Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008 - (Page 30)

Words & Photos By Eric Eikenberry I f we’ve learned nothing else in the 50,000 or so years we’ve existed on this planet, it’s that Homo sapiens love all things “new.” The first Stone Age cave-dweller to strap round, flat objects onto a few hastily carved planks of wood was probably the neighborhood celebrity in a matter of a few days. Prehistoric women might have been throwing themselves at his feet. What this Paleolithic engineer didn’t realize at the time is that he’d tapped a rich vein deep inside the human mammal: what I’d like to call the “Go-Fast Gene.” Society has been accelerating nonstop ever since. Today, we’ve got fine companies like AEM and Subaru who are dedicating entire workforces toward the further encouragement of the “Go-Fast Gene.” Shortly before the 2007 SEMA show AEM and Subaru, together with Harman Motive, whipped a new 2008 Subaru WRX into shape. Here, laid out before you, is the, fruit of their labor. This interior is beautiful in a Spartan, functional way. They didn’t start with an orange car. That would be too easy. Instead, project coordinator Greg Nakano, of tuning giant AEM, was handed the keys to a black 5-door Impreza WRX in early September 2007. Subaru’s in-house tuning division had already fitted 30 JULY 2008 it with an SPT intake and exhaust system, a 6-speed STI transmission, and an STI twin-plate clutch. The idea was to showcase what was possible with the new Impreza hatchback for the 2007 SEMA show. AEM made sure safety was at the forefront, with a multipoint roll cage installed by Sinister Race Cars, designed to protect three occupants. Next, it was shuffled off to Dan Harman’s house of wonder, Harman Motive, where they performed a baseline dynamometer test on their Mustang MD500SE allwheel drive dyno. The car made 199 wheel hp and 211 ft/lbs of torque on 11psi, proving that the stock WRX is certainly no slouch. Down to the nitty-gritty, Dan’s techs installed their new GT3582R turbo kit and intercooler. Deatschwerks 850cc fuel injectors and a Walbro in-tank fuel pump keep up with the 26 pounds of boost the Garrett turbocharger supplies. A Tial 44mm wastegate and 50mm blow-off valve control the happily spinning snail, while AEM’s programmable engine management system keeps all of the electrons busy whizzing on their way through the CAN-Bus system courtesy of a custom wiring harness. A revised intake system using an AEM Dryflow filter allows a straight shot into the rotated turbo. A Setrab oil cooler now rests directly below the hood scoop. A stock intake manifold was reversed, making room for the boost crossover tube from the oversized turbo. The mandrel-bent tubing is made of 304 stainless steel and can be coated by Harman Motive in either a black or silver ceramic. AEM chose a strik-

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008

Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008 Contents Editor Letters Readers’ Rides Subaru News Fresh Squeezed Hell's Legacy Under the Radar Project GT Rebuild New Engine AVO 420 Turbo Perrin Intercooler Rally Like a Rockstar Rally Jordan Adventure WRC Rally Argentina WRC Rally Jordan WRC Rally d’Italia Sardegna Where to buy Subiesport WRC2008 Debut Rally America: Olympus Ad Directory Rally America: Oregon Trail Spotted!

Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008

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