‘Ok, so what if I do 90% of the prep work myself? Will that bring the cost down by much?’
It can’t help to ask, right? Because as I start calling around for quotes on body and paint work for my new project car (full details coming soon…) I’m fast realising the cost of building a dream ride can quickly turn into a never-ending cycle of financial pain. It’s something fellow Subaru fan Daiki Hiroshima knows all too well.
But just look at this thing. Isn’t it glorious? The ridiculously wide stance and the green paint reflecting the world like some alien abyss is a winning combination. It’s worth every penny saved by only showering on Sundays and knitting your own socks.
This 1999 Subaru Impreza has been Daiki-san’s dream build for almost 10 years, not including all those years as a high school student following Subaru’s climb to fame in the WRC during the mid-1990s The car started life as a Version 6 WRX STI Type R Limited, and remained in mostly stock condition for Daiki-san’s first nine years of ownership.
Seeing various WRC replicas at events in Japan and being a rally fan, the choice to go wide was an easy one for Daiki-san. But an STI 22B-style kit wouldn’t cut it; only the ultra-wide, open wheel arch WRC-style kit would do. As a start point, at least.
Taking inspiration from the recently-released Prodrive P25 restomod, Daiki-san knew he wanted to create something unique. A rally car for the road was part of the aesthetic brief, and I’m sure the Japanese word for ‘classy’ was thrown around too.
The P25 has set the benchmark for what is possible in terms of refinement for a car which came from the factory about as polished as a Neanderthal in a tuxedo. While Daiki-san hasn’t quite gone to the full extent of the P25’s luxurious trim, there are some tasteful upgrades to elevate the Impreza’s rather basic interior, including a pair of leather Recaro SP-JC seats, a Nardi Deep Corn 350mm steering wheel and a Porsche 964 rubber shift boot.
Both the 22B kit and WRC kit are wide, but with 18×10.5-inch +20 WedsSports TC105X wheels to contain, that width would need a little massaging. When I say ‘massaging’, I mean slicing open and adding an extra 30mm to the already +40mm wide-body kit that Daiki-san sourced from Antonenko555.
The rear bumper was cut in half and rejoined down the middle to achieve the correct width. The wheels sit snuggly, and are paired with some late-model STI Brembo brakes – 6-pot and 2-pot, front and rear respectively. Yokohama Advan A052 265/35R18 tyres get that famous AWD grip to the ground nicely.
To complete the WRC look, a one-off front bumper, carbon fibre side rally mirrors and a 98WRC-style rear wing have also been fitted.
Once the bodywork was sufficiently wide, it was time to lay down some paint. The gorgeous Amazon Green Metallic is a classic 964-era Porsche colour, and it’s refreshing to see an Impreza not in the classic shade of blue.
Some may disagree with that statement, but I’m sure we can all agree that the body work looks phenomenal. And so it should – it cost a pretty penny. Not to mention the many hours of labour that went into widening the kit and getting an OEM+ fit and finish on the rest of the panels.
The next step is to get the power train to match the looks. Because the reality is, everyday folk like you, Daiki-san and I, don’t have unlimited resources to build a complete project car in one sitting. For some, getting the mechanical side of a build might be more of a priority; for others it might be the interior. For Daiki-san, the exterior was the most important part, so that’s what he concentrated onZ first.
Let’s call this round one. I can’t wait for round two…
Toby Thyer
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tobythyer.co.uk
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Being a version 6 of the STi, even with the stock power train, pretty sure its a blast to drive and makes a great sound!
"I’m fast realising the cost of building a dream ride can quickly turn into a never-ending cycle of financial pain."
This why I got out of road cars and into purpose built race cars made by accomplished designers. Sports car dorks and street car dorks will spend tens of thousands of dollars to "modify" their cars and go slower than a $10,000 formula car at the end of the day. A lot of these guys want to play "enguhneer" and talk about their "race inspired builds." Instead of actually going racing.
Most are more tinkerers than drivers these days (because internet clout and followers) and for people interested in driving -- modifying a road car is probably one of the biggest wastes of money. People seem to love it now for some reason. Probably because men are becoming feminine and are scared of competing / losing...probably why time attack is on the rise and considered "racing" by the inexperienced.
what a bold and bald statement you've got there, mate. yes, modifying a road car is probably one of the biggest wastes of money, only if whatever you've been working is ended up as a failure in your own eyes.
'probably why time attack is on the rise and considered "racing" by the inexperienced', that was a mad opinion. as a person that never really get the thing with drag race or ever care about it, i will never use such a words. and don't everything about race is basically "time attack"? drag race is time attack at the straight line, circuit race (f1, indycar, dtm, v8, etc) is time attack with the herd in the given laps? and as the other said about hillclimb and the forever famous rally. for endurance race, i'm not so sure about it
This feminine guy and time-attack enjoyer would smoke you in whatever you're driving.
Loser.
>Arrrgh young people enjoying their street cars for the sake of enjoying them arghh i hate young people
if your definition of time attack is not racing, hillclimb and rally is not a racing either since all those 3 fall into the same category: time trial
Funnily enough most people like to actually use their cars regularly and whenever they want and to go wherever they want. I couldn't think of anything more annoying and money wasting than a purpose built race car that you can use a few times a year, but that's why we're all different. Cheer up lad.
Cheer up bud, I work in motorsport and build road going cars for customers and the idea that racing is the only non "dork" way of enjoying cars is simply one of the most ignorant and sad things I have seen some write on here. on of my favourite things to do even with "real" race cars available to me is go for a spirited drive with a friend or share it with one of my sons, that is after all how I got into cars. I think you are on the wrong site for the way you seem to feel about cars, or maybe you just woke up on the "im angry with the world, everything I do is right and the rest of you are dorks" side of the bed, either way some good old self evaluation might make you a happier person and feel less need to hate on other peoples choices. hope you find your way to enjoying cars and a whole and not just what you have boxed yourself into.
Thats just his opinion. Not wrong either. I see where he's coming from. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But some can be so quick to react.
That was almost impressive.
You managed to go in three different ignorant, irrelevant-old-man directions at once
'going fast' went out the window when your local housewife can now go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds in her grocery getter tesla.
people love the drive more because they invest meaning into their cars THROUGH modifying, tinkering, etc. what's more manly than working on your own car?
you sound like a post malone ho, "she just wanna go fast"
This is an incredible looking car. The upturned front lip throws me off a wee bit, but it really is wondefully well done.
Stunning. Worth all the sacrifices!
F@cking gorgeous!
*tho I'm not about showering once per week xD
But the car and story and photos are incredible, you can't argue with that.
Damn this front shoot (last in the article) look evil!
I do love such builds, even I'm not into Suby theme, but in this build you can see the vision and dedication in the guy mind. I mean, every bit is for purpose, every move is calculated. Even the front lip which looking at the sky is so related so you can even imagine the whole concept of this build.
Crazy I'd say
Just perfect. One of the meanest looking Subaru’s out there
Peak Impreza for me
The composition of this subaru is really beautiful.
Congratulations.