This weekend at the World Rally Championship’s Wales Rally GB, there’s a bit of magic in the air. It’s the 20 year anniversary of Colin McRae’s first WRC drivers title win that he earned with Subaru. A win that, by and large, set off this motorsport icon’s career and put him on the global track to success.
At Wales Rally GB, McRae’s career and life are being celebrated by Subaru of America. SoA brought over seven-time Rally America champion and friend of McRae, David Higgins, co-driver Craig Drew, and had a Subaru WRX STI NR4 built specially for the occasion.
The STI NR4 is wrapped in a throwback livery that mimics Subaru and McRae’s famous 1995 Impreza rally car livery, the car that gave Subaru the 1995, 1996, and 1997 titles. And hot damn does that livery look good on a new STI.
The NR4 STI is nowhere near the level of performance of the top WRC teams. Subaru is competing in the lower RC2 class amongst R5 Ford Fiestas, Škoda Fabia R5s, as well as other privately run Subarus.
As of earlier today, Higgins and Drew were 8th in RC2 class and 21st overall.
Isn’t it nice to see a factory run Subie back in WRC?
Photo credits: Ryan Symancek via YouTube, Subaru.com/Rally