This past weekend one fortunate soul had the golden opportunity to buy a genuine motorsport icon, a WRC stage-winning 1999 Subaru Impreza rally car. More specifically, a 2000 WRC Monte Carlo Rally stage-winning Subaru Impreza S5 race car. This former racer was built for the 1999/2000 World Rally Championship and crewed by Richard Burns, with Robert Reid riding shotgun as the navigator.
The car’s motorsport debut was at the 1999 Sanremo Rally, registered as ‘T15 SRT’, where it suffered transmission failure on its first day out. However, by January 2000, T15 SRT entered the Monte Carlo Rally. While the Subaru would fail to finish the rally due to ignition issues, Burns and Reid were 2nd overall during the first day, with podium finishes in every stage.
The 1999 Subaru Impreza WRC99 rally car would continue racing under different owners until retiring in 2011. In 2018 it was sold to the current owner with a childhood dream to own a Subaru rally car. Unfortunately, the Subaru Impreza was well-worn by this time and required a full restoration. This task was given to VMS Competition in the South of France, who completely disassembled the car for a no expense spared restoration that took five years to finish.
The car features many of its rare original parts, like carbon fiber seats and magnesium wheels used in the Monaco 2000. In addition to being refinished in its 2000 Monte Carlo Rally livery glory, and came equipped with a Prodrive Legends report to confirm its authenticity and racing resume. The final bidding price crossed the half-million-dollar mark becoming a prime example of today’s current demand for motorized nostalgia from the Y2K era.
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