How much HP did the 22B have?
The 22B STI comes powered by a 2.2-liter turbocharged flat-four boxer engine producing 276 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque. It routes that force to all four wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.
The 22B had the EJ22G engine (note, the internal Subaru material states the closed-deck block comes from a version III EJ20G). This means the displacement was increased from 2.0 L (1,994 cc) to 2.2 L (2,212 cc), bored up to 96.9 mm (3.81 in).
0 - 100 kph | 4.6 s |
---|---|
0 - 100 mph | 11.5 s |
Est. 1/8 mile | 8.9 s @ 88.9 mph |
1/4 mile | 13.1 s @ 106.3 mph |
Top speed | 252 kph (157 mph) |
Subaru 22B STi: Precious Metal
Just a few months ago, a standard production model 22B with around 115,000 miles on the clock auctioned for just over $250,000. A few years ago, another model with just a few hundred miles pulled in $370,000 at auction.
Although maximum output stayed at 280PS, its engine could achieve a flat high torque at a rotation range from 2800 to 5200rpm and a stress-free increase of revolutions up to 7900 rpm.
The Subaru Impreza 22B is Now Legal in the US, But It's Still Expensive. The most desirable Subaru comes with a hefty six-figure price tag… if you can even find one. The 25 year import rule has a way of shaping US car culture. It says that you can have almost anything you want if you're willing to wait long enough.
Power is handed off to a specially reinforced close-ratio 5-speed gearbox via standard twin-plate clutch, and like modern Subaru the 22B came with a driver-controlled center differential.
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI 22B is one of the rarest creations from the company, a special two-door version developed during its successful run in the WRC in the mid-1990s. The company only built 425 globally and just five examples arrived in Australia – and this is one of them.
While the production-ready 22B had the EJ22 engine, these three prototypes housed the standard EJ20 from the STi since the larger displacement motor was still in R&D.
In the Subaru WRX STI world, no star shines as brightly as the 22B. Just 425 were built, the majority of which were delivered in Japan, and its handmade two-door coupe body is unique in the Subaru world.
How rare is the 22B?
Just 424 examples were ever manufactured, each painted in World Rally Blue and rocking a host of bespoke components that distinguish it from all other derivatives of the STi. Most notably, the 22B was built exclusively as a two-door.
As such, it has no ABS, no CD player, nor any fog lamps behind those STI covers.
The Subaru WRX. It was the original turbocharged “pocket rocket” when launched in Japan in 1992 and since then, the Subaru WRX has become a global phenomenon. The three letters WRX, stand for World Rally Experimental, and marked a serious assault by Subaru on the World of Rallying.
If your vehicles engine hits 7,000 RPM and nothing else happens? You'll make a bunch of noise, probably start to notice your engine pinging as well. Also known as fuel knock, or detonation. But heavens forbid you reach 7,000RPM AND 88MPH simultaneously.
There's no harm running your engine at 4000 rpm for five minutes as long as the engine or cvt don't overheat. Vehicle manufacturers regularly test engines on dynamometers at wide open throttle for hours at a time.
Maximum horsepower arrives near the engine's redline—often above 6000 rpm—so you'll have to floor the accelerator and hold it down until the engine revs up and hits that rpm.
Built as a double celebration of Subaru's 40th anniversary and triple wins of the WRC manufacturer's championship, the 22B is the ultimate STI. All the Subaru rally-racing goodies are here: a driver-adjustable all-wheel-drive system, wider bodywork, a huge rear wing, and World Rally Blue paint.
The original car used the 2.0-litre Boxer engine like that in the rally car, but for the 22B it was bored out to 2.2-litres. It also got other improvements, such as nozzles to spray water into the intercooler when driving hard.
The widebody treatment and the unique blue color have been retained, which made the original 22B STI stand out as the rarest Subaru WRX ever made.
The $41,600 22B debuted in Japan one year ago, and Subaru quickly sold out its 400-unit production run.
Is the 22B JDM?
The 22B is already among the most sought after JDM machines. The McRae connection only raises the price more. The 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi is one of the most sought-after vehicles to come out of Japan. Only 424 examples were built, as well as three identical prototypes.
Whichever way you look at it, Subaru created a truly fabulous machine. Only 399 22Bs were built for sale to the domestic market (another 25 were made for overseas markets including 16 allocated to the UK) and they pre-sold within 48 hours in early 1998, costing a shade under £40,000 at the time.
The Impreza 22B STI is one of the rarest Subarus ever made. It was a 1998 special edition of the WRX STI, with a larger 2.2-liter engine and a widebody based on the WRC-winning rally car.
Subaru delivered this 22B in November 1998. It was one of three prototypes for the rally-inspired limited-run model. The automaker made 400 of them for Japan, 16 for the United Kingdom, 5 for Australia, and the trio of pre-production examples. The examples for Japan allegedly sold out on the first day.
One of the main reasons the STI was retired in the VB WRX is the adoption of the Subaru Global Platform, which was not engineered for the EJ, only using the FA and FB engines, of which STI does not produce a tuned variant of currently.
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