Bugeye (2001 to 2002)

Introduced in 2001, the Subaru Impreza Bugeye represents the earliest form of the second-generation Impreza and is instantly recognised by its round “bug-eye” headlights, a bold design choice that divided opinion but has since become iconic. Built on the GD platform and offered as a sedan and five-door hatchback, the Bugeye range featured Subaru’s trademark symmetrical all-wheel drive paired with naturally aspirated and turbocharged flat-four engines, most notably in WRX and WRX STi form, which carried strong influence from Subaru’s ongoing World Rally Championship success. Despite its short two-year production run before the 2003 facelift, the Bugeye laid the mechanical foundation for later Blobeye and Hawkeye models. Total production for Bugeye-era Imprezas is estimated at approximately 350,000–400,000 units globally, with performance variants forming a small subset of that figure. In the Australian market, Bugeye WRX and STi models were officially sold and remain culturally significant as the first “new-shape” rally-era Imprezas, with values driven by variant, originality, manual transmission, mileage, and condition, as clean, unmodified examples increasingly gain appreciation for their raw character and early-2000s motorsport identity.