History Car 1990s

Subaru Impreza WRC97 / WRC98 / WRC99

Overview Specs Highlights Characteristics

Overview

For the new 1997 World Rally Car regulations, Prodrive transformed its Group A Impreza experience into a wider two-door competition car. Its shape was developed with designer Peter Stevens, while increased flexibility over the bodywork, engine installation, suspension and drivetrain allowed changes that would not have qualified under the older production-based rules.

WRC97, WRC98 and WRC99 are three development years of the original two-door GC-based World Rally Car, rather than three interchangeable trims of a showroom Impreza. They retained Subaru's EJ-family turbocharged flat-four and permanent four-wheel drive, but the gearbox and active drivetrain systems evolved significantly.

Technical Specs & Innovations

  • Competition class: FIA World Rally Car (from 1997), not Group A homologation-spec Impreza 555.
  • Model years covered: WRC97 (1997), WRC98 (1998), WRC99 (1999); two-door GC-based Impreza.
  • Engine family: Subaru EJ-series 2.0-litre turbocharged boxer-four; not FA-series. Exact engine build codes and internals varied.
  • Displacement: Approximately 1,994 cc, based on the EJ20 92 × 75 mm architecture.
  • Valvetrain: DOHC, four valves per cylinder (16 total).
  • Output: Approximately 300 bhp in period WRC-restricted competition trim; exact dynamometer figures varied.
  • Drivetrain: Permanent four-wheel drive with competition differentials; active control was progressively developed.
  • Body and track: Two-door steel-based rally shell, broadened to the 1,770 mm World Rally Car width allowance.
  • Suspension and aerodynamics: Wider track and revised geometry with purpose-developed arches, airflow and bodywork.
  • Gearbox development: WRC97 retained an H-pattern manual arrangement; WRC99 introduced an electro-hydraulic semi-automatic paddle-shift system.
  • Electronics development: WRC98 adopted further electronic/differential development; WRC99 added electronic throttle control alongside the new gearshift system.

Year-by-year engineering evolution

WRC97: The inaugural car combined Group A experience with the new two-door/wide-track body and revised chassis geometry. Prodrive's initial specification retained an H-pattern gearbox; equal-length exhaust manifolds changed the characteristic boxer sound.

WRC98: Turbocharger and engine internals were revised. An electronically controlled active rear differential appeared during the season at Rally New Zealand, as drivetrain development continued.

WRC99: A larger turbo and additional engine changes accompanied electronically controlled throttle and a hydraulically actuated semi-automatic transmission operated from the steering wheel. The added sophistication created development and reliability challenges.

Identification note: Model-year names describe evolving factory specifications. Individual chassis could be upgraded between years, so a present-day car's registration, external appearance or engine-code label does not prove its original rally specification.

🏆 Competitive Highlights

  • 1997: Subaru won its third consecutive WRC manufacturers' championship with the WRC97, successfully transitioning to the new formula.
  • 1997 Monte Carlo: Piero Liatti won the opening round in the new Impreza WRC97, demonstrating the car's immediate competitiveness.
  • 1998: Colin McRae and teammates continued to win rallies, but mechanical problems and the championship opposition prevented another manufacturers' crown.
  • 1999: Richard Burns and Juha Kankkunen drove the evolving WRC99. The team achieved rally victories but neither the drivers' nor manufacturers' championship.
  • Next evolution: The heavily reworked WRC2000/S6 continued the two-door GC-based lineage; it should not be grouped into the 1997–99 technical specification.

WRC97/98/99 results should be credited to the appropriate season and chassis specification, not combined with Group A Impreza 555 results.

Driving Characteristics

The move to the widened two-door chassis allowed Prodrive to pursue greater wheel travel, altered geometry and more effective aerodynamics. The low-slung boxer engine and all-wheel-drive system helped maintain traction, while active-differential control increasingly influenced the car's behaviour at corner entry and exit.

The WRC99's paddle shift reduced time spent moving a hand from the wheel and represented a substantial electronic and hydraulic integration challenge. Those benefits came with added complexity and potential failures that were absent from the first WRC97 build.

Legacy & context

These cars span an important engineering transition: the WRC97 won a title with relatively conventional shifting, while the WRC99 pushed into the electronically controlled drivetrain era. They are more accurately understood as a sequence of Prodrive development specifications than as one fixed '1997–99 Impreza' specification.

Sources & verification

← Previous Car Subaru Impreza 555
Back to Cars Index
Subaru Legacy RS Next Car →

Watch rallies anywhere — bypass region blocks with NordVPN.

Fast servers for HD streams Servers in 60+ countries 30-day money-back

Unblock coverage — Save up to 77% + 3 months free

Sponsored link. Using our partner links helps support Compromised Internals at no extra cost to you.