Subiesport Magazine - February/March 2008 - (Page 24)

Story by Travis Geny Photos by Patrick Ernzen ubaru owners hate change. With every new body style, the Subie faithful moan and cry foul with every update to the iconic Impreza. Safe with the squared-off headlights for over seven years, when the 2002 WRX was released, many complained that it looked like a Dodge neon. never mind that it was the first turbocharged Impreza to hit u.S. shores; Impreza owners thought it was ugly. They were quickly won over by its performance and bargain price, though. Then came the 2004 model year and with it the StI; the first StI ever imported to the united States. for once, the Subaru throngs were somewhat relieved by the “peanut eye” facelift. It was a little more subdued, and if you squinted enough, it almost looked like a GC. Then came the 2006, and once again Impreza fanatics threw up their arms. “It’s weird looking,” they would say. or, “When did alfa Romeo go to aWD?” Yet, with time, the 2006 model has been accepted as perhaps the most attractive car Subaru has ever produced. The wingless “limited” edition is a Subiesport staff favorite. Given this history of civil unrest, it was with no surprise that the throngs of Subaru fanatics were utterly beside themselves with the release of the 2008 WRX. With such a wild departure from anything that had ever come before, many were simply dumbfounded that Subaru would make such a styling blunder. With threats of letter-writing campaigns S and outright boycott, the GD and GC faithful let it be known that the new car was not an Impreza. Knee-jerk reactions aside, it never takes long for the new cars to catch on, and the 2008 is no exception. before the car hit u.S. shores, tuners were already dreaming up what they could possibly do to these hot little hatches. nothing sparks innovation like a new platform, and Vivid racing was quick to start conceptualizing plans for the new car. They even drew mock-ups of what the new car could look like with larger wheels, a lowering treatment, and even a body kit. “The goal with a concept drawing is to make it a reality,” said Vivid Racing CEo Dan mermelstein. “We had a vision to take the ugly duck and change it to a fighting machine. The SEma debut certainly proved that.” to be sure, nothing sparks innovation like the SEma show, where having the hottest car means industry-wide recognition. to this end, Vivid took a bone-stock 2008 WRX and started turning concept into reality. The only problem is that in trying to build a brand new car, parts don’t really exist yet. While some parts were cross-overs from the older WRX, many had to be built from scratch. “Everything was made as a one-off for preproduction, including the aero kit,” sad Dan. “We pulled this whole car together in four weeks!” The most obvious difference between the stock car and this car is the body. Since no body kits exist 24 MARCH 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Subiesport Magazine - February/March 2008

Subiesport Magazine - February/March 2008 Contents Travis Geny Letters Readers' Rides Subaru News Subie Sleuths Hatched Plans United in Subarus East Meets West WRC Rally Catalunya WRC Rally France WRC Rally Japan WRC Rally Ireland WRC Wales Rally GB The Future of Subaru WRC Team Orange Where to Buy Subiesport 1993 Impreza "Dreadnought" Performance Radiator Install Special Kei Ad Directory Spotted!

Subiesport Magazine - February/March 2008

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