The Forgotten JDM Nürburgring Hero: 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C Type RA - Review
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- čas přidán 17. 07. 2023
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Today I am driving a hidden gem from the world of JDM cars - a Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C Type RA. Built explicitly to attack the Nürburgring - is it a good road car?
#Subaru #JDM #WRXSTI
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Jay I have a 1999 uk 2000 turbo 315bhp your welcome to review.. superb example for a uk car with some very tasteful modifications. Never failed a mot in 24 years. Well maintained. If your interested let me know…
Had one of these in the Hawkeye shape (2005). Absolutely brutal B-road blaster, capable of dispatching dozens of wet miles and your licence in no time at all.
Probably the best Subaru you can get.
@@v4skunk739 I have one. 2007 Impreza WRX STI Type UK.
@@JackosJingles that’s a very differerent car to drive to a spec C ( still great)
@@rallycrosscraig those engines fall apart
@@hassyg4083 driver error
Nothing better than a WRX STi for blasting around the roads of New Zealand. Majority of Japans used WRXs ended up in New Zealand as grey imports, you couldn't go down a street without seeing at least 1 turbo subaru, either a Legacy, Forester or Impreza.
I've got an 09 turbo Legacy. I love it! Hoping to get a GC8 in the next 1-2 years.
Got a 97 wrx ra weighs 1186kg running 18 psi reloomed with a my20b loom engine ect. 3.5 ratio gbox. 18" rims and 40 profile tyres should do 310kph at redline and 07 si drive limited too, both are fun but nothing beats the RA
@@vjbond3945 shame these cars were never standard ended up scrapped
That’s perfect weather for a Scooby
Tell that to the sills…
Tell that to all the Rust 😂
If you know, you know....
100% stick to the road like shit to a blanket 🤣
Subaru was really tapped into something special during these years.
Also blob eye = best eye!
It was called minimalism and good sense in design
@@roy254ify That along with actually competing in WRC as an OEM, less stringent US safety regulations, and less emission requirements forced by the Green Mafia.
tapped into alot of walls and curbs
I'm on my third Subaru now and my second JDM one. I keeping coming back to them for a reason. I've had a lot of cars in my time, but there's something about them that gets under my skin. Brilliant cars and if maintained and not tuned aggressively, much more reliable than made out.
Another great review James. I've no idea how much time you to spend researching each model you review, not to mention taking the time to get the great shots. There is no disputing your work ethic and at nearly 300k subscribers, it is certainly paying off!
i am going to buy one soon 2004 exactly whats in the video its a bit customized do you recommend me going for it specifically i cant buy any jdm or good car in that price range but im scared of how many times i am going to take it to the mechanic or air condition doesnt work.. so please help me if you have an instagram whatever account so i can contact you and ask you some questions whenever you’re free , help a friend please.
theres literally nothing else that compares to how subarus drive, theyre just so predictable and easy
Owned 7 Imprezas over 15 years. GC8 to Hawkeyes. The best one was a 98 WRX RA, 1100kg fitted with a 2001 Spec C RA engine and mapped to 302 bhp by the late great Simon Roe. S202 Titanium backbox, Sparco Prodrive seats, newage brembos and the quick rack made it such a fun drivers car. Much better sound with unequal length headers.
Anything with the 2.0 engine is good.
Why 7? That's alot. Don't they last?
@@alphatrion100 I wanted to experience as many as possible.
@@GRfourfun
I understand.
Personally when I fall in love with a specific example of a car I don't want to get rid of it. Been driving my 2009 fn2 type R FOREVER 😅
@@alphatrion100 Great car and I get it, I’ve found my forever car now. GR Yaris Circuit pack.
"i'm saving the rare stock suspension"
Best excuse for modifying ever
I had a spec c back in 2008 . Absolutely loved it . Made 360 bhp just with an exhaust and remap .
I went on a "Drive an Aston round the track Day" , the warm up was a young lady instructing me round the track in one of these, second best fun I've had with my trousers on🤣
I have a real soft spot for the Impreza having owned one and my dad has owned three great drivers car and an addictive sound track.
I owned one back in 2013, reg was ‘KT54 W**, so mega close to this one. It was an absolute monster on a B road, nothing could touch it. Felt special every time you drove it aswell. Still regret selling it!
Pretty similar car to mine, 2003 spec c, world rally blue. mods. Alloy front subframe, forged gold wrc enkies, wrc replica wing, h&s exhaust.
stock map
4.2 seconds to 60
had it 7 years
Nice ride.
Loved the bloby eye! Had several STi UK and one JDM (twinscroll & equal length headers). The Spec C was always the unicorn of this shape!
It's still one of the finest most distinctive sound ever has a classic imported wrx and absolutely glad I did
I sold my 2007 WRX Hawkeye about 1,5 years ago, and I still do miss it often. It was incredible on B roads, for a Saturday/Sunday bit of fun. Insanely fun and reliable in the wet and on snowy surfaces. Man, I've had so many good times with that car. One of the highlights being driving it to Northern Italy from The Netherlands, and climbing up the Stelvio pass.
Curious, why’d you see it?
@@smileypaper5589 It was nearing 200.000km’s, fuel prices going up like crazy here in Europe, and wanting something more comfortable.
had me a v9 STI for a few years, great driving experience, you feel so connected to the road. Handled like a dream. Fast forward to know, driving an ISF, massive step up in raw power
Hands down the best car review channel. You explain the driving experience perfectly
I had an early classic and it had a tweed interior and 15" wheels. It was fair to say it was an understated masterpiece. I loved it.
Nice to see the RA in Blue, have not seen one in the flesh so to speak or the rarer Red. I have one in White with same spec and power, I can confirm the parts needed to keep standard are really hard to obtain. The suspension part as per shocks, lightened glass, rear spoiler, wheels the list goes on.
Great review! You really dug into the subtle differences between variants. I think the RA stood for “record attempt”. Improvements were made in every model year. You’ve worked hard and earned every sub. Happy birthday!
Thankyou for all the JDM goodness as of recent. Always appreciate it ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️
My STI Hatch is aging like fine wine! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Been subbed for years, massive JDM fan! We are out here 👋
I think you’ve always been able to get an STI in the UK if you don’t take precautions 😂
I had a blob eye JDM Sti, quite a few mods: bigger intercooler, bigger injectors, bilstein adjustable coilovers, bigger exhaust, bored engine, EBC discs with yellow stuff pads and mapped to a nice 500whp. Driving around the country roads and leaving supercars for dust was common.
Great timing. I watch Baby Driver recently and that opening scene with the wrx is gold 🎉
Currently own a subaru wrx 2001 bugeye estate, impreza's are the most joyful cars to own I would urge anyone to purchase one you won't regret it.
I recently acquired a wrx s4 from Japan, my first Subaru , such a pleasure to drive. Amazing machines.
Very interesting video and commentary! I have a 2019 STI at 450 HP and it's so much fun to drive. The only thing I need to change is to change the motor mounts back to group N mounts. The stiffer mounts currently installed are to unforgiving and make driving annoying. That will be a revision in the near future.
Very cool car and informative review! Does seems to draw those flies. As I was writing this watching the video you talked about them 😮
Great review. Sums them up nicely
A friend of mine had a Suburu STi WRX version with the whale tail brand new in blue. Really liked that car.
Brilliant video as a blobeye sti owner there heaven and hell maintenance is a huge part of ownership. but on the perfect day and perfect road 🤩
Great video and amazing car. More videos like this please. I have a uk spec sti and i love it.
UK gets stuff like this for decades and the US gets the WRX STi Type Grandma.
I’ve had many Scuby,s since around 2000 or so- last 2 have been WRX & WRX STI. As one commenter noted- they are bombproof of left stock. Now that the STI isn’t available, they’re becoming collectors cars no matter which year you own. I also own a GT3 (991.2, manual) - the two most driver focused cars you can drive. And complement each others driving experiences- love them both for different reasons. I plan on retaining the STI for the rest of my life. Just cannot see a car that offers the same functionality.
I owned a bug eye wrx uk300 with full pp kit - loved that car for many years , fantastic characterful car - never put a foot wrong . Only problem with it was I discovered cars from Germany .
The bug eye is highly sought after here in the states. It has a certain funkiness that I find quite charming.
Thumbs up, great video 😊 I've been wondering when someone would feature this car. I have the exact same model in NZ - peak Subaru (imo)! Btw, the gauges were a factory option, and the factory front lip is poly, not cf (so the one on the car in the video is correct). The "S" cars had the cf lip, perhaps the RaR as well. Cheers
I remember getting Forza Motorsport on original Xbox back in the day, it had that blue and white splash painted STI C, which we aptly referred to as the STICk, because you could beat the hell out of any track and race theyd let you in. The max modification for it was somewhere around 650 HP. Instead of braking, you'd fly 90 degrees sideways into a turn past the other cars lit up tail lights, then at the right moment start feathering the throttle until it grabbed and took of again. It wasn't pretty, it ate tires like a starving kid attacking a candy bar, so we abused the "Tire Wear: OFF" feature just to do some really absurd driving. Even in full simulation mode, if you could keep the torque under control for the tire's sake, you could absolutely demolish almost any other car in the game, but in full sim it was suuuuuper difficult to handle, very demanding. The legend of the STICk lives on 20 years later and I am actually considering buying an 04 STI even though they average $20k-30k, double that for low mileage excellent condition.
Def le model year I'd have...Great Vid!
Love my Hawkeye Sti! I’ve been a subscriber for a while and never thought I’d see a Subaru on your channel 🤣
I love this car, in terms of my personal raking she comes only second to the Integrale.
Brilliant video 👍
I was so close in buying the RB320 ! But ended up sticking with my old B5 RS4 ! Also really liked the Type 25 Impreza
This is one of the best used cars you can buy. Severely underrated car. And yes that includes the "regular" versions. Sleek 90s design with large frameless windows, 4WD and wonderful engines.
There was a 1.6 turbocharged version sold exclusively in Greece. I wish Subaru had taken the concept more seriously because it would have helped Subaru to establish it's place in the European market. I'm sure a LOT of Europeans would LOVE to buy a 1.6 turbo Impreza with 180hp. Not as beastly and costly as an STi but not as slow as a naturally aspirated one.
This was 100% my childhood dream car
Thank you. I have a 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.0i, and yes, it's slow, but I still find a lot to like a lot.
As car guys we need to take care of our bodies and self with the same vigor and passion we do our vehicles. Cheers and Regards sire.
never heard og this variant before....love it.....
Ive been lucky to own 3 subaru,s impreza. Absolutely fantastic cars 😊
It already is a classic, it's going a crazy amount of money
already at about 40k€ here
@@olik136damn. 40k. Rather go for a RS3 or A45 then.
@rv9990 audis are terrible. The Quattro system is a myth. It's absolutely horrible to drive.
When I lived in the USA my mate had a bug eye and I had an Eclipse GST with the Evo 4G63T engine. What fun we had tearing around the dragons tail.
I had a GS with the 4G63 but without turbo it was still very fun
Had a version 1 wrx sti loved it light weight
Hi.. JDM scooby 1999 forester SF5 type A owner here...
Running 100% blobeye engine and everything hardware swapped..
The best spec ever..
Got to be Scotland for that amount of flies at this time of year 😁
I personally love the signiture sound of the original manifolds, i wasnt aware it was just them.that made that sound.
the audio in the beginning is amazing.
Longest name for a car. And I like how you drove the opposite of a storm chaser. Look for the better skies, and pick the road leading to it. Brilliant!
Awesome film James thank you. But I’m pretty sure I can smell the head gasket going from here 😂😂
Forget the Porsches I've had, the two WRX's I have owned were the most fun and most reliable. Went down hill with hatchback.
I have a spec c hatchback, rest assured it's just as good as the GD chassis spec c's
Got a 2003 WRX (factory styled as STI big scoop etc), holding on to it and keeping it up together.
I have a UK300 and its so well set up for B roads its ridiculous, ive done 4 wheel lifts all sorts in it and man it takes it all, its unreal fun on the twisties
I will say though that the 5 speeds get so much undeserved abuse, they're not made of glass, they're abused by numpties pushing 400 plus bhp through them, launching them at every set of lights when in reality they're half decent, mines on 140k and doing just fine
Interesting to be reminded that the Scoobydoo boxer sounds the way it normally does because of the expedient exhaust manifold(s), and how 'normal' it is with an equal-length one on it.
Very nice, looks like my wrx but there worlds apart.
Bust out the vapes boys.
🤣
Subaru cars really hook you in. I love my legacy.
I have a USDM 2002 WRX. I blew the motor at 170,XXX miles back in 2012. Been sitting in the garage all these years. In 2019 I bought a 2009 Forester X to daily while I got my WRX back on the road. I would say out of all the mods I did to my WRX the STi 6speed made the biggest difference. Closer gear ratios and much much stronger.
I live up in the Highlands and it amused me to see that this Subaru seems to attract the same amount of flies as my Evo’s do!
I was beginning to think that there was something in my cleaning products that was attracting them!
I really hope there's so many more viewers out there with rare and iconic cars like this. You are unsung heroes. Amazing quality and quantity video once again.
Maybe if Subaru did not TRY so hARD making its cars as FUGLY as they can, they would sell many more, and at much higher profits.
2002 20k turbo wagon, its so smooth...
I really wanted one in 2005 until we went on a long drive with a friend and had backpain and his wallet was empty thanks to 14mpg, but what a sound and a great weekend blast car!
Japanese car fan here. 04/05 wrx/sti is Subaru’s sweet spot
Australian long time watcher, I LOVE Japanese cars!!!!!😁👍 I've had many but a fast early 80's turbo Nissan pulsar EXA coupe was by far my favourite!!!!😁👍👍
Jdm Subaru Legacy are pretty cool too and underated. Like B4 RSK or GTB with 280hp twin turbo from the factory.
Had a 2003 spec c limited. Now have a 2017 sti. Both were and probably are the lowest mileages ones in the country that were driven. Spec c would leave audi r8's for dust on b roads. Held up with a few b7 rs4's on the straights too. Other then a evo tommi makinen. Its the best car i have ever driven without a doubt.
It's already a classic, has been since the day they released it. It will only increase in value though. Great review, thanks.
What I love about subaru the most is the way the names of them just roll off the tongue.
Nice to see a Spec C model getting some attention, criminally underrated car and even most car nerds don't have a clue what it is, let alone how different they are to a UK spec STI!
Love my 07 Hawkeye 😎
typical UK weather - july hailstorm
TY J 🙏🙏
In classic form the RA was not so much a cut price STi as a stripped out version for folk that wanted to race them - that is why they were generally sold in white. Mitsubishi did something similar with the Evo and that car even came with steel wheels. The RA's stock had some distinct advantages over the standard RA in the form of improved diffs, DCCD, and a closer ratio gearbox. You could also get the Ltd versions (I have a V5 STi RA Ltd) that came with all the good bits from the RA, but also came in Sonic Blue Mica (best colour for a classic), and also aircon, leccy windows etc for a bit more refinement.
i live in the Northern Territory Australia James..I was incredibly impressed by the amount of flies in your Video. Any Buffalo up that way mate?
The best subaru in my eyes and the only one I'd consider over an EVO 👌 type RA'R hawkeye is stunning and the king of scoobys in my opinion but its a rare find and expensive
Tremendous 👌
Love my all original '05 with 53k miles on the odometer
Not tried this variant, but between the 'standard' WRX STI and the Evo 1X, I much preferred the Evo.
Because the Evo is better, apart from the rust.
Having driven the best subaru out there and the best evo out there. The evo is a much better driver car and I felt much more engaged to it. Also much nicer looking
7:59 lap record was from a standing start. not a flying lap, even more impressive.
Great car. Flies are a plague this summer, from a keen walker😂
MORE JDM, JM!!
i have a great turbo sf5 with a ej207 sti ra jdm short motor .
Like most blood-sucking insects, midges included - Scotland - they detect heat and/or CO2, and mostly not dung or other such organic matter. A car, especially with a warm engine, will exude both, hence flies/midges.
Would love to see you review an Evo 1-2-3. I own three and this era Evo or STi is so much better a car than the comparable euro option at the time
They so are, 1-6 in both varieties were such epic road cars
Definitely!
Brilliant!!!!
All hail the algorithm, and japanese sports car content
Love this car…and so do the flies 😂
My favourite generation of all time
I'm never not impressed by the consistency, quality and regularity of your videos. You're doing an incredible job
And lets appreciate the fact it is 4k. I am over some very popular channels that still produce content in 1080p. It is 2023 not 2013.
Thanks guys. The content has been almost exclusively UHD since day one :)
Forgive my cheekiness here, but wouldn’t “always” be a simpler and easier to read substitute word for the phrase “never not” ?