Call me old school, but let me tell you this: a name change to an iconic line of JDM is bad news. Just look at the GT-R under Carlos Ghosn and the Impreza-less WRX. Sure, they still have their followings, but they are never as celebrated as they used to be. Anyhoo, for folks who appreciate the fine, old JDM, Hot Wheels recently launched a collectible that you can never could buy now unless you are willing to feed the scalpers, the Hot Wheels RLC Exclusive 1998 Subaru 22B-STi.
The Subaru 22B-STi was born out of Impreza’s involvement in the World Rally Championship and one of the JDM icons near the turn of the millennium—which happens to be the golden era of JDM. Hot Wheels celebrates this with a beautiful 1:64 replica featuring an opening die-cast hood that reveals the legendary 2.2L turbocharged flat-four engine (EJ22G) with the top-mounted intercooler. As a refresher, this engine produced 280 PS and 363 Nm of torque in stock form. Not an alarming output (thanks to Japanese law at that time), but that torque was really something to reckon with.
And boy, does Hot Wheels do it justice. The model comes dressed in Spectraflame OTTO blue—because, of course, it does—with those angry “mean eyes” that make it look like it’s about to smack a WRX CVT across the face. Real Riders 10-spoke wheels, matte black full-metal chassis, light smoke-tinted windows… this is no plastic toy. This is a 1:64-scale tribute to peak Subaru.
It’s long sold out, obviously. But hey, just like the real 22B, that only makes you want it more.
Images: Mattel.
