This Subaru Impreza WRX STI S203 Is A Unicorn You Can Buy

Given how many special edition Subaru Imprezas are out there, we could argue all day about which one is the best, rarest, coolest, the one you need to have etc, etc. Today’s focus, though, is one we believe is one of the most special of the special.

This is a 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI S203. In case you’re not familiar with your Scooby nomenclature, an S-series Impreza signals the hottest version of the WRX STI to come from Subaru Technica International, and usually, they’re produced in extremely limited numbers.

Each generation so far has had one, starting with the audacious looking GC8 S201 of 2000. This GD Blobeye, the S203, is the third of that series.

Introduced for the Japanese market before the Hawkeye followed later in 2005, just 555 examples of the S203 were made.

Its 2.0-litre EJ20 was given a larger turbocharger, a titanium exhaust system, a reworked ECU and rebalanced internals. That took power to 320bhp from the Japanese Gentleman’s Agreement-mandated 276bhp, with 311lb ft of torque.

Work was done to the chassis, too. That included manually adjustable dampers with reinforced springs, strut braces front and rear, and thicker anti-roll bars. Inside, every S203 got Recaro carbon fibre bucket seats and, crucially of course, a 260kmh speedo.

Visual changes included a new set of 18-inch BBS wheels, gold brake callipers, a new front splitter, and a double-pillared rear wing.

Its final sign-off before production was given by 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg. Add that one to your next pub quiz.

This particular car is example 385, and has seen a decent bit of usage at 85,000 miles. Its Collecting Cars listing notes no bodywork damage or rust though. It does mention some stone chips, scuffs on the front splitter and marks on the driver’s side sill, though.

Bidding has only freshly started at the time of writing, sitting at £4,000 with seven days left to go. Expect that to climb significantly over the coming days.