This car was originally purchased by Brian Priebe in 2000. His father, who works for Subaru North America had found out about the car through an internal company e-mail list.

The car is a preproduction 2.5 RS, and was the 11th one built. The date stamp on the car shows that it was built in February 1997, four months before consumer production began. The #9 car is rumored to still exist and the #14 was seen by Brian after purchasing the #11. The car features a DOHC design, used only in the 1998 model year. Brian said the car “has always been stronger than the other 3 RS's we have had in the family (one of which is a 2001 2.5 RS).” This was still when it was completely stock.

The car was left to sit for two years at the Subaru North America facility with only 10,000 miles on it. Rumor and speculation suggest that the car was used for road tests and sneak previews by automotive magazines. The 1998 Subaru Press Kit includes two photos of a blue 2.5 RS. Could this be our car? We are currently in the process of working with a dealership to run the VIN through Subaru's computer system. Hopefully this will tell us more about the early days of this amazing automobile.