Subarus are notoriously hot cars when their limits are pushed. Debates rage on as to whether front- or top-mount intercooling systems do the best jobs of cooling, but the guys at Process West are staying out of it. At $2,500, their signature Vmount intercooler/radiator system has proven well worth its price, and Chris was quick to toss it in, along with the included intercooler piping, before his prototype Hypertech drive-by-wire throttle body (a priceless item, in case you were wondering). Fuel delivery is slightly less exotic, but every bit as dependable: Injector Dynamics 1,000cc squirters, an Aeromotive pressure regulator, a trusty Walbro in-tank 255Lph pump, two Bosch in-line pumps, a custom surge tank, and an AEM EMS tuned by Cobb Surgeline founder and president Tim Bailey. $3,500, by our math.
Connected to that Cosworth crankshaft is even more high-dollar goodness. Planning to more than double stock power levels, Chris doubled gripping power with a Carbonetic twin-disc carbon clutch and flywheel, and connected it to a $5,000 PPG helical gearbox with all the fixins. After that it's Cusco all the way, with a 1.5-way rear differential and one-way unit up front.
Behind those $6,400 18x10-inch HRE 590Rs and ultra-rare $8,600 billet Mov It brakes, one might be surprised to find comparatively under-priced Stance coilovers. Don't be. These are GR+3, Stance's top-of-the-line, three-way adjustable (four-level high-speed bump, 15-level low-speed bump, rebound), remote-reservoir units, incorporating custom cold-wound springs, camber-adjustable upper pillowball mounts, and an inverted monotube design. Their $3,900 MSRP is a comparative bargain against similar competition-spec alternatives, and left coin over (in Chris' pockets, anyway) for a full Whiteline bushing and sway bar retrofit, and Prodrive bracing.
While amassing all this artillery, Chris stripped his STI and sent it down south to SoCal's Mobworks for its exterior effects: a full Zero/Sports Time Attack kit, Seibon carbon fiber hood, trunk and front fenders, APR carbon fiber side mirrors, and a L'aunsport carbon fiber roof-a cool $5,300 by our math, not counting trans-oceanic freight, and whatever Ortiz charged to render bodywork and apply the car's custom Corvette ZR-1 blue hues with teal-flop fade. We're guessing upwards of $12K all said and done. And that's not counting the interior.
A third reason we like tuned Japanese imports better than aftermarket Euro offerings: We're purists. We like driving and all the "rough edges" of tuned vehicles: the rush of turbos spooling, wastegates cracking open under full boost, exhausts roaring at stratospheric rpm, the unimpeded tale of the road as told by semi-compliant bushings, stiff springs and aggressive damper valving. NVH is its own reward in our circle, not something to be drowned out by heavy sound deadening material, over-stuffed leather upholstery, noise-cancelling stereo systems, and power-everything. And it seems we're not the only ones; you won't find any of this frill in Chris' STI. What you will find is a chassis-stiffening, NASA-legal, fully gusseted chromoly rollcage fabricated by the creators of the Ultimate Aero, a pair of Bride Vorgas and Takata harnesses to provide support to you and your passenger, and carbon fiber paneling replacing factory front and rear door panels, seats, the rear decklid, and trunk partition (the door panels are the only known set in the U.S., and didn't come cheap). Seated, you'll notice the flip-up Keys Racing wheel and Zero/Sports gauge panel behind it, the custom weighted carbon fiber shift knob in front of the carbon-enclosed SPA fire suppression system, and Turbosmart and Defi gauges serving as the only in-car entertainment. Aside from that 700whp Cosworth mill and PPG box, that is.