The Subaru Legacy is quite a popular executive sedan that offers good space and comfort with an ample dose of power to boot.But in Japan (isn’t that always the case!?), the Legacy enjoys its very own hotted-up special, the Legacy B4.
The usual works were there, the turbocharged (later on twin-turboed for awhile) boxer produced 276bhp, oodles of torque and drove all four wheels via Subaru’s familiar AWD torque splitting differential. Even though it was two cyclinders short, the Legacy B4 brought the fight to Mitsubishi’s Galant VR4, and became the Subaru-Mitsubishi tussle above that of the WRX and the Evo.
The wagon version looked even better. It could be my soft spot for go-faster wagons, but I think the Legacy wagon was the ultimate average daddymobile that could still open a can of whoop-ass at a mere flex of the right foot. The signature boxer rumble only made it cooler.
To be honest, the title of most important Subaru rally car should go to this: the ancestor of the B4, the 1989-1993 Legacy RS GT and RS-R. Prodrive prepared this Legacy WRC car that Colin McRae won his first-ever rally in, during the 1993 Rally New Zealand. The Legacy was also piloted by legendary drivers Ari Vatanen and Hannu Mikkola.
As the Legacy evolved it became bigger, eventually receiving the turbocharged EJ25 power we are so familiar with. The slim lines of the Legacy also grew as Subaru made it their flagship model, to compete with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in bigger demand countries like North America. These days, the Legacy GT we have instead still retains its performance pedigree, albeit muted in executive comfort.
But that didn’t mean it couldn’t be hotted up! A set of nice rims and a drop gives even the current Legacy a more purposeful stance instantaneously.
Thankfully, the little scoop on the hood never left the performance variant of the Legacy; at least Subaru honoured the legacy’s Legacy. A legacy rich with rally success, a name that represents practical yet powerful performance for the everyday man.
– Brendan
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