From the outset, the iconic Subaru Impreza WRX was designed with rallying in mind. Together with the input of their in-house tuning company STI, Subaru became the manufacturer to beat in the World Rally Championship in the 1990s, with the Impreza WRC as their main weapon. That rallying pedigree was passed on to their road-going homologation specials that went on to become legends of the JDM scene.

Japanese manufacturers like to build limited-edition specials, and the Impreza WRX has had its fair share of those. However, there's one car that clearly stood out among the hundreds of special edition Imprezas over the years, and that's the Subaru Impreza 22B STI. Considered as the holy grail among Subaru enthusiasts, the 22B is perhaps the most hardcore production Impreza ever made, and here are the reasons why.

10 Five-Month Production Run

Rare 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi
Via: Facebook

Even though the STI is considered the high-performance variant of the Impreza, Subaru once took that high-performance to an even higher level, at least for a limited time.

Rare 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi JDM Car
Via: Flickr

The Impreza 22B STI was only produced for five months in 1998, and all the 22Bs were sold in a span of 48 hours. In an era when the internet and social media hadn't gone mainstream, that was indeed a significant feat.

RELATED: Stunning 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi With Just 24.5K Miles On It In Auction

9 Rare Subaru

Subaru Impreza 22B STi at a car show
Motorious

Another reason why all the Impreza 22B STIs made were sold quickly is because only 400 examples were made, making it an ultra-rare Subaru. All of them were right-hand-drive, as they were all built for the Japanese market.

Subaru 22b STI
Via YouTube-AutoMotoTube

However, because there was a demand for the 22B STI in other markets, Subaru decided to build 24 more examples of it, bringing the total to 424. 16 of those went to the United Kingdom, while 5 went to Australia. The last 3 were built as prototypes.

RELATED: Doug DeMuro Reviews A Subaru 22B Unicorn... In America!

8 Built To Commemorate Subaru's WRC Success

Carlos Sainz Snr
Box Repsol

As mentioned, Subaru was the manufacturer to beat during the mid to late 90s era of the World Rally Championship. Since they used the Impreza Rally Car full-time in 1994, they immediately found success a year later when Colin McRae brought home the drivers' crown.

Subaru WRX STI 22B Impreza 1998 WRC Rally shot
via ytimg.com

Furthermore, the Subaru World Rally team won three straight manufacturers' titles from 1995 to 1997. To commemorate this success and to celebrate Subaru's 40th anniversary, the 22B STI was born.

RELATED: These Are The Most Successful WRC Cars Ever

7 Bespoke Engine

via thedrive

Road-going examples of the Impreza WRX STI always had either the twin-scroll turbo 2.0-liter EJ20 or the 2.5-liter EJ257, depending on the market where it is sold.

1998 Subaru Impreza 22B For Sale - Odometer
via appreciating-classics.com

The 22B, however, had a bespoke engine called the EJ22G, a stroked-out version of the EJ20K STI engine with factory forged pistons. Although it was advertised with 276 hp following Japan's Gentleman's Agreement, the popular press often states the car feels like it has more than 300 hp.

6 Bespoke Body Kit

motor1.com

The 22B STI followed the same shape as the newly-born Impreza World Rally Car at the time, which followed the new WRC Class regulations that took effect in 1997.

Subaru Impreza P1 parked outside
Via scoobynet.com

On a side-by-side comparison with a normal WRX Type R coupe, one would immediately see that the 22B STI has a different front bumper design. Furthermore, it is wider, lower, and has a larger rear spoiler than the WRX Type R. Additional identifying marks of the 22B are the bespoke 17-inch wheels and additional vents on the hood.

5 Only Available In A Coupe Version

Via Motor1

One more thing that sets the 22B STI apart from other special-edition Imprezas is that it was only available in a coupe version. Only the WRX Type R and P1 models were the other high-performance Impreza coupes ever made.

Subaru Impreza 22B STI, Blue
Via Appreciating Classics

Subaru stopped making two-door versions of the Impreza after the first-generation model bowed out in favor of the "New Age" Impreza in 2000.

4 Iconic Blue And Gold Colorway

Subaru Rally Car
WRC

As mentioned earlier, Subaru was at the top of the WRC mountain back in the day, but they didn't go there unchallenged, as they shared the top step with the red and white Mitsubishi, who took four straight drivers' titles from 1996 to 1999 thanks to the legendary Flying Finn Tommi Makinen.

mcrae wrc champ (autoexpress)
via autoexpress

The 22B STI wore the now-iconic blue and gold combination, which became a symbol for high-performance Subarus in later years.

3 Bilstein Suspension

via CarAndDriver

The Subaru Impreza 22B STI was 80mm wider than a standard WRX Type R model and sat 15mm lower thanks to specially-developed Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks to give it more direct handling at the expense of comfort.

Car And Driver

As it only weighed 2,800 lbs, the 22B STI's quick steering rack simply pointed wherever you wished the car to go. Its Driver-Controlled Center Differential or DCCD took care of transferring the amount of torque being transferred to the front and rear axles, and can be altered from inside the cabin.

2 Impressive Acceleration Figures

1998 Impreza 22B STI
Via caranddriver.com

The 22B STI wasn't really a major step-up from a standstill, as it did a quarter-mile just 0.17 seconds faster than a standard WRX STI. However, the greatest difference lies in the 22B's midrange grunt, doing 50 to 70mph in just 2.4 seconds.

Doug DeMuro Subaru 22b 3
via YouTube

During those days, those numbers could challenge a naturally-aspirated Porsche 911, making it capable of devouring most of its pricier rivals on a mountain pass where its precision and ruthlessness clearly shine.

1 Today's Auction Prices

Rare JDM - 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STi
Via: Pinterest

Motorsport fans would immediately recognize the importance of the Impreza 22B STI in Subaru's history, and with that, its insane value nowadays, as it fetched over $300,000 in a Bring A Trailer auction.

via Whichcar

Looking back, Subaru never really quite reached the success they had during the days of the 22B STI. As a result, the car is now viewed as a tribute to the glory days of Subaru in the World Rally Championship. And what an era that was.