Upon arriving at SEMA this year, one of the first cars I noticed was this first generation two-door Subaru Impreza parked outside. The thing that struck me is that it wasn't built like most Imprezas.
It wasn't done in a Time Attack or rally style. If anything, it was more like a smooth VW show car. It was slammed on a set of 15s via an air suspension kit, and the trunk was covered in upholstery.
Here's a closer look at the trunklid. I wonder how this stands up to the elements?
The interior was fully redone, with custom covering over the seats, the dash, and the instrument panel. The four-spoke steering wheel also helps with the old school show car look.
The shift boot and e-brake cover have also been covered in matching material.
There will definitely be some that scoff at the idea of an Impreza being built into a show car, but to be honest I kind of prefer this to the over the top show cars with massive wide bodies and big brake kits that have never been used in anger.
What do you think?
-Mike Garrett
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
I respect the owner's boldness when it comes to the upholstery-coverd trunklid, and overall the car seem very well-done. This car is probably something which has never been done before. Personally however, if I got my hands on any generation of Impreza I would go for a rally/street-themed setup without a second thought.
ermm..sorry mike, forms follow functions
Definately a case of less is more!!! Haters are gonna tear this one up, but I love it!!! Kudos to the owner for launching themselves WAAAYYYY outside that box!!!!
It aint got no alibi its ugly!
Why does it look like a couch from a retirement home?
????????
I try not to hate but this looks absolutely retarded. I honestly can't even find one thing I like about it. I can appreciate show cars if they at least seem well thought out but nothing here flows, it's just a mish-mash of "dare to be different" offbeat styling ideas.
i think its awesome. i would guess at the fact the trunk/boot was done for the show, and as a bit of a stir.
2 doors are pretty rare. wonder if its a conversion?
barf
Instead of listing the things I dislike or would do differently with the car and wasting a bunch of time and energy I'll give constructive criticism like others should. Not my cup of tea, but the work needs to be admired and respected!
I like that it has a stock exhaust. Whats with the cage?
I love it Mike. Haters gonna hate.
I LOVE that interior to death, but I disapprove of that trunk lid.
Subarus dont look good enough to be show cars imo
What's with the cage? Would like it alot more if it had a colour-matched bonnet, however I do think it is cool that it is 2-door. Best looking thing about the car - the OEM front bumper.
You can't climb in the ring with Ali just because you think ya box.
Agreed, prefer this clean style to the overdone chrome everything and wide everything.
Completely ridiculous and absolutely a car I would stop at and check out longer than most. I would also take a picture of it. The owner accomplished their goal if it was to be bold and unique. I love cars that defy convention!
He knows I can box
wow, someone actually used some creativity instead of just dropping a ton of money on "JDM" stuff and track parts that will never get used (which is the current--rather disgusting--import show car "flavor of the week"). I feel like the details could be improved upon (that wire coming out of the ugly center console, black hood that doesn't flow, three gauge pods with only one gauge, and WTF is up with the steering wheel bolts??), but overall this guy did well. Reminds me of the hot rod scene, where customizing is actually encouraged instead of scorned...
LOL. is that a narrowband a/f gauge? thats stoneage tech right thar,
i really like this car, would like it more if the horrendous trunk was gone and was riding on coils not bags, proper street car it would be.
i can dig overall.
Kill it with fire. No, wait... kill everything that has any relation to illest or hellaflush.
WOW talk about a full serving of rice
Yuck
Mike, I doubt that this car also never has never been used in anger... Each to its own, but as far as my taste is concerned, this car belongs to the "what not to do to your Impreza" manual - chapter 1, section 1. But by looking at those gauges I grew curious about what's underneath the bonnet...
It looks comfy, but shouldn't the upholstery be inside the trunk?
I never wish to be someone who judges other peoples creations because, at the end of the day you make a car how you like it. BUT this is just offensive! I mean the interior is disgusting, that boot lid is disgusting (why only the boot?). The 15's and bagged look works well though and the colour is nice.. It seems to be put together nicely also. As long as the owner loves it who cares what i think anyway.
Could have been made to a time attack or a rally car. Blue with gold rims. Whats the point of the roll cage.. However its the owners money.
"I kind of prefer this to the over the top show cars" THIS IS AN OVERDONE SHOW CAR. cool though
I just saw this car in an article called "The 10 worst cars of SEMA" HAHA
I just threw up a little. but to each there own
With respect, massive dislike!
Whats under the hood though!! Thats definitely going to change some peoples minds if they find an massive blower hanging off a EJ25 or something like a 3.0L Liberty GT engine transplant..
That'd be sweeeet
I don't know where to start....and yes I'm going to hate! Trimmed trunk, no thanks, or at least have it looking less 'puffy'. The dash and pillar colour doesn't match the rest, which looks whack. $3.50 wheels!.....and slammed....barely tucking any tyre is hardly slammed, 99% of people who run static on 15's are that low. I can ppreciate the work and the want to be different and stand out, but there is just too many things not working on this car!
I have been struggling to understand the thought process behind the trunk lid but I just can't wrap my head around it. I'd love for the builder to explain what the reasoning for it was.
can anyone identify wheels?
I agree Paul. I think what he did was cool but i would go for a track car for the street look. He probably take the trunk off when he's not at shows and puts a painted one on.
fake starsharks..... about that....
I can't stand bagged cars much less any hella flush-only lifestyle cars. But I actually like the interior and the overall design. Maybe it's the brown tones and the houndstooth pattern that get to me.
Overall, cool car, just get rid of the bags and sit it proper on some functional suspension.
Upholstery belongs in a luxury 80s toyota sedan...
I wouldn't build one myself but I like it! It's different. I like the dumped-on-15's look. Not too sure about the boot lid and the upholstery looks really itchy (carpet burn??) but I give it two thumbs up.
Dared to be different.
Rad. I'm feelin this. But! Obviously needs some serious attention to detail... for example: why no horn button? And exposed wires from the dash? Both so easy to remedy... And while Star Sharks are my favorite wheel- those Velveeta knock-offs are terrible. Overall though, pretty dramatic and cool.
wow, owner ruined that subie...
As a owner of GC8 myself i like it. Not crazy on the interior and the trunk but cool idea for sure!
What wheels are those?
Nice to see a car without a ls swap. This car is DIFFERENT. Its refreshing to see something new. Ive never seen the trunk treatment before and the interior is bit overdone with alll the different versions of tan but id call it a sick car none the less
A total disgrace. I respect the effort they have put into building it, but if you like that type of style, go and do it to a euro car. Scoobies are brute force power and although they dont have great looks, thats what makes them famous.
anger good
TACKY as fuh
All that work and yet three ugly mismatched bolts hold the steering wheel on with no horn button...
Ok, I will say that the upholstery work is amazing especially when you look at places like around the door handles or kick panels, that work is beautiful but whats with the pattern? It looks like someone used about 20 or so golf pants and used it for the interior... I also don't understand the trunk lid. Why? To be different? It is, but the inspiration seems to come from the padded walls of a mental hospital...
Respect the quality. Hate the concept.
all that show crap... and cage and stock exhaust? this car is hilarious.
Absolutely retarded! Its definately unique but so what, what's the point in doing something that's unique if it looks and is conceptually stupid!? I could turn a shoe into a hat and wear it on my head but how many people would think it looked ugly and stupid and think I was an idiot as I walked down the street!? If this is what it takes for a car to be considered different and cool these days then count me out!
This is disgusting.
Worst case of 'hurr durr imma try be different' I've ever seen. 19/20 times it ends up completely ruining the car.
I'm off to buy me some 'hellafunctional' stickers.
I like how bold the style is but definitely not how I would kit out a Subaru.
Nice work all the same.
totally inspired by this car. super original!
Steering wheel needs more dish
idk, I'd drive it around and think it's fine for just a mellow car with some style. to each his/her own.
That car is inside out.
It needs the padding on the inside to keep the nut bag owner from injuring himself while hurling his boddy against the walls of his cell.
And the roll cage should be installed in all the other cars on the road around this car, to protect the public from the unsafe suspension and the idiot owner.
Expanding the envelope of bad taste.
i think the whole car is cool, only thing that lets it down is the wheels... too oldschool for year of the car.. and yeah kinda dumb having a rollcage and a standard engine... or maybe hes a terrible driver haha
I'm not really digging the HD wheels or the color.scheme. I've got respect for the builder but it's just not my cup of tea. the one thing i do like is that it is dropped to the floor.
I think it looks awesome, love the wheels!!
this thing isnt cool or original. go look through any 90's mini truckin mag and you'll see this same stupid shit. atleast they didnt ruin a decent impreza.
Lame.
Such a waste of a perfectly good 2 door GC chassis.
And Dimitri, this is unfortunately an original 2 door. The B-pillar placement and rear-side window size gives it away.
Anyway, kudos for being different. I respect the work that's been put into it.
Anyone know what wheels those are?
here we go...gc8 on bags, not the best use of 'long travel' arms, but me gusta the fact that it is a hatred magnet! fabric on exterior bodypanels does bother me more
CHAVTASTIC!
im not a fan. upholstry on the outside and those 15's EWWWWW. maybe if it had a different choice of wheels it would look a lot better
Wow, i lived up to the day when I don't see just another everyday Impreza with same rims, same kit, same colour and same interior. I might not agree with the choice of interior material however, but the trunk idea and the overall realization is solid.
Seriously, i got tired of seen SAME subaru everywhere.. I may not like all in it, but it's fresh at least.
Love it!!
Different isn't always better. Its like men you see wearing Emu boots.
I have been slowly learning to appreciate show cars over the past few years, having always been a fan for the nasty, snarling, brutal competition and street machines first and foremost. One thing I adopted as a mindset was "bags are for groceries" - but it's cars like this, and the smooth euro machines I've seen featured here before, that are turning me around to a whole new flavor of automotive styling.
I mean, you can't drive your 500+bhp time attack car to work everyday. Or your cambered-out drift machine to pick up your kid from school. That's where these cars fit, in my head. A styled, pampered, beauty queen that shows the world on a daily basis that you are a fanatic. People may get the wrong idea from the presentation and think you worship form over function, but who cares? A true car nut does what they want to their car, for reasons they hold important to themselves. The mindset of the masses should never enter into it. Ever.
The trunklid is lavish and fancy, maybe too much for my tastes. But the rest screams euro to me, and I like it. Bags on a Scooby? Not my cup of tea, but the car isn't going to be participating in any rally events, so why waste coilovers on it? There are heaps of these cars out there - just because someone does one up in a manner that doesn't "fit the bill" of what they were "intended for", doesn't mean the owner has no idea what the hell they are doing.
TL;DR - Bravo.
The show plate is so much epic fail, LOVE the interior though!
I kinda like it...but the front is "toO" aggresive to suit the rest of the smooth/clean look i think....
Ok, I understand some may want to do their Impreza different. But, an Impreza was never, is not and will never be intended to look like an old / classic car !
And what happened to the side mirrors ? I prefer 100 times a car fitted with high performance parts that will never been used to their max, that an ugly car with no-sense that can't be used at all.
Plus, although it's th best part of the car, the front bumper doesn't match with the reste of the car.
You can make something different with a Subaru without making it this ugly. Or even, you have the noice of not taking care of who made this or that.
I already seen a car with leather on the hood and the trunk lid, and the finish is ugly : this ruins the alignement of body panels, and it gets quickly full of dirt and scratches.
At least, the color is nice.
I built that car, and Im suprised how many people have commented on it . I know its not everyones idea of what a car should be, I expected that. But I also didint expect so many people to have really noticed it, with so many really cool cars at SEMA this year. I happy people actualy looked at the car and either hated it or liked it.
I apreciate the comments good and bad , I bought the car for $300 bucks and ended up building what you see for AIR ZENITH for SEMA show. I guess to each their own on how they want to build cars, I've built the over the top show car and have helped with a few real race cars. I wanted to just do something really different and something fun.
As for all the mis matching bolts, I had a friend bust my balls on that also. I thought it was cool since it was un intentional but hey
As for the roll cage , I just say why not it looks neat in the car in my opinion.
That plate on there is actualy a real plate just not a U.S one its my buddies plate from when he brought his car from the U.S to the U.K .
I had a great time building this car and met some different car people that I would have never have met normally .
But for those that like it thanks and those that dont maybe you will like my next project....whenever I get it
Mike
very cool and original car , i love it ,except for the bags...
carbon hood and bootlid and a better choice of interior fabrics.
Not how I would have done things by any means, but I dig the owners originality and the fact that he built a car to his own theme, and not whats exactly trendy to the masses. Without people pursing ideas like that new trends wouldn't come about in the first place. Obviously some of you people waste more time worrying about what others think of your cars than actually thinking for yourselves. haha run in fear sheep!
Good post. It is really help to us. Its give us lots of interest and pleasure. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy.
Im gonna cover my whole car in purple linoleum and replace my seats with toilets. Yeah then people will think im different and respect me. Dont get me wrong the guy tryed but you have to realize that the new fad going around is to be different. Kind of an oxymoron but when you just mix match a bunch of crap that doesnt fit together it doesnt make you cool, it means your trying way to hard to be different and inadvertently folowing trends.
Absolutely hideous
this car screams skinny jeans and fedoras, hipsters need to stick to bicycles
This is what happens when a Golf owner accidentally buys a Subaru.
Different for the sake of being different? I love seeing original ideas but this has all been done before, the only point of difference is the chassis. If the point of it is to cause a stir then mission accomplished but why bother? Is internet stardom so important???? I'm all for building a car to suit your own personal tastes regardless of styles or trends but this appears to be all for show/shock. My apologies to the owner if this is not the case....I don't mean to hate on you if this is your dream ride!
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/11/top-10-worst-cars-of-sema-2011-sema-show.html/8
Out of Hundreds of cars at the SEMA show. It made the top ten... hahaha
Not too much on the truck but I frigging love that interior!
An embarassment to the British plates it wears
A pathetic non turbo subuaru. Not a car that deserves the horrible plight of being a static show car. Start posting some real cars please Speedhunters, there is nothing speed orientated about this car.
made it look like a honda.
This is why some people should not be allowed to own cars
???????? ??????????
Looks like mommy forgot to set someone's clothes out for them in the morning.
I can't believe you didnt take a photo of the roof...
it's called "fashion" look it up - I call it fail, you sir are still a I want to be different like everyone else by doing as much for attention as possible despite the results.
There are so much Fing haters in this world. When something is executed nicely and unique in its ways, it deserves some recognition. All you forum junkies think you know it all and so fing narrow minded. Ask yourself, are you really passionate about building cars? Or just do it because everyone else does it? Fing haters. I think it's different and cool in its own ways.
That looks awful. Really dont understand the uk plate on it either. its a 60 plate (2010) which would never be allowed on a car of that age.
I wanted to clarify that I did not pupose build this car to get attention, I figured some people would like and some would dislike this car.
I built the car so "the car " would be different then what I would normaly build, but never for the sole purpose of internet stardom or some boost to my ego. I built this car for my-self and to just have fun with it.
I like cars, any car, and I understand that there are strong feelings when cars are built, I have seen cars that I really just did not like, but i apreciate the work put into something.
People will never like everysong on a artist album or every painting they see or every movie they watch and i understand that . Thats what should push people to try something different with what they do, to bring out the feelings in someone else and to evoke a response, Maybe that person that hates this car so much will go home and say to themselves " I will show this guy how to build a car". Good , I hope it stands out and shows people a different view on what we love to do.
But thanks again to everyone that even took the time to look at the car.
Definately bold and different. After looking at it for a long time, im really digging it
I think the trunk and the interior are not so lovely but the slammed style and the front of the car are perfect!
Ok, I wasn't sure at first, but I dig it. Hahaha. neat stuff.
some farfegnugen fan boy did this. Dude inherited an L and had to do something with his old furniture.
Nick:
Man i love it.
Screw the haters, if everybody gets it, youre doin sumthing wrong.