Legacy

Make
Subaru
Segment
Sedan

Normally, a Subaru Legacy looking for a new owner at an auction wouldn't be very newsworthy. This, however, is a rare exception. The Subaru Legacy RS may not have the same iconic status in the world of rallying as, say, Colin Mcrae's Impreza, but that doesn't make it any less significant. In fact, the Legacy RS sported the same famous blue and yellow 555 livery as the Impreza that came after it. It was also driven by some of the most famous rally drivers in the world.

This 1993 Group A Subaru Legacy RS heading to Silverstone Auctions' Race Retro Competition Car Sale next month, for example, was driven by none other than Ari Vatanen who famously led the 1993 Acropolis Rally in the Subaru Legacy RS ahead of Tommi Makinen, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae. Unfortunately, a crash during one of the stages left the car badly damaged. After the rally, the car was returned to Prodrive and was re-shelled before being sold to the Italian rally team Procar. In 1995, it was then driven by Richard Burns in at the 1995 Bettega Memorial Rallysprint, achieving a second place overall.

It was then re-shelled again in 2001, though this time it was converted to a new Safari-spec Impreza shell which isn't uncommon for legacy rally cars. In 2008, the Legacy RS was bought by the Richard Burns Collection who commissioned the British engine rebuilding company Autosportif to completely rebuild the car and return it to its original spec. The rebuilding process was overseen by ex-Prodrive man Ian Richardson, who used his specialist knowledge and the original technical drawings to produce a brand new, authentic Prodrive-spec Legacy shell for the car complete with its correct chassis plate and period-correct license plate.

Under the hood lies a period-correct works turbo 2.0-liter flat-four engine with 290 hp mated to an X-Trac manual gearbox. Since the rebuild, the Subaru rally car has only covered around 60 miles and is estimated to sell for between £120,000 and £140,000 ($162,000 to $190,000) when it goes under the hammer next month.