1999 Subaru 22B-STi Type UK

• 1 of 16 ‘Subaru UK’ officially imported examples, believed to be the 16th car; with just ten or so still remaining
• Owned by our vendor for the last 18 years; award-winning, magazine and TV featured
• Retaining its car-specific ‘Type UK’ metallic booklet, floor-mats, badging and original service book
• Just two previous owners and 49,000 miles
• The perfect registration number of 'N 22B UK' accompanies the car
• With a few choice (yet easily reversible) period enhancements, with original parts retained

Built to celebrate both the marque’s 40th anniversary and its third straight WRC manufacturers’ title, the 22B STi was billed as the production version of Subaru’s already-iconic two-door World Rally Car. With its swollen wheel arches, high-rise rear spoiler and an 80mm increase in width, it was as close to Colin McRae’s rally car as any mortal was ever going to get. It wasn’t a homologation special but more of a road-going replica. The ‘22’ in the model’s name referred to the engine capacity, which was increased from 1994cc to 2212cc. Officially, the turbocharged flat-four developed 276bhp, but the actual figure almost certainly started with a three. The ‘B’, meanwhile, stood for Bilstein, the damper supplier.

The 22B is endowed with a specially developed 2.2-litre EJ22-engine with unique forged pistons, a seam-welded bodyshell (supposedly identical in shape to the WRC), special gearing, a twin-plate racing clutch, strengthened drive/prop shafts, driver-adjustable front/rear diff and bigger brakes; the suspension uses unique forged aluminium lower links, rose-joined transverse links, inverted Bilstein dampers and unique Eibach springs, plus a set of 17-inch BBS alloy wheels with Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Only 400 22Bs were built for sale to the Japanese domestic market, and supposedly, sold out within just hours of release. The car cost a shade under £40,000 in period, or close to £70,000 in today’s money. Another 24 22Bs were produced for the export market, 16 for the UK, along with another 5 for Australia, and 3 prototypes (known to have been issued with the ‘#000 number’), belonging originally to David Lapworth of Prodrive, Colin McRae and Nicky Grist.

The 16 cars officially imported to the UK (of which only, we understand, 12 were sold to the public) were sent to be modified by Prodrive. The UK cars differ from the privately imported 22Bs, not just in their three year factory warranty, but with revised gear ratios more suited to UK roads. The was achieved by changing the final drive ratio from 3.9 to 4.44 to lengthen the gearing. Cosmetically, the car got the headlights from the 1999 model, UK rear light clusters and driving lights (not fog lights) were fitted where the normal 22B has blanking plates. From the back, you can tell you're looking at one of the rarest cars in the world by the 'Type UK' and 'Prodrive' stickers. The price was £39,950, and demand for the cars was overwhelming.

As a result of 50 or so 22Bs having been imported privately into the UK, Subaru had to wait until 1999 to register the 16 officially imported cars under the VCA’s Single Vehicle Approval scheme.

The car presented here is a 1999 Subaru 22B-STI ‘Type UK’ – the absolute ‘Holy Grail’ for these already very special rally cars for the road. We understand that a ‘Type UK’ has never before been offered at auction, so it is a real honour to be able to do so.

‘Subaru UK’ officially imported only 16 22Bs and passed them on to Prodrive for approved modification. When new, these cars came with a very special car-specific aluminium information booklet, granted to the first owner and hand-signed by the Sales Director of Subaru UK, plus a ‘Special Instruction’ booklet, Type UK badging to the rear and model-specific floor mats. Quite remarkably, as it is very common for the original owner to retain these items for posterity, the car offered here, some 22 years later, retains these invaluable items, plus its original service booklet, manuals, two original keys and two original Subaru alarm fobs. We understand this car, chassis #GC8 071690, to be the 16th example of this very short and special run. 

The car was originally sold new via Subaru dealer Quenby Brothers Ltd. of Baldock, Hertfordshire to its first owner, a Mr Stewart of Luton, on 13th March 1999, registered ‘T782 RPP’. He ensured it was returned regularly for servicing on five occasions to its supplying main dealer.

The car was subsequently sold as a Subaru Approved Car by Lancaster Pangbourne (Subaru) on the 6th December 2001 to its second owner, a Mr Mason of Burnley, then with 17,500 miles, registered ‘CMN 22B’. It was then regularly taken for servicing to Subaru dealer H Robinson & Sons Ltd. of Rochdale on four occasions (up to 39,717 miles). Mr Mason went on to sell the car via Bowker BMW of Accrington in January 2004.

Our vendor, a true Subaru enthusiast, then bought the car on the 10th February 2004, ensuring it was still under the Subaru ‘Proven Two Warranty’ scheme. He has also ensured the car has been regularly serviced, using such specialists as Cotton Competition of Preston, Prosport Ltd. of Stockport, and Lateral Performance Ltd. of Hertfordshire, and is up to date. Some choice enhancements were added including a full PPG helical synchro-kit (for TY752 gearcase) from Lateral Performance (fitted by Cotton Competition) in June 2008 (the original gear set still accompanies the car), an AP front brake upgrade in 2004 and a bespoke exhaust system by Powerflow in 2007, both done by District Garage of Bolton. Importantly, all of the original parts have been retained with the car, and could be easily refitted, but may require some recommissioning (see images). The Bilstein suspension was fully refurbished by Bilstein in 2018, just c300 miles ago; the car is fitted with a Tracker and a Clifford anti-hijack alarm, plus it comes with a 22B car cover.

This specific car is very well-regarded within Subaru circles, appearing in ‘Car’ magazine (January 2000), ‘Auto Express’ magazine (September 2010) and ‘Modern Classics’ magazine (March 2017). The car won Best OEM example of the day at JapFest/TunerFest at Brands Hatch last September.

Silverstone Auctions are privileged to offer for sale such a rare and special car, considered by many as the ‘ultimate Subaru’ for the road. Indeed, for modern-classic collectors in America, they can now, as of 2023, legally import and enjoy these cars – what an opportunity! ‘Type UK’ 22Bs are hugely coveted and rightly so, and rarely appear for sale on the open market, not to be missed.