scoobycar60

All great cars
I have not seen the article yet but I think peoples choices will be driven by
a few real world decisions-

Am I prepared to get an Import or will I stick with a UK warrantied car.
if sticking with a UK car-

Can I afford an STI or WR1 or does a UK standard or ppp'd WRX offer the best value (probably)

For those going the import route again price is a consideration and the choices are difficult. I suspect it will also be down to what you enjoy most about the car- ultimate performance, track ability touched with value for money.

Sensible - My choices would be Standard WRX with maybe ppp
Unlimited funds - T25 no question the power would be soooO! adictive.

just for the record I have actually gone a differant route, after 3 scoobs time to try something else, I have ordered an Evo 8.5 MR FQ320(may upgrade to the 340 chip if they release convincing performance improvement figures over the FQ320). It will be very interesting to see side by side performance/track results of these model against Evos. I suspect there will be little in it although the T25 straight line performance may well humble the Evos!

Danny B

3.8 secs to get from 60mph - 80mph in 6th gear! Now that would kick you back in your seat

johnfelstead

I dont think i am misunderstanding you at all Adam. Subaru dont make a 2 door new age shell, so you are comparing the rigidity with what exactly? The only thing you could be talking about is a classic. If you arnt talking about a classic then you are talking about some imaginary concept car which no one can buy. You are also asuming 2 door shells are always stiffer than 4 in the same model range, again that isnt always true, some 4 door shells are designed to be stiffer if they are to be used in motorsport aplications. Rigidity of a shell does improve handling, where do i deny that? I think it was you denying that with your statement that the WR1 wont handle as well because its a four door. Although if you want to get really pedantic a flexible shell will handle better in the wet than a stiff one due to increased mechanical grip, but as an overall package the stifer the better as it gives a better platform for damper control in most circumstances.

I dont think, i know. It's ludicrouse to sugest this colour was chosen because they had 500 unsold cars sat in storage somewhere.


If you think the WR1 is a rebadged WRX then you clearly dont understand Subaru's technically, i am amazed you would think that, you should know better! Prodrive have their hands tied with regards to what they can achieve with a UK car, so have IM. The realities are that Europe is dealt with as a business sector for subaru because of EU legislation, so if the UK wants a specific spec car as a base and the rest of Europe doesnt, then tough, we get what the majority of Europe wants. There is nothing IM or Prodrive can do about that. That isnt ideal for people wanting a spec C type package, but we have options to cater for that with people like Iain Litchfield, so whats the big deal? The WR1 is a good step forward for the UK buyer, it finally has a decent transmition bias to make the car handle as it should, it also comes with 320PS out of the showroom which is a great step forward as it means no pissing about with retrofitting PPP's after 1000 miles, forking out extra funds for the priviledge and most significantly of all, lower cost car insurance because its standard spec, PPP on a normal STi increases most peoples car insurance. The WR1 is cheaper to insure than an STi Type UK PPP!

The P1 was a big step back in specification compared to what it was based on, they may have put a lot of effort in but in my opinion they didnt do the right thing for performance oriented drivers. I do understand why some of the things were done, such as using the ABS system, but to me that made the product completely flawed and a poor imitation of what it could have been. It is still a brilliant car, but it could have been so much better for the money.

WR1 has more than one sticker, it also has a numbered tax disk holder in aluminium and a bespoke gear ****, so it has more than a plaque and certainly more than just a sticker. But is that really that important anyway? I am sure you didnt buy your 22B because it has a 50p bit of plastic on the dash centre console and boot lid that says 22B and 2 titanium front wing badges that would cost £1 to produce. You buy the cars for what you normally dont see, the mechanicals. Unless you are a poser of course.

Indeed it would, and i bet for an average driver there would be very little in it, because most people dont have the ability to wring a cars neck and find that last 5%. The main gain for the Spec C on track for most drivers will come from the tyres, but i bet in the wet the comparison would be very interesting, the WR1 might even be quicker in stock trim due to the tyres used.

Like all products, they can be improved on, but i think in the case of the WR1 some credit must be given because it is a good step forward in spec for most UK buyers. It's no Type25, but that isnt exactly a stock spec car that has upgrades to the level of the WR1, and to say it is would be an injustice to Iain and powerstation, it has recieved a lot of bespoke detail attention that only a small specialist suplier is capable of turning out and still making a profit from and even doing it on what must be very tight margins it's still £33K.

The UK subaru buyer has the best line up of cars available to them they have ever had, you can buy a seriously quick classic for under £15K, you can buy a new age STi TypeUK for low 20's, you can buy a twin scroll Spec C for mid 20's, the WR1 for high 20's and then the Type25 for low 30's. We have never had so much choice. If you cant find something in that lineup that meets your needs you are never going to be happy.

LitchfieldImports

If only I had a copy If anyone wants to fax/email me a copy that would be amazing

Iain

www.litchfieldimports.co.uk

john banks

Iain YHM once 2.5MB has done its job down ADSL.

Harry_Boy

Iain - I'm amazed Peter Tomalin didn't send you an advance copy....

Well done by the way!!

LitchfieldImports

Got the front cover picture thanks John How exciting

Must say a massive thank you to everyone at Powerstation for all the work they have put into the car

Iain

www.litchfieldimports.co.uk
www.type-25.com

Nick

"The WR1 is cheaper to insure than an STi Type UK PPP!"

John, I support your postings, but the insurance info is incorrect in my experience over the last few days. The WR1 appears to be loaded as the insurers don't have a claims history. The WR1 prices are ending up around £100-£150 higher than an STi PPP. If you have a better insurance source, please let me know!

Nick

Please can someone send me the article scan?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

All the online quotes ive tried get 15-20% cheaper on the WR1 over a standard STi type uk

Tony (Spec C owner so no i dont want a WR1 )

Nick

Thanks Tony

Can you give me an example company? You know, it could be that they're listing it incorrectly. I've had several insurance brokers insisting that it's the same as a UK WRX.

Regards
Nick

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Direct line were cheaper (only 1129 quid fully comp protected v the 1500 they want for a normal uk sti )
Try liverpool victoria also, they will just give you a basic but fair price (no doubt as soon as the likes of tesco, direct line etc get you in the books they will say they have made a mistake and hike the price up or hammer you next year )

Tony

russell hayward

It would be, except I'm waiting for you to call me.......... !!

Nick

Thanks Tony

That's pretty expensive quotes!

Harry_Boy

I'm sure *Rum* from Subaru insured said that the WR1 was cheaper to insure than the STi Type UK. Something to do with the typical owner profile.....

Ex_Pug

I've also had cheaper quotes on-line for e WR1 compared to an STi (without PPP!) I do hate car insurance rules and regulations.

terryb

Glad to see that my faithful old P1 WR lived up to the challenge - it was never going to be the fastest in this test but I think the fun-factor of driving it has won it 5 stars......fantastic..

Can anyone please email me the article? - I don't think I can wait till it's out in the shops to see my car in action..... it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Terry

terryb

Hi John

Could I please be a little cheeky and ask if you could email the same to me at terry.buckel@btopenworld.com as I'm the owner of the P1WR in the test.

The suspense is really killing me.....

Thanks very much in advance and this would be greattly appreciated.

Regards

Terry

Jasoon

Terry

Your P1 looks very nice

Jasoon

Wonder if the WR1 that was supplied to EVO had 0 miles on it and they had to run it in 0-60 in 5.3

terryb

Cheers matey...

russell hayward

WR1 had about 4,500 miles on the clock

Would be grateful if someone could email me the pic/article too plse, my copy didn't come today.

Nick

Please could someone email the pic/article to me too?

20040406@microuk.cotse.net

ScoobyTal

terry is your car not remapped by BRD ??

Nick

Thanks, I've now got the article.

BTW The listed email address will auto expire on Tuesday. I use expiring emails on public forums to protect against spam bots.

terryb

Not yet mate - was hoping to get it done earlier in the year but had to pull out.

Still, the future now looks promising.

Cheers

Terry