ClioSport.net

Register a free account today to become a member!
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.

Rob's 1995 Impreza WRX STI Type RA



RMDavis

ClioSport Club Member
After a sad farewell to the Trophy, and a car that really will be hard to replace I knew that a move away from the Clio was needed simply because I haven't the heart nor the energy to start again with another Clio constantly comparing it to the Trophy just didn't interest me.

I wanted a Japanese Import because I have very fond memories of my Toyota Glanza V sourcing rare parts/modifications from Japan, and even with that tiny CT9 turbo they really are a blast to drive, I miss it now!

The shortlist:-

* Honda Integra Type R DC5
* Subaru Impreza 'Bugeye' WRX STI S202
* Subaru Impreza 'Classic' WRX STI Type RA

I ruled out the 'S202' early on mainly because my budget just coul'dnt strech to the money that they command, which is a shame because out of the box they are awesome machines! This was followed by the 'DC5' a car I have always wanted, but after much thinking I decided that a change from FWD would be fun.

So as I'm sure you've already worked out... I bought a Classic Impreza!

I have always loved the original Impreza as a kid watching the WRC when it was at it's most exciting before they just filled the stages with Ford Fiestas... When I was at school I used to race RC cars and my first kit was a Tamiya TL01 Chassis based on a 1999 Impreza which I wish I still owned! A friend of my dad bought a P1 when they were brand new and I'll never forget that passenger drive as a teenager, being the first time in a 'Scooby' it blew my mind!

So onto the new car, new project!

A 1995 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type RA

For those that want to know what makes the RA special here's a link to that covers some of the specifics: http://www.type-ra.com/subaru-impreza-my95-wrx-type-ra-sti-version-1/

Personally for me the Type RA is the perfect Classic Impreza and ticks many boxes, and a car I hope will make a perfect toy on and off the track!

I drove all the way to Wales yesterday to view the car and bought it from a lovely chap called Matt who was an absaloue gent to deal with. Here's his classified add which will give you a good indication of the RA's history and current spec:-

*********
For sale is my much loved and cared for Sti Ra,

The car is in superb condition and has been thoroughly maintained in my near three years of ownership, too my knowledge the car has only ever been owned by enthusiasts since its import into the country in May 2008 and the condition reflects so.

Feather white (colour code 230)
DCCD
Roof vent
This model fitted with electric Windows and air con

The car currently sits on just over 57,000 miles and was last M.O.Td on September 25th this year so has nearly 11 months remaining.
Two Keys along with 2 Clifford Cat 1 Alarm Fobs

The cars usage really has been minimal over the course of my ownership and believe the car will be better suited to someone who can use it more.

I have all the M.O.T certificates for the car since its import and registration and have a comprehensive folder full of receipts for work that has been carried out.

Below is a list of work and modifications that have been carried out on my car,

Most recently I have had the front bumper resprayed and the car polished, at the same time I had the sills and arches sealed ready for winter,
When I returned with the car I gave her a full wax using soft99 fusso coat,

May 16 - The car was taken to Enginetuner in Plymouth where she was fitted and mapped with the latest Alcatek ecu fitted with high and low boost options and anti-lag both switchable via the console nearest to the handbrake,

Before the car was mapped she was fitted with a few upgrades:
FMIC
440 injectors that have been cleaned and tested by Lateral Performance along with their adapter kit
New age coil packs
Later map sensor from 99 model Impreza
Apexi power intake system
CDF turbo blanket
Temp sensor fitted to FMIC pipe work, original recirculating valve kept via some silicone hosing which is nice as the atmospheric noise isn't to my taste.

The car made a healthy 312 Bhp and pulls really nicely.

March 16 - I took my 4 pot calipers to Godspeed Brakes who are just down the road from me to have them refurbished and painted in black from the previous red which look much better, so new Pistons were fitted, I also fitted new grooved 294mm discs and Kevlar pads from them alongside some new HEL brake hoses, brake fluid was replaced with some Dot 5.1.

May 15 - The car took a trip to API engine performance in Warwick as the car had a slight notch into third gear,
The gearbox was rebuilt, a lightweight flywheel was also fitted alongside a new clutch kit and brand new diff oil,

The car is fitted with some Defi-link gauges along with control unit,
Oil pressure, oil temp and turbo boost, all working fine,

Front and rear whiteline anti roll bars
Front and rear whiteline droplinks
OMP WRC steering wheel and boss kit which feels really nice and brings the steering wheel a bit closer which I prefer,
Full decat 3" cobra exhaust system fitted with updated up-pipe fitted Dec 13
Original Subaru floor mats in great condition
HKS turbo timer

17" revolution millennium wheels fitted with Vredestein sessanta tyres which have covered less then 1000 miles, wheel alignment and wheel balance carried out

Sept 14- cam belt kit and aux belts replaced and fitted
Spark plugs recently replaced with NGK PFR,
oil regularly changed.

When the car was imported in 2008 the car was given a FA52 number plate which bugged me as it didn't coincide with the cars age, I paid for a certificate of conformity from Subaru and sent this off to the DVLA who then gave a more age related number plate to its date of manufacture 9th March 1995.

I could go on for ages and have probably missed some bits out, I have receipts for bolts, washers, wipers etc so could go on and on,

To sum up the car is in superb condition and is mechanically sound with some tasteful modifications, it's does have the odd mark here and there and is not in showroom concourse condition which you would expect from a car that is 21 years old,

She also comes with all the original parts plus a set of new age sti alloys in gunmetal, tyres would need replacing however but included if wanted

In my ownership I have tried to maintain her to the best of my ability and I believe the condition reflects this
********

I'm over the moon with the RA, and the drive back from Wales was epic! A big thanks to @loggyboy who went with me to view the car.

There is lots of things I want to do with the car, but at the moment I just want to enjoy it!

Here's a few photos that Matt had taken for the advert:-

492bd92935ebb0c95a53ca3d09bb9eba.jpg
7eb0a67ba56502ea6f6fcd71bc2d8898.jpg
a23105b5bd69beb0caae2a8d92f0daf0.jpg
f825298e8f1153e952d1255974767e0d.jpg
440cad0ae9f8a3226095a3dfa78ab49f.jpg
98046c86d968a8e941fb7fcf66e8196c.jpg
a6c3850c0e8ac94bc63e408672fa1f74.jpg
2df653b5c4f6011bdcf489174cd8f96b.jpg
fd8c88c926ea99b20f4c2f99ad832b70.jpg
f47630a9886c347580914a2ab4682a0a.jpg
99dd6059c294d53ec93e62573588ab9d.jpg
eecee5d2848246f4b468780beced5c71.jpg



The only thing I'm not a 100% on is the cut out front bumper. I can appreciate the form over function, as the original top mount intercooler is very restrictive, and it has been done professionally at a bodyshop rather than a dodgy hacksaw job. It does look bloody purposeful though! If I do decide to revert it back to an OE style bumper firstly I'll need to source and RA bumper, but I will keep the intercooler and try to make it fit...

Today at work we got the car over the MOT inspection pit and I'm happy to report it's bloody clean with no hidden nightmares! The only fault we could find was a minor leak coming from one of the rear diff seals, and unfortunately the downpipe/de-cat is in a pretty poor state compared to the rest of the exhaust which is in fantastic condition the downpipe however has two holes that have blown threw. There isn't any decent metal left to carry out a repair so fortunately as it is only a bolt on part I'm going to be buying a stainless steel 3" downpipe/de-cat very soon!

Thanks for reading this massive post! Updates to follow!

Cheers,
Rob.
 

imprezaworks

ClioSport Club Member
  Mk5 Golf GTI :)
I loved all my imprezas. Yeah they may look a bit old, not king of the hill anymore but start it up and the smiles are really hard to beat.
 

RMDavis

ClioSport Club Member
Do love an old school retro looking Scoob, those wheels suit it perfectly.
Cheers Adam! I'm a big fan of these wheels as they replicate the classic tarmac wheels used in WRC!
Was a great trip mate. Can't believe we talked s**t for 2 hours... felt like a half hour!
Journey back was great, especially the tunnel, the 'badly' made manifold made it sound immense!
Haha I know!

Time flies when your chatting s**t with a mate!

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 

Mr R.

ClioSport Club Member
  A special one.
Hero!!!

Well done mate and I'm glad you bought it!!
For people who haven’t ever driven a RA it's hard to understand just how good the car's are.

I love mine and took it out for a quick blast on Saturday which put a massive smile on my face. [emoji2]

Whatever you do mate do not buy the down pipe from Hayward and Scott, the quality is shocking.

The de-cat pipe I bought from them didn't even make it onto my car, I sold it on for a loss and had one made.

Roger Clark Motorsport is a great company to deal with but a little expensive.
 

yeecup

ClioSport Club Member
  mk8Fiesta ST,172 cup
wow. hero status achieved. saw this for sale, looks a fantastic example. not a fan of the front bumper or the pods on the a pillar but the rest of it is awesome.
 

RMDavis

ClioSport Club Member
Nice work, always liked the classic shape scooby.

Cheers bud!

Love it Rob!

Thanks Mark, i'm gald you approve mate!

Lovely car! I've a rather big soft spot for these

Same here mate, it feels strange to finally own one.

Hero!!!

Well done mate and I'm glad you bought it!!
For people who haven’t ever driven a RA it's hard to understand just how good the car's are.

I love mine and took it out for a quick blast on Saturday which put a massive smile on my face. [emoji2]

Whatever you do mate do not buy the down pipe from Hayward and Scott, the quality is shocking.

The de-cat pipe I bought from them didn't even make it onto my car, I sold it on for a loss and had one made.

Roger Clark Motorsport is a great company to deal with but a little expensive.

Thanks Scott,

That's good to know bud cheers! I've decided to order one of these: http://cobrasport.com/index.php/cob...d/subaru-impreza-turbo-front-pipe-de-cat.html

it's the same brand as the rest of my exhaust so makes sense, and that appears to be of a decent quality. I managed to get it through Euro car parts for £230 which isn't too bad!

wow. hero status achieved. saw this for sale, looks a fantastic example. not a fan of the front bumper or the pods on the a pillar but the rest of it is awesome.

I love the gauges as it's bloody handy to monitor oil temp etc I may consider relocating them from the pillar though, and the bumper is work in progress... :wink:

Nice!

Front bumper ruins the front end for me though but still a great purchase.

Cheers mate,

I do agree with you, and that photo of yours confirms it for me! Spraying the intercooler black is also a great shout!

Just need to keep my eyes open for a Type RA front bumper. Wish me luck!
 

RMDavis

ClioSport Club Member
How did you feel about its power mate after coming from the SC clio?

It's hard to describe mate. On paper the Impreza wins hands down when it comes to the figures, but the Clio was such a savage car to drive and a real 'event'

The Impreza feels much more planted and the surge of boost from the turbo as I'm sure you're aware is bloody addictive! Compared to the linear power delivery that the supercharger gave me it's very different. I would love to compare the two side by side but obviously that can never happen, but i'm very keen to see how the RA performs on track compared to the Clio.

It's tricky at the moment because the Clio which I knew very well I could drive on the limit easily. Compared to the Impreza I'm a novice so everytime I get behind the wheel its learning process!
 
Awesome!! I think you're making the right decision with the front bumper & IC, it'll look even better with the IC hidden away a bit.
 

massiveCoRbyn

ClioSport Club Member
  Several
Like this a LOT. As others have said though, it needs a standard front bumper for me.

This is the perfect Impreza for me, the RA is definitely the one, especially as it has both the roof vent and DCCD. It's a bit too modified for my taste, but look forward to seeing what you do with it. Very jealous!
 

TheEvilGiraffe

South East - Essex
ClioSport Area Rep
It's hard to describe mate. On paper the Impreza wins hands down when it comes to the figures, but the Clio was such a savage car to drive and a real 'event'

The Impreza feels much more planted and the surge of boost from the turbo as I'm sure you're aware is bloody addictive! Compared to the linear power delivery that the supercharger gave me it's very different. I would love to compare the two side by side but obviously that can never happen, but i'm very keen to see how the RA performs on track compared to the Clio.

It's tricky at the moment because the Clio which I knew very well I could drive on the limit easily. Compared to the Impreza I'm a novice so everytime I get behind the wheel its learning process!

Good purchase.

Similar to me (a few years ago) .. Ph1 to ~330hp classic... MASSIVE difference. I spent about the first month looking at the headliner a lot every time the power went down haha !!

I bought a Clio again 2 years later and it felt broken. The steering wheel doesn't do anything, and neither does the accelerator.

Give it a couple months then take a friends Clio out for a short drive. You won't regret your move !

Best thing you can do is buy the newage Brembos, if it doesn't have it already. Standard 'normal' 4-pots are absolute guff.

Enjoy !!
 

Cub.

ClioSport Moderator
Good purchase.

Similar to me (a few years ago) .. Ph1 to ~330hp classic... MASSIVE difference. I spent about the first month looking at the headliner a lot every time the power went down haha !!

I bought a Clio again 2 years later and it felt broken. The steering wheel doesn't do anything, and neither does the accelerator.

Give it a couple months then take a friends Clio out for a short drive. You won't regret your move !

Best thing you can do is buy the newage Brembos, if it doesn't have it already. Standard 'normal' 4-pots are absolute guff.

Enjoy !!

Depends which friends Clio he borrows ;)

Nice choice. I'm not a huge fan of Jap, but I like the classics and they are hugely capable cars.
 

RMDavis

ClioSport Club Member
Thanks for the comments chaps!

After a bit of searching and some assistance from the Type RA forum. Turns out the RA doesn't actually have a specific bumper at all just a pre-facelift bumper (paint code: 230)

This will make the search for a bumper much easier as I can always just get the replacement painted to match.
 
Love it! Would like another impreza, always fancied an rb5 or one of these. Aren't the ra geared for acceleration and top out at about 120?
Great choice and seems a great example. Nicely modified too.

Was going to say I'm sure their just the old style bumper.
That with a black cooler would instantly improve it!
Other than that it's lovely! Where about in Wales was it from?

My old neighbour 2 doors down in my 1st house was impreza mad. I had the UK spec 2000 turbo at the time, he had a tuned RA and a new age one too.

Anyway. Good choice, and I look forward to pics etc [emoji106]
 

Ol’ Tarby

ClioSport Moderator
  Clio 220 Trophy
Don't sign up on Scooby net, they'll tell you your new bumper will need a remap!

Lovely car though mate, I love a classic
 

imprezaworks

ClioSport Club Member
  Mk5 Golf GTI :)
No honestly. On my second impreza i removed the mud flaps (just went off them) and you could instantly tell the difference.
£200 ish later and she was back to her normal self.
 

RMDavis

ClioSport Club Member
Love it! Would like another impreza, always fancied an rb5 or one of these. Aren't the ra geared for acceleration and top out at about 120?
Great choice and seems a great example. Nicely modified too.

Was going to say I'm sure their just the old style bumper.
That with a black cooler would instantly improve it!
Other than that it's lovely! Where about in Wales was it from?

My old neighbour 2 doors down in my 1st house was impreza mad. I had the UK spec 2000 turbo at the time, he had a tuned RA and a new age one too.

Anyway. Good choice, and I look forward to pics etc [emoji106]

Cheers Dan!

Seems the general consensus is to fit an un-modified front bumper and I do agree. I'll probably wait until Christmas is over, and once the majority of the Trophy parts have sold I can concentrate on the Impreza!

I bought it from a place called 'Cae Garn, Heol-y-Cyw' if that means anything to you!? 😂 pretty sure it was Bridgend.
 


Top