Subaru Legacy Turbo Was The Forgotten Sedan That Made WRX History Possible
The Legacy of the Legacy
The Subaru Legacy may be no more, but the impact it left on the company is immense. Aimed at the likes of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, it was a quantum leap over previous models, and it was a gamble that paid off. The platform of the first generation would form the foundations of Subaru's modern era, forming the lineup we know today. Oh, and Bruce Willis was involved in its marketing.
Unveiled in 1989, the first-generation model showed the world that Subaru was a brand to be taken more seriously. But aside from bringing sales to new heights and changing the brand's image, the Legacy laid down the foundations for the brand's later success in rallying.
Subaru's First Performance Sedan
Subaru had dabbled in turbocharging as far back as the early '80s with the Leone, otherwise known collectively as the GL or L-Series in the U.S. While boosted models were faster than the standard versions, we wouldn't exactly call them hot even by the standards of the day. That all changed with the Legacy Sport Sedan that was introduced in America in 1990 for the 1991 model year.
For North America at least, the hottest Legacy packed a turbocharged 2.2-liter boxer engine that produced 160 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. It was decent figures at the time, although far from the likes of the FordTaurus SHO that punched out 220 hp from its Yamaha-tuned V6.
Still, the performance figures it produced were good for its time. An instrumented test from Car and Driver in 1991 measured a 0 to 60 time of 7.9 seconds, a 0 to 100 time of 24.2 seconds, and a 120 mph speed in under a minute. That said, John Phillips, who reviewed the car, didn't call it much fun. Like in so many instances, the nicer versions were sold elsewhere.
Of Course, Other Markets Got the Faster Model
For those who wanted more punch from the Legacy, they had to move to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, or Europe. Those markets had a smaller 2.0-liter turbo, but it packed far more power than the one North America ended up getting. Numbers? 217 hp, 199 lb-ft, and a 0 to 60 time under 6.5 seconds.
That version was called the RS in Japan, or simply the Turbo in Europe and Oceania. Either way, it was far superior to the Sport Sedan and had a more buttoned-down suspension setup that further complemented the all-wheel drive system. It was even available as a wagon If that wasn't enough, there was the RS Type RA, the RA standing for Record Attempt. Those cars were lightened and relatively stripped out, and came with a closer-ratio transmission, and had hand-ported engines with stronger internals and forged parts.
The Type RA was a result of Subaru clinching the 100,000 km FIA World Land Endurance Record (62,000 miles, give or take), completing that task in 447 hours, 44 minutes, and 9.887 seconds (a little over 18 and a half days) by doing an average speed of 138.780 mph, stops included. The irony was that those cars were brought to America in '89 to be driven around the Arizona Test Center, only for the U.S version to be watered down.
Rebooting the Rally Program
Even before STI was established in 1988, Subaru had dabbled in rallying as far back as the '70s. Results were okay at best, and finishing a rally was pretty much a win back then. The best finish pre-STI Subaru achieved was third in Rally New Zealand 1987. As STI, the Subaru World Rally Team first entered in 1990 with the Legacy RS.
Like any new team, there were growing pains, but the car showed promise in the following seasons. Continuous development made the car more competitive, but Subaru's first win eluded it. The Legacy had all the potential to win on the world stage. It had already proved itself with back-to-back titles in the British Rally Championship in 1991 and 1992 with a young Scotsman named Colin McRae and his co-driver Derek Ringer.
The Legacy was scoring strong results and podiums from time to time, but the first win finally came in the 1993 Rally New Zealand, again with the McRae and Ringer duo. Subaru had finally done it after years of trying. Towards the end of the 1993 season, the Legacy had passed the baton to the smaller and more agile Impreza, and with the lessons learned from the previous years, Subaru would eventually become one of the sport's biggest names while kicking off the eternal debate of Evo vs. STI.
The First-Gen Legacy Turbo Now
The first generation of the turbocharged Legacy has a far greater following abroad than in the U.S. One can say that Subaru's rallying exploits were largely unnoticed stateside, as the sport wasn't really that big a deal in North America at the time, unlike, say, in Europe and Oceania. The neutered American version probably didn't help, either, and the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 sold in the country at the time wasn't as kneecapped as the Legacy Sport Sedan.
Today, it's a bit of an overlooked gem, and not a lot has survived over the decades. It's all the more reason to cherish the remaining examples, and perhaps start bringing in those spicier RS models that slipped through the North American market's hands. Besides, had Subaru decided not to offer a performance version of the Legacy, the company and the entire rally scene would look very different today.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 6:30 PM.