GAVEL RALLY
Subaru Impreza Colin McRae drove could fetch £700,000
AS USED cars go, this nice little runner has a bit more under the bonnet than your average motor. Rally legend Colin McRae’s powerful Subaru is expected to go under the hammer for more than £700,000 at auction. The Impreza Prodrive will feature at the Artcurial auction in Paris on Sunday. McRae drove the 1993 model when he won the 1000 Lakes Rally in the same year. It was also driven by rally legends Richard Burns and New Zealand’s Possum Bourne, as well as being the first Impreza to score points in the
World Rally Championship with Ari Vatanen.
Billed as being in “superb condition”, the auction lot says: “This Group A Impreza is unquestionably one of the most important cars in the series built by Prodrive, not only on account of the first points it notched up in the World Rally Championship with Ari Vatanen, but also thanks to the succession of legendary drivers (McRae,
Burns, Bourne) who sat behind its wheel during this remarkable period which saw the revival of rallying.”
A source said: “The car is pristine and it’s background is compelling for any rally fan.
“Whoever is lucky enough to be its new owner, they aren’t just getting keys to a second-hand car, they’re also getting a bit of rally driving history.”
McRae, from Lanark, was killed when his helicopter crashed near the grounds of his home in September 2007.
His five-year-old son Johnny and his son’s friend, Ben Porcelli, aged six, also died, along with family friend Graeme Duncan, 37.
In 1995, McRae became the youngest person ever to win the World Rally Championships.
After his death, his race-winning Subaru 555 rally car then became one of the objects to feature in the new Riverside Museum in Glasgow in 2009.
Earlier this month, a Prodrive Subaru Impreza driven by McRae in the 1994 World Championship season was sold by Lloyds Auctions for 360,000 Australian dollars.
One of the most important cars in the series DESCRIPTION OF THE MOTOR ON AUCTION SITE