Filed under: Japan, Hatchbacks, Subaru, Special/Limited Editions
Subaru releases JDM-only 20th Anniversary Edition Impreza WRX STI
Click either image for a high-res gallery of the Impreza WRX STI 20th Ann.
Celebration and disappointment -- that's what the Subaru Impreza WRX STI 20th Anniversary edition brings to the party. Celebration because it marks two decades of low-mounted, boxer-powered, all-wheel-drive fun and disappointment because the Takumi concept we saw earlier this month – assumed to be a glimpse of the future Spec-C WRX – was just an early unveiling of this limited edition Impreza.
To make matters worse, the 20th Anniversary WRX doesn't get much in the way of modifications. The only substantive changes to the STI's dynamics come from a new set of coilovers with retuned springs and shocks to offer a more planted ride, along with thicker front and rear anti-roll bars and a set of 18-inch aluminum wheels to compliment the only available hue (white). Body mods are also kept to a minimum, with only a black lip spoiler and rear wing subtly proclaiming the STI's special status. No special edition would be complete without the prerequisite badging, so in addition to leather Recaros with red stitching and a matching shift knob, a commemorative plaque on the center console and a new set of door sills are the only thing letting people know that the Impreza is one of the 300 limited edition examples. Oh, and there's a special red pouch for the key fob too.
Sales are beginning in Japan as you read this, carrying a price tag of 4,126,500 yen.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MachinaDC5 3:15PM (10/23/2008)
Special red pouch?! I'll take two!
Reply
Gabagool 3:17PM (10/23/2008)
LOVE this car, absolutely GORGEOUS.
Reply
Rob 3:26PM (10/23/2008)
Who ate all the gabagool?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp4QVYNAFcQ
Gabagool 3:32PM (10/23/2008)
@Rob
that is exactly where i took the name from. For all uneducated out there, another word for gabagool is capicola.
xcrunk 3:20PM (10/23/2008)
I love it when you talk industry talk. JDM. So cool. Japanese Domestic Market. Nice.
4,126,500 Yen is just about $41,265 yankee smackers.
Reply
misc 3:35PM (10/23/2008)
This car has really grown on me.. at first i thought it was ugly but wow! thats simply gorgeous! i wouldnt mind owning one...
Reply
xpolarx 3:51PM (10/23/2008)
That's actually a really good price. It'd probably cost you more to buy a loaded STI and add a set of reliable aftermarket coilovers and sway bars to it. I would have thought they'd have painted the car blue, though.
Reply
Wheatstraw 3:52PM (10/23/2008)
Kind of like a 10th Anniversary RX-7...
Reply
xcrunk 3:55PM (10/23/2008)
I agree. I've liked this body since the first pics came out last year. And now that Mazda has gone in a different direction with the new 3, Matrix-ish, I'm leaning towards Suby.
Reply
Richard 4:00PM (10/23/2008)
Just wish we could get those Recaros here in the USDM.
Reply
KRowe 4:26PM (10/23/2008)
This..is very unnerving. This is the 3rd WRX STI spec announced in just a few months and each one is not avaliable in America... What else is there for 17 year olds to under steer of the road and into a ditch?! Seriously though I feel sorry for people what spent the 37+ grand to get the one they released earlier...I even feel sorry for the Subaru WRC team who keeps getting spanked by Citroen.
Reply
Rev 5:11PM (10/23/2008)
Any cheap FWD car with some mods would be a great understeering candidate.
Though, you're not going to have much fun trying to mini-drift a front-wheel-drive econocar through a turn any more than you're going to find a lot of 17 year olds driving $40k+ cars...
Mike K. 7:06PM (10/23/2008)
The kid's turbo could spool at 12 mph and he'll slide into a garage...
Sid 4:54PM (10/23/2008)
The Japanese always do this. Back in my video gaming days, every special-edition PS2 console or video game used to be 'JDM-only' and now as a car enthusiast, I see it extends to their cars as well.
Reply
Cardude 5:21PM (10/23/2008)
Oooh that's a hot little car! The Japanese carbuyers are so lucky! They get the yummiest cars from their domestic industry!
Reply
celer 6:01PM (10/23/2008)
Wow so this Subaru STI *might* actually be fun to drive :/
I have an 05 and I test drove an 08 and it was an utter dissappointment.
They cut the balls off of it in 08.
It just isn't as much fun as my 05. Sure it might be faster around the race track, but darn I don't drive it on the race track I drive it on the street - that is what my Miata is for - the race track.
Reply
Will 9:39AM (10/24/2008)
Strange that you complain the '08 STI isn't hardcore enough, and yet you freely admit that you will never drive it on the track. So the reduced NVH, the smoother ride, the more linear power delivery, the usability of the hatchback bodystyle, all of which make it better ON THE STREET, are points of contention for you?
Mike!!ekiM 8:19PM (10/23/2008)
That's a lot of money on the horsepower front, and again, Nothing for Efficiency. Capitalism, stuck in some kind of 19th century Delusion of how the world works. Where's the diesel or a hybrid?
Reply
sundawg 10:28PM (10/23/2008)
Reminds me a lot of the '88 300ZX SS. White with white wheels, suspension upgrades and recaros. Except we got the SS over here.
Reply