It's 9 p.m. on a Saturday in downtown Orlando, Fla. I'm sitting shotgun in Shawn Bakley's WRX, staring out the window with a half-dazed look. Never before have I seen such affluent men suffering from such severe cases of midlife crises. They're wearing loud Versace silk shirts, unbuttoned to fully expose their chest hair.
I complain, "I didn't fly all this way to see cheesy Tony Montana look-alikes."
"You know, you're right. How about I take you to Hooters? We can grab a quick bite and really appreciate the view."I smile, and we pull over to get gas before we hit the road.
As Bakley pumps, I unlatch my Takata MPH-340 harness and climb out of the newly reskinned suede Cobra seat to see exactly what modifications were done to this STi.
"Is that a custom set of Volk rims?" I ask. "They look pretty sick!"
"Yep. They're 19x8.5-inch CE28Ns all around. They're color matched with the exterior in factory Subaru java black pearl. I'm currently riding on a set of 245/35/19 Toyo T1S Proxies."
As I crouch down to admire the rims, a metallic glare shines from behind the front rims. Sitting in place of the factory Brembo brakes is a pair of chrome GREX six-piston calipers mated to a set of Project Mu pads. Being the true aftermarket suspension junky, I dive under Bakley's car to look at the suspension mods. Panning over the undercarriage, I notice the STi is fitted with a slew of Cusco components. Ladder bars, end links, trailing arms, and front and rear sway bars provide true suspension adjustability to the once-limited factory components. A Cusco titanium tower bar stiffens the front chassis, while Cusco's carbon bar is mounted to the rear.
"Since you're down there, do you want to change my oil for me, too?"
"No."
Bakley laughs. "You probably noticed I'm running on a set of Tein Flex coil-overs equipped with an adjustable EDFC unit. Both were installed by Racing Zone Autohouse in Orlando. With this setup, I can coast at high speeds through freeway interchanges. The car's handling response is unbelievable and moves like a Go Kart on a set of rails."