Project Subura WRX

You might think it's wrong to call a 2002 Subaru WRX a zero, but with the world of aftermarket performance still growing at an enormous rate, it would be more wrong to leave such a potent performer untouched by the skilled hands of the tuning gods. That's why we decided to put this brand-new car on the chopping block in front of the thousands of attendees at this year's International Auto Salon, to show that--old or new--any car can be tuned to perfection. Under the expert guidance of the folks at Dynamic Autosports, you can rest assured this car has definitely reached hero status.

Once the car was in the booth, the first OEM equipment to go were the factory exhaust and intake systems. While the car is definitely "hot off the shelves" in all senses of the phrase, there is always room for improvement and that room came in the form of A'PEXi's new GT-Spec exhaust system. To complement the exhaust, an A'PEX intake system was also bolted into place to make sure the air was flowing properly from beginning to end.

About an hour after the basic bolt-ons were done, the Dynamic boys got down and dirty. Naoto "Nacho" Negishi began disassembling the factory turbocharger unit, which would be replaced by an upgraded XS unit. Even though this car is relatively new, XS Engineering wasted no time in upgrading the turbocharger for maximum flow potential. The next to go were the factory exhaust manifold extension pipes. Following the XS brand of thinking, the stock pieces were swapped for stainless-steel pipes in the upper, front and mid-pipe varieties. Day one was then over and a few passersby had to be whacked in the head to prevent them from taking the factory parts for their own benefit. Refreshing beverages were served, but there was a distinct lack of tea and crumpets, much to Jason's dismay.

Day two started and Nacho was joined by fellow Dynamic Autosports teammate, Frank Kim. Frank was formerly known as "Beefcake" due to his diminutive stature, but apparently cars aren't the only thing that he decided to tune up. With muscles coming out of every pore, Frank assisted Nacho in mounting the massive Blitz front-mount intercooler and connecting all the pipes. Now that the car was starting to come together as a dominating street machine with most of the performance parts installed, it was time to turn attention toward appearance.

The WRX wagon might be a new thing here in the States, but the rest of the world knows what's happening with the five-door wagon arena. That's why we enlisted the services of JapanParts.com to bring in a non-U.S. market body kit, produced by Liberal, to accent the curves of the bullet-train grocery-getter. Before the show, the kit was painted and pre-fitted by San Diego Car Salon, making sure the installation went smoothly in front of the showgoers. With the twist of a bolt here and the turn of a screw there, our WRX went from "just another WRX" to "whoa, that thing is bad-ass," especially with the large Blitz intercooler staring out of the front bumper.The final day of the show was reserved for the remaining parts. A set of Intrax coilovers was mated to an NRX camber kit to make short work of the suspension demands on the WRX, while upgrading the stopping power was assigned to Wilwood's new six-piston-caliper big-brake upgrade. When we say big, we mean big--so big that even Beefcake couldn't handle the rotor/caliper combo all by himself. But, with the help of Dynamic team member Charlie Kim, the brakes were installed and ready to stop on a dime, nickel or peso.

After the brakes and full suspension work were installed, the WRX received a set of 18-in. Racing Hart CP-035s with Yokohama Parada Spec II tires for maximum grip and the ultimate in race styling. MSD's distributorless ignition system found a new home under the hood and a pair of Sparco racing seats muscled themselves into the interior cockpit, next to all of the Blitz gauges and electronics.

For those of you that own WRXs and want to know where to start, our Project WRX is definitely a template that you can use for your ideas. If you were lucky enough to follow along during the IAS show at the installations, you would know that the WRX is a highly tunable car and an easy platform to build on. If you didn't happen to make it to the show, or somehow missed our booth, keep your eyes peeled for upcoming tech stories that will detail out why we added the parts that we did to Project WRX. And if you don't own a WRX, seeing our project vehicle should be enough to make you go out and buy one. Do it now.