GRAHAM ROBSON
Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgments
The car and the team
Inspiration
The Imprezas importance in rallying
Facing up to rival cars
Homologation meeting the rules
Engineering features
Impreza World Rally Car
Was the Impreza unique?
Building and running the works cars
Personalities and star drivers
Competition
The Imprezas career
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
The Imprezas successor
Works rally cars World Championship rallies (and when first used)
World/major European rally wins
Index
*INDEX*
Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgments
The car and the team
Inspiration
The Imprezas importance in rallying
Facing up to rival cars
Homologation meeting the rules
Engineering features
Impreza World Rally Car
Was the Impreza unique?
Building and running the works cars
Personalities and star drivers
Competition
The Imprezas career
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
The Imprezas successor
Works rally cars World Championship rallies (and when first used)
World/major European rally wins
Index
Description
This book describes the birth, development and rallying career of the Lancia Stratos, Europes very first purpose-built rally car, in the mid/late 1970s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport. Features
Full detailed history of each marques rally career
- Full detailed story of concept, design, development
- Unrivalled coverage of people and influences behind the cars
- Step by step coverage of technical evolution
- Description of cars, why, how and when evolved
- Description of principal people (managers, drivers, engineers) involved
- Many many pictures, not only of cars in action, but of details and people
- Comparison with rivals
- Complete listing of important successes
- Complete listing of works xcars
Description
This book describes the birth, development, and rallying career of the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza in the 1990s and early 2000s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport.
Independent Reviews
Review from Old Stager magazine, May 2007
I constantly struggle to see the book that I'm looking for in the bookcase. So, I for am delighted to see that the new series of Rally Giants by Graham Robson all have matching grey spines with the name of the featured car clearly marked.
Three have already been released by Veloce Publishing and feature the MkI Escort, Subaru Impreza and the Lancia Stratos.
The books each describe the birth of each 'rally giant' and the author chronicles the development, politics, successes and failures of the cars. The style and format offers an easy read and the ability to dip into each book as and when.
There are plenty of excellent photos (both mono and colour) and sections covering the personalities that shaped the various cars' development as well as the star drivers.
The best news though is that Graham Robson is working on another dozen or so books to include the Austin-Healey 3000 through to the WRC Ford Focus I can't wait!
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Review from The Motor Cycling Club Ltd
Its three for the price of one this time as I have been reading the Ford Escort Mk1, Subaru Impreza and Lancia Stratos in the Rally Giants series, written by Graham Robson and published by Veloce and thoroughly recommend all three volumes. Priced at £14.99, each has an interesting 8 x 8in format with about 125 pages containing lots of well chosen pictures, mostly in colour, so looks impressive enough for the coffee table, yet due to the authors experience and attention to getting his facts right, must have a place in the serious enthusiasts bookshelves, from whence they will frequently be taken as a source of reference.
What I really enjoyed most though is the way in which Graham has made a readable tale from what so easily could have been equally factual but totally boring. The author knew and worked in the rally world with the people and events he describes so brings out their characters and the behind the scenes action not always appreciated at the time.
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Review from Overdrive magazine, April 2007
The Subaru Impreza is known the world over as a racing thoroughbred. Renowned auto historian Graham Robson and Veloce Publishing have put together an ode to the Impreza for aficionados to revel in.
The Subaru blue portrait splashed on the cover is an eye catcher. The birth of the Impreza is unveiled in elaborate detail with styling cues, engine details and a myriad aspects are laid out comprehensively.
The reader is treated to a stunning portfolio of photographs of the car in action, even as one is furnished with data on the competition the Impreza was up against.The Flat 4 engine, and how it gradually evolved has been elaborated on a surefire highlight of the book.
Author Graham Robson has given the daredevils behind the wheel their due, with not just what they accomplished on track, but dispensing little known personal details as well.
Robson provides an overview of the Impreza era that began in 1993, the changes made to the car and how it all worked. But that's not all, as the reader is furnished insight into the Impreza successor as well. Robson spotlights the Impreza's victorious reign in an easy to decipher chart.
The volume also affords a canny glimpse into the world of rallying. The book acknowledges tthe sterling efforts of Prodrive of England, involved with works competition cars since advent, for furnishing the expertise and knowhow that paved the way to glory for the Impreza.
A must-have for Impreza fans.
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Review from Hot4s.com.au (Australia), May 2007
For nearly 20 years, Prodrive has run the works in regards to Subaru's rally prowess, including providing the expertise that has seen them storm the championship scene. As well as detailing this story, this book also provides a highly in-depth look at the Impreza itself, with full specifications and achievements of all the WRC models.
The compact book is chock-full of great colour photos, many with the WRX seemingly airborne, and no doubt on its way to another victory. Text-wise, a good chunk of everything is devoted to a year-by-year breakdown of the car's achievements, with a car and team section up the front providing information on everything from the inspiration behind the model to its star drivers.
All that said if you're a rally buff, or just love Subaru's muscled-up monster, this is the perfect book for you to pursue.
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Review by David Traver Adolphus for Hemming Sports & Exotic Car, May 2007
You know we're nuts for rally in all its forms, and have a special fondness for Subaru rally cars. So if the latest installment in Veloce's Rally Giants series on the Subaru Impreza impressed us, you know it's worthwhile.
The book covers the development of the company, the race program and the cars in depth, before plunging into the World Rally era of Colin McRae, Tommi Makinen and Fetter Solberg. With access to the factory racing photo archives, driver profiles and a riveting season-byseason retrospective, we enjoyed all 124 pages.
