- "The Impreza WR car with improved handling and a new 5-door body."
- ―In-game catch text for the car, from GT6's Dealership
The Subaru IMPREZA WRC 2008 is a rally car produced by Subaru. It appears in Gran Turismo 5 and in Gran Turismo 6.
The car appears to be the #5 driven by Petter Solberg, who achieved a 6th place finish in the 2008 WRC season Driver's Championship.
In-game description[]
Having struggled with poor results in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the early half of the 2000s, the Subaru World Rally Team unveiled a new rally race car in 2008, with hopes of returning to the top of the WRC heap. The car was based on the third-generation 5-door Impreza "wagon" that went into production in 2007.
It was 1.9 inches shorter than the outgoing race car, with a 3.7 inch[1] longer wheelbase. it featured shorter front and rear overhangs and a new reinforced front subframe (this component was lacking on the previous WRC Impreza racer). The rear suspension was also changed from a double-wishbone setup to one that utilized struts. The end result was a much more nimble car that possessed greater cornering speed.
Under the hood was the same engine as the previous car, a horizontally-opposed turbocharged 2.0-liter[2] flat-4, but this unit was now paired with a more compact transmission that was 10 kg lighter.
The Impreza WRC 2008 made its debut at the Acropolis Rally, the 7th round of the 2008 championship, and although the car experienced minor problems at the onset, it hit its stride in mid-season. At Rally Japan, Round 14 of the season, the Subaru team entered the event with high hopes of regaining the top spot on the podium, but it was not meant to be as driver Chris Atkinson finished 4th and Petter Solberg retired from the race. Later that year, Subaru announced its withdrawal from the WRC series.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 5 | Subaru Dealership (Lv. 13+) | 850,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Subaru Dealership | 850,000 | --- |
Trivia[]
- Due to Polyphony Digital only renewing the license for 2008 WRC cars (the license for 2013 WRC season was held by Milestone) at the last minute, the car was initially not featured in GT6's early car lists, and was only added in Version 1.01 (day one patch).
- As a result, the AI does not use any of the 2008 WRC cars in Arcade Mode or Career events, but the car has been used by the AI in under-500 PP racing car Seasonal Events.
- In the GT5 E3 2009 trailer, the car carries 2008 Rally Japan plates; there were also Rally Japan logos on the doors where WRC logos are on the final car.