Petter Solberg's Subaru Impreza S10: Written in the stars

Petter Solberg’s Impreza S10 has been restored to its 2004 Rally Japan condition. Simon de Burton powers through the details

img_117-1.jpg
Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Current page

163

Current page

164

Four-wheeled rally cars from the early 21st century don’t come much more covetable than this Subaru Impreza S10, because it’s the actual car in which Petter Solberg won the 2004 Rally Japan, having dominated the event from start to finish with 11 stage wins.

It was the eighth chassis to be built by Prodrive for the ’04 season. Its first outing with Solberg was at June’s Rally Turkey where it took third. After victory in Japan, the car went back to Prodrive for a full rebuild in advance of November’s Rally Australia – from which Solberg was forced to retire.

The S10 was subsequently driven by Colin McRae in the Bettega Memorial Rallysprint, and again rebuilt by Prodrive before being sold at the end of 2004 to a private team.

Two years ago, a prospective purchaser commissioned Prodrive Legends to check the car over, after which a deal was done and the owner had the firm return the old warrior to the condition it was in at the 2004 Rally Japan.

Remarkably, Prodrive had retained all of the car’s original documentation, including its build sheet for the rally. That meant everything, from Solberg’s preferred suspension settings to his seat position, could be replicated. The obsessive attention in the rebuild also included saving as many original body panels as possible (including the stone-damaged underfloor and wheel arches) with newly fabricated components being used only when essential.

The car was even painted by the same 2004 specialists, with the satin-finished interior again being left unlacquered as a weight-saving measure. The driver’s door pocket and waterbottle holder were returned to Solberg’s favoured locations, while other interior touches included the fitting of period harnesses and tyres, along with a roof-mounted FIA WRC camera housing. To finish the job, the exact Rally Japan livery was recreated and stuck on by the same person who applied the original.

The car is being sold complete with its FIA Gold Book, its UK registration document, a spare parts package and, importantly, one of the lucky charms that were dished out to each member of the Subaru team prior to the car’s famous victory. Is that original enough for you?

2004 Subaru Impreza S10

Silverstone Auctions, May 22
Estimate: £450,000-£500,000
silverstoneauctions.com


 

Forthcoming sale highlights

Historics, Ascot, May 15

A good hunting ground for those in search of the unusual. Offerings include a Lotus 340R, a 1966 Crayford Cortina Convertible, a very original Volvo-engined Marcos GT and a 1959 GMC flatbed truck that’s crying out for a new life as a race transporter.

Bonhams, London, May 19 

This high-end sale will focus mainly on road cars with a sprinkling of competition machinery, among which you’ll find a 2012

Superformance Ford GT40 in Gulf colours and a beautifully presented 1964 Jaguar E-type semi-lightweight competition roadster in Briggs Cunningham livery.

Barrett-Jackson, Las Vegas, June 17-19

Barrett-Jackson has long been famed for ‘going large’ with its auctions that regularly run to more than 1000 lots – so prepare to be awed when it sets up in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Coronavirus forced the cancellation of last year’s edition, but the firm promises the new venue will deliver “the full Barrett-Jackson experience”. Yikes…

RM Sotheby’s, Milan, June 15

This sale is a new fixture for RM Sotheby’s. It will feature a tightly curated selection of no more than 30 top-quality cars, including the original 1980 prototype of the legendary Lancia 037 rally car. Commissioned through Dallara and built and developed by Abarth, it could fetch up to £800,000.