At the recent Nostalgic 2 Days show in Yokohama, Subaru announced the launch of a Heritage Service program that reissues parts for its classic models. The program is the result of a survey conducted by Subaru, which received 1000 responses indicating that owners would like to continue driving their cars for a long time. The first car to have parts made for it as part of the program will be the GC8 Impreza WRX and WRX STi.
The initial parts list includes the headlight and turn signal cluster, weatherstripping, idle speed control valves, brake seals, pistons and discs, and decals. The GC8 was chosen to start off the program because it’s one of the oldest Subarus with a widespread enthusiast following, whereas newer WRX iterations have more existing parts support. However, Subaru says it will add more models to the list as time goes on, depending on customer demand.
Part of the program’s initiative involved researching GC8s with over 200,000 km on the odometer to find common points of failure. One such example was a 1996 Subaru Impreza Type RA STi Ver.II V-Limited, one of only 555 built to commemorate Subaru’s winning of the 1995 WRC title. The partially disassembled car was displayed at the show in order to demonstrate the parts analysis.
The Type RA featured reduced sound insulation, manual windows, and an ABS delete in order to save weight, and added a DCCD (driver-controlled center diff). Its turbocharged EJ20 motor generated 275ps (271 horsepower) and 235 lb-ft of torque.
“Before being a company that makes cars, Subaru wants to be a company that cares about people who live with their cars,” the company said in an statement accompanying the launch. “Letting your cherished car run again isn’t about restoring the past but about building a bond with it for the future.”
Japanese owners can buy parts at select Subaru dealers, but there’s no word on whether the parts will be available in the US. With the Heritage Service program, Subaru now joins the likes of Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Kawasaki in offering an official heritage parts program.
