Undying Love - 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX

To prevent the stock drivetrain system from disappearing into smoke, Duenas added in an ACT street clutch and Prolite lightweight flywheel. A Perrin short shift lever and harder shifter bushings were added in for a much-needed firmer shift feel, although the WRX's notoriously fragile five-speed transmission remains in place. Duenas has, however, made the wise choice to switch the innards of his transmission over to the stronger STi RA gearset.

In order to tighten up the suspension, as well as lower his stance, Duenas added in a set of TEIN Flex adjustable coilovers. A GT Spec anti-lift kit helps with handling power-on understeer, while a set of Cusco swaybars aids in controlling proper weight transfer. Body stiffness, an area that all cars could use help with, is improved with the addition of GT Spec fender braces, front tie bars, a rear T-brace and a front ladder bar.

Nitto's Neo Gen tire is Duenas' rubber of choice, providing a 245-width contact patch on top of bronze 18x8 Work Emotion XD9 wheels. Lurking behind Work's latest release is a Rotora front big brake kit. Blue four-piston brake calipers use stainless steel braided brake lines to squeeze Rotora pads on top of larger 13-inch rotors. The rear brakes are left stock aside from the switch to Rotora slotted and cross-drilled rotors.

No show car would be complete without a kick ass interior and in-car entertainment system, and this WRX doesn't disappoint. Duenas uses an Optima Yellow Top battery with a NRG Epac system to regulate the power to three trunk-mounted Audiobahn 10-inch Sound Q subwoofers, one A18001DT Class D amplifier, one A5100T surround sound amplifier, one AEQ8 sound equalizer and a full set of ABC6002V component speakers.

The trunk enclosure is covered in black suede, and the custom upholstery work carries over into the interior, thanks to Kreative Auto Interior of Rosemead, Calif. The headliner, door panels, custom rear seat delete and sunvisors have all been re-covered in the black suede material. Matching the black suede interior is a set of NRG carbon-fiber bucket seats with a Rally Innovations harness bar making sure that proper mounting angles are used for the safety harnesses.

Duenas keeps track of his engine vitals using an HKS boost gauge and Buddy Club quarter-DIN oil pressure, oil temp and water temp digital gauge meters. All the interior trim pieces that you see painted are using a slathered mix of real Subaru Rally Blue paint, matched to the exterior of the car.

With his Subaru set both inside and out, Duenas has finally called it quits on this project. After taking 1st place Subaru in the 2006 Chinatown Showoff in Los Angeles, Calif., as well as an appearance in The Fast & The Furious 3, Duenas has capped off his show history with an appearance in the pages of Import Tuner. His fierce dedication to his tuning core has finally paid off, and Duenas has the Subaru to prove it. The only thing left for Duenas is to change his luck and make sure this WRX doesn't get wrecked or stolen. And that isn't always as easy as it sounds.

By Joey Leh

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