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The iconic factory blue and yellow Subaru Imprezas that challenged for honours in the World Rally Championship from 1993 to 2005 have transcended rallying. The Prodrive-developed and run cars took three consecutive manufacturers' titles and were the mounts of Britain's only two World Rally Champions, Colin McRae and Richard Burns, as well as Norwegian Champion, Petter Solberg. There were many notable victories for the Imprezas, but perhaps the one that stands out is McRae's win in the 1997 Safari Rally.
It was a victory achieved against the odds, as it was thought that the all-out temperament of the Scotsman was ill-suited to the demands of the event, which traditionally demanded guile and patience. Yet win McRae did and in emphatic style, navigated by Nicky Grist.
The Impreza that McRae drove in Kenya was registered P8 WRC. It was the car's debut event, and it would only ever be used twice more by the factory, in Argentina, where Colin would finish second and in Indonesia, where he dominated before crashing out. P8 WRC would pass into private hands after the 1997 season and continued to compete in national and local rallies for many years, albeit with extensive changes to its original Safari configuration.
This book tells the story of P8 WRC, from the dust and heat of Kenya to an extensive restoration by Prodrive to its original Safari specification, which was completed in 2023.
About the author
Ian Wagstaff began his career in the offices of Motor Sport and Motoring News before becoming Press and Promotions Manager at Silverstone Circuit. He went on to be an editor in the trade press. He has been working freelance since 1986, writing for the motor-racing press, plus automotive trade and business publications. Ian has won a number of awards for his work and is twice the winner of the Guild of Motoring Writers Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy for his books. He is also a past winner of the Motorworld Book Prize (Motorsport category).
