A Subaru Impreza WRC2 that Toshihiro Arai raced in the 1999 World Rally Championship has been sold. Girardo & Co. facilitated the sale.

The car was built by Prodrive for the Subaru Allstars team, which provided factory support for privateers like Arai. The Japanese driver had done a few rallies for Subaru Rally Team Japan but wasn’t part of the works team proper, so he was a natural pick for the new Allstars program.

Arai ran the 1999 Rallye de Portugal, Rallye Catalunya, Tour de Corse, and Acropolis Rally under the Subaru Allstars Endless Sport banner (Endless Brakes was the primary sponsor). He and co-driver Roger Freeman retired from Portugal after going off course and taking damage, then received a late penalty that dropped him out of the top 20 to a 21st in Catalunya. A 16th in Corsica followed. After skipping the Rally Argentina, he returned fairly strong with a ninth at the Acropolis Rally highlighted by a third in SS16.

While Greece was his final rally under the Allstars name and he subsequently returned to Subaru Rally Team Japan for the rest of the season, Arai later got his shot with the factory team. He continued to race Imprezas, including as a privateer for Subaru Team Arai, until 2010 and particularly enjoyed success in the Production World Rally Championship with titles in 2005 and 2007. Those crowns made him the first Japanese driver to win an FIA world championship.

His last WRC rally was the 2022 Rally Japan. He continues to race in the Japanese and Asian rally cups.

Meanwhile, his Allstars Impreza—officially designated as T291 WRC—remained with Prodrive. The car was sold to Tomáš Hrdinka, who raced it in the Czech national series and the European Rally Championship, then returned to Prodrive before going to France for José Barbara in the mid-2000s and even Ireland. It received a new livery under the new ownership, with Barbara swapping out the white-and-pink look for a blue base with multiple colored triangles to promote sponsor Matmut (Mutuelle Assurance Travailleur Mutualiste). During its stay in Ireland, the car was converted into a right-hand drive machine.

Eventually, the car was acquired by an English collector who asked Autosportif Engineering to restore the original look and setup. Thus, the pink and white as well as the left-hand drive returned. In particular, the company opted for Arai’s 1999 Tour de Corse livery and #22.

Featured image credit: Girardo & Co.