Subaru Impreza Ramped Up to 345 HP by Prodrive

Prodrive, the British race-tuning specialist that runs the Subaru World Rally Championship team, has created its own prototype supercar, the P2.

The two-seater sports car has gone from concept to reality in just nine months, but there are no plans to put it into production — unless, that is, some manufacturer wants to build it. The point is to show off Prodrive's latest technology and capabilities, says Prodrive chairman and chief executive David Richards. "P2 is the perfect manifestation of what happens when our inspirational ideas combine with our innovative approach," he explains.

The P2 is based on the Subaru Impreza rally car but weighs a mere 2,425 pounds, so its 345-horsepower tweaked Impreza STi engine propels it to 174 mph and from zero to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. The P2 uses the Impreza STi's all-wheel-drive drivetrain, which incorporates two of Prodrive's performance-enhancing technologies: ALS (Anti-Lag System) and ATD (Active Torque Dynamics).

The P2's exterior and interior styling were created by former Lotus designer Peter Stevens, who has worked with Prodrive on numerous road car and motorsport projects. The P2 chassis was originally based on a Subaru R1 (a four-seat minicar), which was completely reengineered to give P2 its coupe styling and to accommodate the new engine and drivetrain.
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