The Police Officer’s Choice: A Prodrive-Built Impreza On The Streets Of Tokyo

Mention nan sanction ‘Impreza WRX’ to immoderate British constabulary serviceman of a certain age and watch them flashback to late-night smash-and-grab robberies and high-speed pursuits. Subaru’s rally-bred sedan was nan getaway car of prime for a procreation of criminals tormenting UK rule enforcement.

The Impreza’s durability, honed complete gruelling World Rally Championship typical stages, made it arsenic adept astatine surviving nan chaos of being driven done shop windows – and then evading capture.

Eventually, British constabulary embraced nan adage ‘if you can’t hit ‘em, subordinate ‘em’ and welcomed nan turbo all-wheel-drive Impreza into their fleet of pursuit and interceptor vehicles. From nan precocious 1990s done to nan precocious 2010s, nan WRX was utilized by both sides of nan law.

In the 1990s, British constabulary fleets were mostly made up of Vauxhall Vectras and Ford Mondeos, making nan Impreza a standout connected some metropolis streets and agrarian B-roads. It was besides much agile than different celebrated British constabulary car of nan precocious ’80s/early ’90s era – nan Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth.

Australian police, too, recovered nan Impreza’s agility preferable to their accustomed GM Holden Commodores, which were larger rear-wheel-drive sedans pinch much grunt than a Vauxhall Vectra. In Japan, WRXs served home needs, but mostly operating for speeders alternatively than chasing ram-raiders.

For nan West Midlands Police Motorclub, mentioning nan Impreza apt elicits delight alternatively than disdain. That’s because they ran this Prodrive-built 2004 GDB WRX STI successful nine rallies crossed nan UK successful nan 2018 season, pinch its retired police officer owner Paul Clackett behind nan wheel.

You see, cars for illustration nan Subaru Impreza WRX and its rally foe nan Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution near specified an belief connected British constabulary that it wasn’t agelong earlier immoderate constabularies formed their ain rally teams. It became a unsocial measurement for officers to prosecute pinch nan organization and raise consciousness astir nan dangers of speeding – by, well, speeding – but successful controlled, closed-road environments.

We don’t cognize really successful nan car was successful nan hands of erstwhile Constable Clackett, nor successful nan years earlier he owned it – nan Impreza’s pre-2018 history is murky – but I americium judge it brought joyousness to galore arsenic it sloshed astir gravel roads crossed Great Britain.

Originally built for Group N, location on nan line, nan Impreza was upgraded pinch nan afloat WRC wide-body and helping treatment. It was reputedly fitted pinch nan WRC-spec driveline too, but, regardless, that’s no longer successful nan car.

Current proprietor Tatsumi-san – who bears a striking resemblance to a detective from a Tokyo crime bid – imported nan car arsenic a bully summation to his Subaru collection.

Cruising nan streets of Tokyo is simply a acold outcry from a gravel rally shape successful nan Midlands, but astatine slightest it’s now successful semi-tarmac spec.

It took 4 years of tinkering to bring nan car up to Japanese roadworthy information and emanation standards, making that number sheet well-earned. Aside from nan drivetrain, nan Impreza retains overmuch of its original play Prodrive configuration.

Seeing a mill team-built rally car connected nationalist roads is 1 of nan champion aspects of car civilization – particularly when its dressed successful title achromatic pinch nary livery for illustration this one. A large acknowledgment to Tatsumi-san for bringing this Subaru from nan typical shape to nan street.

Toby Thyer
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