style and brought to different power peaks depending on the driving mode set, including Road, Sport and Sport+, which unleashes over 450 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque and also throws the blessed anti-lag into the mix. Combined with this world heritage site dedicated to four wheels we find a 6-speed sequential gearbox, extremely fast and which communicates perfectly with the self-locking differential, offering not only instant feedback and lightning-fast shifts, but the quintessence of an experience reminiscent to that of a rally car: violent and brutal.

In fact, the Prodrive P25 will not be the ideal choice for going to the candy store. It’s the candy store. The ultimate way to relive the golden years of the dirtiest game in motorsport. You are sitting low, with a cage instead of the rear seats and a passenger compartment that does not allow contemporary frills that are not strictly necessary or rather the bare minimum to improve coexistence in those very rare moments when you do not attack some winding road with the back that widens. There is a display with connectivity for your smartphone and two types of handbrake: an electronic and an hydraulic lever. We think the same thing right? Back to the g’box, the gears are thrown like cannon shots one after the other via the single paddle fixed to the column on the right side of the steering wheel, through which the ratio is increased and decreased depending on the movement on the same. Another nice touch that takes a bit of getting used to before you stop looking for the missing paddle on the opposite side.

Everything, absolutely everything, has been revolutionized to perfection with the ultimate goal of making the P25 a rally monster perfectly suited to the road. Dedicated AP Racing braking system, specially developed Bilstein suspension and above all no ABS or traction control: just you and less than 1,200kg of rallying glory worth over €500,000. Reviving a legend of this kind today, elevating its skills thanks to the perfect union of motorsport and regular registration consecrates it as car of the year, or rather of the decade. Can I be honest? If I had no budget, this would be the one I would choose above all the others. The Prodrive P25 thus combines ultra sports car performance with the transgressive dynamics of a car that doesn’t care about breaking your back, adopting solutions that make you scream “wow” like we haven’t done in a long time. If this were the future of cars, I would ask for immortality, but unfortunately it will more than anything be destined to be the fantastic exception that confirms the rule. Honor and glory to those who know how to make good use of it.