Built at Subaru's Fuji Heavy Industries plant in Japan and honed by rally royalty, Prodrive, the Impreza P1 was always destined to become the hugely desirable modern classic that we rightfully see it as today. Built in a limited run of just 1,000 cars, every one featured the iconic Blue Mica paintwork, Anthracite 17-inch OZ racing wheels and a plethora of upgrades and unique features. It's easy to see why the P1 has gained such a cult following.

Based on the two-door bodyshell, with the aerodynamics enhanced by Peter Stevens of McLaren F1 fame, beefier running gear and a fabulous suspension setup by Prodrive, the P1 has more in common with the legendary Impreza 22B than its larger four-door Impreza WRX contemporaries. Developed with British B-roads in mind, by the very same company which helped the likes of the late Colin McRae, the late Richard Burns and Petter Solberg win World Rally Championships, the Prodrive One was intended to counter the wave of grey-import STI Type Rs coming from Japan.

The upgrades to the P1 were extensive, but not intrusive. The list includes a more powerful 280bhp engine (up 69bhp from a standard Impreza Turbo), mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with longer gearing, and ABS brakes meaning the difference between a standard Impreza and a P1 is minimal. Further upgrades include a big-bore exhaust, quick-shift gear linkage, 17-inch titanium-finish alloy wheels and a rally-proven suspension set-up. With the sprint from 0-60 taking just 4.66 seconds, the P1 certainly has the bite to match the bark.

First registered on 1st September 2000, this P1 presents exceptionally well in totally standard specification bar a stainless steel exhaust and has just four former keepers who have covered around 94,000 miles between them. It has been meticulously looked after, with our vendor describing the service history as impeccable with 23 service stamps from new. The engine is completely as Subaru delivered it with all of the engine bay covers and guards all in place.

With soaring prices of Japanese domestic market cars, and 22Bs heading well north of £100,000 in recent years, this really smart, low-mileage, P1 seems exceptionally good value in comparison, and is ready to carry on doing the things that Imprezas do best.