Subaru owner Jim Harrison has turned dream-maker for one of rallying’s biggest names from the ’90s.
When Briton Harrison purchased an ex-Bruno Thiry Subaru Impreza 555 one of his ambitions was to reunite car and driver from an iconic Belgian battle. This summer he will do just that as former factory World Rally Championship star Thiry climbs aboard the exact car he used on the 1997 Ypres Rally in an effort to go one better and win on some of Europe’s most famous lanes.
The former factory Ford WRC driver missed out on a Ypres win 28 years ago, when countryman Freddy Loix edged him for the podium’s top step by just seven seconds aboard his factory Toyota Celica GT-Four.
Thiry will tackle June’s Ypres Historic Rally in the Impreza recently restored and returned to its full late-Nineties glory by BGMsport. Ahead of Ypres, Thiry will have the chance to familiarise himself with the car at the Ardenne Rally Festival on May 1-3.
“Honestly,” said Thiry, “this feels unbelievable. This is the exact car I drove to finish second alongside Stéphane Prévot. I haven’t seen this car since, but thanks to the British number plate system, we can confirm that this is ‘my’ Ypres Subaru.
“It has been meticulously restored over the last two years. James [Jim Harrison] sandblasted the car completely and decided it would be fun to paint his model in the colours of the Ypres Rally.
Harrison's ex-Bruno Thiry Subaru has been beautifully restored by BGMsport in time to return to action in Belgium next month
“I only drove it once, which remains one of my biggest frustrations. Of all the cars I’ve driven in rallies, this Group A Impreza is by far my favourite! The sound, the ease of driving, and the fact it was developed by Colin McRae all contribute to that. The 1997 edition of the Ypres Rally also helped make this car legendary.”
Thiry will be co-driven at the Festival by Julien Vial, who tackled the Monza Rally with Thierry Neuville in 2015.
Predictably, Harrison is looking forward to seeing Thiry behind the wheel of his precious Subaru.
“BGMsport did all the restoration and preparation work on the car,” said Harrison. “Ian [Gwynne, BGMsport owner) did a fantastic job. He was sending me pictures of the car as the work was progressing and I just knew I had to get Bruno in the car.
“It’s a chance to really bring the story full circle with this car. It’s going to be incredible and quite emotional to see him driving it again after all these years.”
