Like, Zoinks, Scoobs: Making Tracks with Two Turbo-Swapped Subaru Imprezas [Video]
When it arrived in North America for the 2001 model year, theSubaru Impreza WRXfinally had a chance to show car enthusiasts on this continent what all the fuss was about. Of course, those initial U.S.-spec bugeye WRXs were preceded by a watered-down, non-turbocharged boy racer version of the Impreza known as the2.5RS. Consequently, enthusiasts who prefer the looks of the Gen 1 Impreza but the forced-induction power of the WRX/WRX STihave taken to placing the engine of the latter into the body of the former, creating a sort of greatest hits album/fixingSubaru’s initial mistake. Thesehybrids(in the pre-Priussense of the term) are affectionately known as “R-STis.”
This is exactly what a pair of first-gen 2.5RS owners from SoCal,Irvin BolanosandJames Gawley, did to their 2.5RS Coupes. However, as you’ll see, they’ve taken slightly divergent paths to arrive in R-STi town: James’ blue beauty is more show than go, with a full interior, compromised suspension setup, and a bone-stockcurrent-gen 2.5L STI engine, whereas Irvin’s gray machine features a gutted interior, track-honed chassis setup and a (technically not California smog legal) ants-in-its-pantsJDM 2.0L STi mill. These cars may differ in execution, but the idea – a damn appealing and affordable one, at that – is the same. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a cheap first-genImpreza Wagonto locate…
Source: YouTube