Although Volvo was more successful in terms of exposure and results, their wagons weren't the only cars which were raced in a top-level series. One company saw the original Impreza wagon as an excellent vehicle to market and test their products, and the Syms Impreza wagon was born. The venue for this campaign was the 1998 season of the JTCC and Syms, a Subaru aftermarket parts manufacturer, set about preparing two cars. The motivation for choosing a wagon body was very similar to that which motivated the choice of an 850 wagon in the BTCC: uniqueness and exposure. At the time, the dominant marque in the JTCC was Toyota, with their Chasers and Coronas. Nissan and Honda had pulled out for various reasons and Syms saw an Impreza built to the rules as a competitive vehicle.
Built at a reported cost of $250,000 each, these Impreza wagons were powered by a normally aspirated 2-liter EJ20 engine featuring roller barrel throttle bodies fed by a carbon fiber airbox and dry sump system. Internals were a closely guarded secret, but output was 300 hp at 8,200 rpm. Moved back for better weight distribution, the FR layout was mated to a sequential transmission, with a BMW diff driving the rear wheels.
Wheel arches reminiscent of the DTM cars of today enclose huge Enkei wheels with equally huge brakes. The car's front track is noticeably wider in the pictures, and with a gussetted and obviously sturdy rollcage filling the inside of the car. As raced, the car was fitted with a rear wing as wide as the car, which was mounted on struts. Unfortunately, the car wasn't successful against the Toyota teams with several seasons of racing under their belt. Syms quit racing very early but the Syms Impreza wagon remains one of the coolest racing cars to ever grace a track. Inspiration for this post here.
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