You may think that your car payments are high, that the price of gasoline has soared, rent is completely played out, and the concept of new clothes is just a pipe dream. But consider this next, the cost of pure gold in the United States of America hovers around $430 an ounce. Although there are some South American exports that hold a higher street value, gold is widely recognized as the expensive commodity of choice. From chains to rings to capped teeth, wrapping yourself in the precious metal can be a very rewarding and confidence boosting experience. Quite simply, gold makes you feel like a badass.
Eric Steinbrecher and his 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi are no different. Built with help from Top Secret III (the international distribution branch of Top Secret) and Varis USA, the exterior body of this WRC-inspired champion is covered in the trademark golden hue of infamous tuner Top Secret. Kazuhiko iSmokyi Nagata, founder of Top Secret, originally covered his tuned projects with a coat of green paint, but that all changed years ago when the Olympic Games came to town. Inspired by the gold medals given to those who stand on the top steps of competition, Nagata embarked on the gold brick road that he has since made recognizable worldwide.
This STi, Steinbrecher's baby, is one the precious few vehicles to be blessed by Top Secret. The paint isn't some custom mixture best guessed by a body shop; the coating is genuine Top Secret gold paint. Only Top Secret sells the paint, and only if they deem you worthy enough; it's that exclusive. Sprayed by Steinbrecher himself and Jason Dominguez, the gold paint sticks to a genuine Varis experience. The front carbon-fiber lower half spoiler and carbon-fiber side diffusers are from Varis, both featuring a clean slice of carbon just barely visible from amongst the gold. The carbon-fiber hood and trunk are both by Varis as well, although only the underside of the hood has been painted to match the car. Interestingly enough, the front INGS+1 carbon-fiber canards are for the Honda S2000, although they fit like they were born for the STi. Accented by gold 18x8.5 Volk limited CE28N wheels covered in 235/40 Fuzion rubber and Euphoric Designs graphics, Steinbrecher's STi looks the part as the meanest Subaru to cruise the streets.
What else does it take to back up a body like this? Try a fire-breathing 2.8L flat-four engine pushing 520hp and 500lb-ft of torque at the wheels. A veritable wet dream for standard 2.0L WRX owners, this monster started out life as a Crawford Performance engine block. Fully built by the Oceanside, Calif., Subaru specialists, the fully closed deck engine block is machined and fitted with replaceable wet sleeves, a forged crankshaft, Pauter connecting rods, and forged CP pistons. From Crawford Performance, the block was then shipped to Godspeed Motorsports Inc. in Novi, Mich. Stock STi cylinder heads were bolted back on to the block, along with a Magnus sheet metal intake manifold and a Godspeed turbo kit.
Using a special Forced Performance/Garrett GT3575 turbocharger with a stainless-steel exhaust housing as the heart of the upgrades, the kit also includes a new GT Spec header with custom up-pipe, a new downpipe, Tial 44mm wastegate, Tial blow-off valve, Power Enterprise 850cc fuel injectors, and a massive APS DR650 front-mount intercooler. Comprehensive in terms of parts, the kit has to make use of brand new intake and exhaust plumbing to fit the differently sized and flanged Garrett blower. The mass airflow sensor has been dumped, and replaced by a MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor and the Hydra engine management system.