Subaru Legacy GT-B

Subaru Legacy GT-B / RS Turbo (1989 to 2003)

The turbo Legacy is the car that kicked off Subaru's whole turbo-AWD story, and it did it before the Impreza WRX ever turned up in Japanese showrooms in late 1992. It is the same recipe you know from the WRX: a turbocharged boxer four and symmetrical all-wheel drive, just wrapped in a bigger and comfier body. The first-gen RS (BC sedan and BF wagon, from 1989) was the homologation car and Subaru's early World Rally weapon. It ran the WRC from 1990 until the smaller Impreza took the baton in 1993, and Colin McRae handed the Legacy its only outright WRC win at Rally New Zealand on the way out.

Before any of that made the papers, three JDM turbo RS sedans went to a banked oval in Arizona in January 1989 and held an average of roughly 223 km/h for a full 100,000 km, an FIA-certified world speed and endurance record. That is about eighteen and a half days flat out without the engine crying uncle, which tells you plenty about how these motors were put together.

The GT-B is the one everyone actually wants

The cult hero is the GT-B: the second-gen BD/BG cars and the third-gen BE/BH cars, and above all the twin-turbo touring wagon. It looks like something a sparky drives to work, yet it will hang onto the back of a fair few proper sports cars while carrying the dog and a boot full of Bunnings gear. The "B" in GT-B is literally Bilstein, because that is what is holding up each corner. This is a genuine Q-car, and that is the whole appeal.

Under the bonnet sits the 2.0 boxer EJ20 turbo. The hottest JDM versions quote around 280 PS, which is less a coincidence than the old Japanese gentlemen's-agreement cap. The clever and slightly cursed party trick is the sequential twin-turbo setup on the GT and GT-B: a little turbo spools early for response, then a bigger one takes over up top. Manual cars got the punchier EJ20R twin turbo. It is lovely when it is all working.

Now the honest bit. The EJ turbo boxer has a couple of known habits worth checking. Ask about head-gasket history, because a good few of these have had the job done and you want to know when. Look hard at the oil condition and the service record, since a lazy owner will have quietly shortened the life of the whole thing. Be wary of ringland damage on any car that has been tuned hard and driven harder. The sequential twin-turbo plumbing also ages badly, with cracked vacuum lines and tired changeover solenoids being the usual culprits. Loads of cars have already been converted to a single turbo, which is completely fine if the work is documented and done properly.

Take the manual over the auto every time, both for the stronger engine and for the sake of actually driving it. On imports, go hunting for rust in the usual spots (rear quarters and strut towers) before you fall in love. And walk straight past anything a teenager has clearly boosted into orbit. A clean, stock, manual GT-B is the sweet spot. For the money you get real turbo-AWD ability wrapped in a practical wagon that usually sells for less than the equivalent WRX, and the EJ tuning support is everywhere when you do decide you want more.