1991 Subaru Legacy RS.
2.0l Turbo 16v EJ20G with factory water/air intercooler
5spd manual AWD.
Originally sold in New Zealand, Japanese market spec.
~284000km (177000miles), increasing slowly as I am using the car a couple of times a month.
Previous owner had it for 13 years. I bought it from him and imported it this year.
Clean MOT pass.
Import process totally complete, V5 on hand.
4x new tyres.
New Brembo front pads.
Only non-standard parts are sports exhaust system and a turbo timer (to allow turbo to cool properly after turning off ignition), otherwise unmolested.
Located in Banbury, Oxfordshire, J11 M40.
As a kid my father regularly took me to Silverstone rallycross circuit to watch the rallycross and super special stages. Amongst the ex-works Gp A. Imprezas, Evo 1-4s, Escort Cosworths, and occasional Delta Integrale, it was Ian Gwynne’s red Legacy RS that I was in love with. A talented pilot (and son of late Rally School mogul Bill Gwynne), Ian regularly threaded his Legacy to the top of the podium. Couple that with summer holidays watching ream after ream of rallying VHS tapes of Vatanen, McRae and Burns tearing up the Welsh forests in their 555, Rothmans or BP liveried BC5 Legacys, and the fact that I grew up 5 minutes from Prodrive, there really was no hope for me.
(this is me last year, not as a child, obviously)
After several years distracting myself with modifying rwd Toyotas, I finally scratched my Legacy itch a few years ago while living in New Zealand. I bought a 1992 ‘facelift’ BC5 RS. That car had been lightly modified, and not very well looked after, but was still a huge amount of fun. I got involved in the local Subaru scene out there, and kept my eye out for a pre-facelift, just like the ones I had lusted after as a child.
I returned to the UK last year, and finally that car popped up (in New Zealand!). Pre-facelift BC5 Legacy RS’s are rare cars, even more so if you want to find one that hasn’t been mucked about with.
The other thing that drew me to it (and probably the best feature of this car), is the condition of the body - it is completely solid underneath; I've not been able to find any structural rust at all. All of the UK market cars I’ve seen have either been rotten or welded, but unlike the UK and Japan, New Zealand does not routinely salt its roads, so older vehicles tend to be in much better structural condition. In fact, this 1991 car is much cleaner underneath than my UK market 2005 Legacy! I have access to a ramp, and any prospective buyer is welcome to look underneath if they wish.
The car flew through its first UK MOT in September with no advisories, and while it is not under strict emissions regulations the tester said it would have passed emissions anyway, which was pleasing.
It isn’t mint however. The hole in the Ozone layer means that NZ cars deal with a lot of UV light, and this car is suffering with some lacquer peel, particularly on the bonnet. Being 27 years old and well used, it also has a few chips and dings, the worst of which is a dent on the bottom front corner of the drivers door.
These are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, though if you wanted a mint road car a few dent repairs and a blow over with some paint would freshen things up a bit.
The Legacy drives well - feeling planted, taught and communicative despite the number of kilometers it has covered. These cars were very rapid at the time, and despite changing perceptions on what makes a car quick, this still feels fast enough to be enjoyable but still usable on the road. The turbo technology here is of the typical late eighties/early nineties feel, in that you get a bit of lag as the off-kilter boxer burble grows into a bark, then the boost whistles in and pushes you along, until you are ready for the next gear.
The engine in this one feels as strong as the modified one in my last Legacy, despite being basically stock. The aftermarket exhaust is louder than factory, but not too boomy or droney inside the cabin.
The interior is tidy, with only a small split on the driver’s seat bolster showing the age of the vehicle. It’s a cool place to be, with the factory MOMO wheel, supportive sports seats, and all sorts of period gadgets (a ‘sporty steering’ button that modifies the amount of PS assistance, a spring-operated flip down manual control panel for adjustment of the aircon/heater system, etc…).
Unfortunately due to the nature of buying a car from the other side of the world, I have no service history. It seems to have had a new clutch at some point - the current one feels like it has some decent life in it, and there was a used pressure plate and clutch plate in the boot. When the car arrived I noticed a little snick going into 4th on occasion, which is common on these gearboxes and usually down to worn synchros or old oil - I have since done a box oil change and it is much improved. Given the lack of history I would advise a cambelt change prior to doing big miles in the car. If the buyer wants this done, I can arrange for it to be sorted at extra cost. Prior to MOT, I had 4x new tyres fitted - a couple of the old ones were getting a bit low and I don’t like replacing individual tyres on AWD vehicles. The front pads were also a bit low, so I have replaced those with Brembo road pads. Other than that, the only things I have done are wire in a rear fog light (it is relayed, fused, and integrated into the OSR light cluster and uses a dash switch with a witness light, as per UK MOT regs), fit the new plates, and enjoy a few blasts out to Caffeine and Machine in it.
I would LOVE to hang on to this car, but I have too many accumulated vehicles, and am frantically saving for a wedding. Between buying this and it arriving, I also picked up an ‘84 RX7 as a project for my fiance and I, and that is taking up most of our free time. Unfortunately the Legacy is the logical choice to go.
This car would be an excellent fun road car as-is, a great solid base for a resto or fast road build, or going back to where this discussion started - a rally weapon. Early Legacy turbos are now eligible for historic rallying, and have the potential to be cheaper and faster than a BDA Escort, particularly on gravel. Channel your inner McRae, Vatanen or Burns! The car actually came to me with a full roll cage (in pieces, never welded together). The previous owner said he intended to fit it when he got the car 13 years prior, but liked it so much as a road car he never bothered. I have no idea on the brand or quality of it, but it can be included in the sale if the new owner wants it.
Being solid, a proper RS with all the right bits, and not an absolute minter, it would be perfect for this. These cars share a lot of mechanicals with classic Turbo Imprezas, so replacements and upgrades are pretty easy to come by. The prices of these are rapidly increasing, I suspect due to the rally eligibility, and people of my age with similar feelings for them coming into disposable income. A safe investment, and priced competitively against the few others that are popping up sporadically. £8k ono. PM me or reply here with any questions.
2.0l Turbo 16v EJ20G with factory water/air intercooler
5spd manual AWD.
Originally sold in New Zealand, Japanese market spec.
~284000km (177000miles), increasing slowly as I am using the car a couple of times a month.
Previous owner had it for 13 years. I bought it from him and imported it this year.
Clean MOT pass.
Import process totally complete, V5 on hand.
4x new tyres.
New Brembo front pads.
Only non-standard parts are sports exhaust system and a turbo timer (to allow turbo to cool properly after turning off ignition), otherwise unmolested.
Located in Banbury, Oxfordshire, J11 M40.
As a kid my father regularly took me to Silverstone rallycross circuit to watch the rallycross and super special stages. Amongst the ex-works Gp A. Imprezas, Evo 1-4s, Escort Cosworths, and occasional Delta Integrale, it was Ian Gwynne’s red Legacy RS that I was in love with. A talented pilot (and son of late Rally School mogul Bill Gwynne), Ian regularly threaded his Legacy to the top of the podium. Couple that with summer holidays watching ream after ream of rallying VHS tapes of Vatanen, McRae and Burns tearing up the Welsh forests in their 555, Rothmans or BP liveried BC5 Legacys, and the fact that I grew up 5 minutes from Prodrive, there really was no hope for me.
(this is me last year, not as a child, obviously)
After several years distracting myself with modifying rwd Toyotas, I finally scratched my Legacy itch a few years ago while living in New Zealand. I bought a 1992 ‘facelift’ BC5 RS. That car had been lightly modified, and not very well looked after, but was still a huge amount of fun. I got involved in the local Subaru scene out there, and kept my eye out for a pre-facelift, just like the ones I had lusted after as a child.
I returned to the UK last year, and finally that car popped up (in New Zealand!). Pre-facelift BC5 Legacy RS’s are rare cars, even more so if you want to find one that hasn’t been mucked about with.
The other thing that drew me to it (and probably the best feature of this car), is the condition of the body - it is completely solid underneath; I've not been able to find any structural rust at all. All of the UK market cars I’ve seen have either been rotten or welded, but unlike the UK and Japan, New Zealand does not routinely salt its roads, so older vehicles tend to be in much better structural condition. In fact, this 1991 car is much cleaner underneath than my UK market 2005 Legacy! I have access to a ramp, and any prospective buyer is welcome to look underneath if they wish.
The car flew through its first UK MOT in September with no advisories, and while it is not under strict emissions regulations the tester said it would have passed emissions anyway, which was pleasing.
It isn’t mint however. The hole in the Ozone layer means that NZ cars deal with a lot of UV light, and this car is suffering with some lacquer peel, particularly on the bonnet. Being 27 years old and well used, it also has a few chips and dings, the worst of which is a dent on the bottom front corner of the drivers door.
These are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, though if you wanted a mint road car a few dent repairs and a blow over with some paint would freshen things up a bit.
The Legacy drives well - feeling planted, taught and communicative despite the number of kilometers it has covered. These cars were very rapid at the time, and despite changing perceptions on what makes a car quick, this still feels fast enough to be enjoyable but still usable on the road. The turbo technology here is of the typical late eighties/early nineties feel, in that you get a bit of lag as the off-kilter boxer burble grows into a bark, then the boost whistles in and pushes you along, until you are ready for the next gear.
The engine in this one feels as strong as the modified one in my last Legacy, despite being basically stock. The aftermarket exhaust is louder than factory, but not too boomy or droney inside the cabin.
The interior is tidy, with only a small split on the driver’s seat bolster showing the age of the vehicle. It’s a cool place to be, with the factory MOMO wheel, supportive sports seats, and all sorts of period gadgets (a ‘sporty steering’ button that modifies the amount of PS assistance, a spring-operated flip down manual control panel for adjustment of the aircon/heater system, etc…).
Unfortunately due to the nature of buying a car from the other side of the world, I have no service history. It seems to have had a new clutch at some point - the current one feels like it has some decent life in it, and there was a used pressure plate and clutch plate in the boot. When the car arrived I noticed a little snick going into 4th on occasion, which is common on these gearboxes and usually down to worn synchros or old oil - I have since done a box oil change and it is much improved. Given the lack of history I would advise a cambelt change prior to doing big miles in the car. If the buyer wants this done, I can arrange for it to be sorted at extra cost. Prior to MOT, I had 4x new tyres fitted - a couple of the old ones were getting a bit low and I don’t like replacing individual tyres on AWD vehicles. The front pads were also a bit low, so I have replaced those with Brembo road pads. Other than that, the only things I have done are wire in a rear fog light (it is relayed, fused, and integrated into the OSR light cluster and uses a dash switch with a witness light, as per UK MOT regs), fit the new plates, and enjoy a few blasts out to Caffeine and Machine in it.
I would LOVE to hang on to this car, but I have too many accumulated vehicles, and am frantically saving for a wedding. Between buying this and it arriving, I also picked up an ‘84 RX7 as a project for my fiance and I, and that is taking up most of our free time. Unfortunately the Legacy is the logical choice to go.
This car would be an excellent fun road car as-is, a great solid base for a resto or fast road build, or going back to where this discussion started - a rally weapon. Early Legacy turbos are now eligible for historic rallying, and have the potential to be cheaper and faster than a BDA Escort, particularly on gravel. Channel your inner McRae, Vatanen or Burns! The car actually came to me with a full roll cage (in pieces, never welded together). The previous owner said he intended to fit it when he got the car 13 years prior, but liked it so much as a road car he never bothered. I have no idea on the brand or quality of it, but it can be included in the sale if the new owner wants it.
Being solid, a proper RS with all the right bits, and not an absolute minter, it would be perfect for this. These cars share a lot of mechanicals with classic Turbo Imprezas, so replacements and upgrades are pretty easy to come by. The prices of these are rapidly increasing, I suspect due to the rally eligibility, and people of my age with similar feelings for them coming into disposable income. A safe investment, and priced competitively against the few others that are popping up sporadically. £8k ono. PM me or reply here with any questions.