All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Auctions

1998 Subaru Impreza 22B sold for £480,500 GBP

Recently, cars have been fetching high numbers at auctions, especially when it comes to examples owned by famous people. Such was the case with this 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B sold for £480,500.

Subaru Impreza 22B was owned by British driver and World Rally Championship Drivers’ title winner, Colin McRae. Colin died in 2007, and in his career he achieved 25 victories and 42 podiums.

Subaru delivered this Impreza 22B to McRae in November 1998, one of three prototypes of the rally-inspired limited edition model. After that, 399 cars were produced for the Japanese market alone, 16 for the UK market and five for the Australian market.

The car is powered by a 2.2-liter EJ22 turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a factory 276 hp (206 kW). The reason for the small number of horsepower is the Gentleman’s Agreement between all Japanese car manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi to limit all JDM production cars to 280bhp and 180kmh in order to reduce road fatalities. Subaru modified the gearbox, clutch, drive shaft, brakes and suspension to make the car as close as possible to the WRC model. It has only 11,802 km on the odometer.

The 22B was very successful for Subaru’s WRC team, winning three constructors’ titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997. This most desirable Subarus in the world comes with an aftermarket exhaust system, and the buyer got the original exhaust system as well as the original tires.

Source: Iconic Auctioneers

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1998 Subaru Impreza 22B sold for £480,500 GBP
EV, News

ZEEKR 001 is coming to Europe

In 2021, a Chinese premium electric automobile brand, ZEEKR, was founded, whose primary focus was the domestic Chinese market, where it sold over 100,000 cars. Two years later, the company arrives on the European market with its flagship sedan ZEEKR 001.

Coming to the European market is part of the company’s plan for this year. Three months ago, the company’s director for Europe, Spiros Fotinos, said that this company intends to become one of the three largest premium electric brands by the end of the decade. That’s really ambitious, if we consider that their biggest competitors are brands like Tesla, BYD, Volkswagen, GM, and Stellantis.

The first examples of the ZEEKR 001 were loaded onto a ship in the port of Taicang last week, and the first two EU markets where it will be offered are Sweden and the Netherlands. The plan is to reach six markets by the end of the year, and eight by 2025.

The 001 is powered by a 400 kW electric motor which is enough to propel the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). Buyers will be able to choose between AWD and RWD, and the car will have a range of 620 km (WLTP).

Model 001 is not the only car from the Chinese company. After two years of existence, ZEEKR also presented ZEEKR X, which is expected to be released on the world market soon.

Source: ZEEKR

News

Fiat 500e Gelateria Edition is the ice cream vehicle of the future

Italy is famous for its delicacies, especially ice cream, and the old ice cream vans, powered by diesel engines, pollute the environment significantly. So Fiat found a solution for the future by introducing its sweet little concept car, the 500e Gelateria Edition, which could be the ice cream vehicle of the future.

The concept is based on the Fiat 500e Convertible and comes without a passenger seat and rear seat. Instead, there are two ice cream refrigerators with a capacity of 15 liters, as well as storage for cones, spoons and bowls. The vehicle can store enough ice cream for 300 people. During sunny days, while waiting for their ice creams, customers can take shelter under a small awning that provides shade.

It is finished in a combination of light blue and white, reminiscent of classic Italian ice cream shops from the fifties. Inside, the driver’s seat is also upholstered in light blue and white leather, and the Ivory dashboard features a centrally located touch screen and “Gelateria” lettering on the left side. Although it is a small car, it still provides enough space for two folding deckchairs.

Old ice cream vans are banned in some city areas, because their engines have to run all the time so that the refrigerators and other appliances in the van can be powered by electricity, producing significant amounts of CO2.

Source: Fiat

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Fiat 500e Gelateria Edition is the ice cream vehicle of the future