Have you ever seen an STi with shaved side mirrors?  I can’t think of one single example.  Corey’s car pulls it off well, but it’s not exactly something you’d notice right away.  He said he did it all himself actually, he just shaved down the plastic until it was flat and then repainted them.  I asked how he even got the idea for this interesting little exterior mod, and he told me it’s a look inspired by Honda race cars and aftermarket Spoon parts for several Hondas.  “I always thought it looked cool – sleek and drew attention to the car’s body lines.  It’s unique enough that you can’t pinpoint it until you really look, or if someone points it out.”  I watched him open his door to look behind him while backing up into a parking spot one time, but hey, form over function, am I right?




The above statement is a joke.  Corey executes form and function in a perfect balance.  Believe it or not, there is actually more to his car than a side-mirror delete.  Probably the first thing anyone would notice are his beautiful and timeless Magnesium Blue Volk TE37s or his Cusco-style front lip with Kaminari fog light replacement brake ducts.  Just these three things set the overall tone of the car.  The brake ducts and lip pair together to give off a “rip around the track and down some curvy roads” attitude, and the TE37s tie in a very nice and neat Japanese street car vibe.

You may have noticed that the car has a Florida plate, yet there is snow on the ground.  This is because Corey is from Florida, but currently lives in Connecticut, as he serves in the Navy (thank you for your service).  The issue with wanting to feature his car is that we currently live in Florida.  Since he happens to be a fantastic photographer, I asked him if he’d be willing to have a little photo shoot of the car exclusively for this article.  This is our first “remote feature” and I hope this opens our options up to more awesome cars out there across the country.  Since the start of our blog, I was excited to eventually write about Corey’s STi because I’ve been a huge fan of it for a very long time.  I get tired of saying this, but he’s another one of those guys I found on the internet years ago.  We only recently started talking and became buddies, and I actually got a chance to meet him last summer in Orlando when we met up for lunch.  I was excited to meet him and see the car, since I would always drool over his Instagram photos from when he lived in the Pacific Northwest.  Subaru’s Platinum Silver Metallic happens to be very photogenic, especially when paired with a background consisting of gloomy weather and snowy mountains.  I met him in person when he was on his way back home to Florida to see his family before he transferred to Connecticut.  He actually drove this car from Washington to Florida without air conditioning or any complaints, literally days after completing a motor rebuild (more on this later).  Ballsy move, but it worked out!




Corey, Zach (@momentum.rs), and myself met up in Orlando.  It was a very hot and humid south-Florida summer day, and my air conditioning was being temperamental.  Once in Orlando, I couldn’t seem to find the restaurant he wanted to meet at.  We circled around the block and then saw him sitting and waiting in a parking garage.  “Welllllll, look who it is!”, I said out my window as I pulled up to him.  We then followed him to a different spot to stop and get food and talk for a while.  I couldn’t help but stare at the car the whole time while following him just because it looks so good rolling.  He did a pull or two and the car made some beautiful noises, thanks to the Killer B equal length headers and Tomei Ti-Expreme cat-back exhaust.

Check out that paint-matched Do-Luck Carbon trunk!

We pulled up to a 4 Rivers Smokehouse right outside of Orlando and immediately got to talking.  We introduced ourselves, checked out each others’ cars, and went inside to get some barbecue and hang out.  Nearly the whole lunch consisted of Zach and I asking what the Pacific Northwest is like, if he knows so-and-so, and what so-and-so is like in person.  Basically we were being dumb fanboys but it’s okay, because Corey is a cool dude to talk to.  After the incredible pulled pork sandwich I had, we walked back outside to talk some more about his car.  Zach and I were walking laps around it, just admiring everything he’s done.  I recall that I first “met” Corey on Tumblr back in 2012 or 2013 – back when his car was nothing like it is now.  The main theme of Corey’s car is quality.  Look at the details and you’ll see.  This is not an “internet build,” like many other cars sporting these parts, but rather an STi built to his satisfaction.  No “in your face” aero parts, no flashy or obnoxious decals, no huge wing or stretched tires.  I think of a true Subaru enthusiast when thinking about this particular car.  I truly believe this is one of the more tasteful and modest builds I’ve been around in the Subaru world.

Like I stated earlier, the front end modifications fit the car very well and add aggressive styling with the lip and brake ducts.  Yes, those are true JDM headlights that he bought brand new without those ugly amber USDM reflectors.  Headlights really can make a massive difference in the appearance of a car (just ask Zach how he felt when he did his amber delete).  The brake ducts look awesome too, and the fact that they actually serve a purpose makes the mod much cooler (ha, cooler, get it?).  Corey’s lip is actually an S2 Designs lip rather than a Cusco, but they look almost exactly the same and make for a wonderful addition to any blobeye front end.  Before any of you “replica vs. real” part people freak out: you go try and find an authentic Cusco lip in decent shape for some non-ridiculous price.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Corey’s car is his wheel choice.  The car currently sits on some 18″ x 9″, +40 offset Volk TE37s in the eye-catching  Magnesium Blue finish.  His tire of choice is the ever-popular Bridgestone Potenza RE760 in a 245/40r18 size.  He got these with the intent to have them for “track duty” as he puts it, but now just leaves them on for however long he pleases.  Mag Blue on Silver is one of the best color combos out there, I must say.




His other set of stylish and quality wheels are Desmond Regamasters.  These wheels literally look good on any car, and are amazingly strong and light.  Corey’s are 18″ x 8.5″ with a +35 offset, wrapped in 255/35r18 Michelin Pilot SuperSports.  He originally bought these with the intent to have them as daily driving wheels, but like I said before, he just leaves whatever set he wants on the car nowadays.

Corey keeps it simple and functional with the interior.  His car sports some Recaro Pole Position seats to hug him tight on the fun roads and some OEM Legacy STi gauges to monitor important engine data.  He swapped out the entire signature blue and black STi interior for the less flashy, all-black WRX interior that the seats look right at home in.  Other pieces of the interior include a Kartboy short throw shifter and an Anarchy Motive shift knob, weighing in at a whole 671 grams.  Another interesting thing about this car is the gutted trunk and relocated battery.  He moved the battery back to the trunk for a little better weight distribution, and by doing so, made the car a bit more unique.  In the trunk, he occasionally rolls around with one of the Regamasters as a full size spare too.




Did I mention he has the JDM Spec C roof vent?  No?  Well there it is, paint-matched and all.  If you’re able to find one of these, you have to seriously be committed.  You must have the courage to cut a hole in your roof for it for one, but you’d need to make sure it’s lined up right because it is permanent.  No pressure.  It looks so cool when open, and really reminds you of one of the rally cars.  Corey said that even without AC, this vent made the drive down south nice and pleasant.




Like most modified cars, there’s more to this than meets the eye.  Lift the hood, and you’re looking at multiple ARC parts, gold heat foil, some “go fast” parts, and the STi signature red intake manifold.  By “go fast” parts, I’m talking about his IAG Stage 2 Tuff Block and Blouch Dominator 1.5XTR turbo.  In addition, he has an IAG Street AOS, ID1050cc injectors, a Tial 38mm EWG, a Mishimoto X-Core aluminum radiator and Mishimoto oil cooler, an ETS top-mount intercooler, and much more.  Corey also has an ARC Super Induction box, an ARC alternator cover, and an ARC cooling plate.  If you aren’t familiar with ARC (Abbey Road Company), it was a higher-end Japanese aftermarket part company that went out of business some time ago, leaving their products very valuable and somewhat rare.

Going back to what I said towards the beginning of all of this, Corey rebuilt his engine in Winter/Spring 2017.  The reason for a rebuild was going too hard in some snow and ending up with a spun bearing.  Sh*t happens, I guess.  I asked how it all went down, and he gave me the full story.  “So the engine build was fun.  I really enjoyed working on the car apart from the engine though, too, while I waited for parts.  I installed a JDM front bumper beam, JDM headlights, relocated the battery, put in black carpet, wired up my oem legacy sti gauges, and cleaned everything up.  The engine had to get an IAG stage 2 Tuff Block because I wanted it to be able to handle a decent amount of power, but nothing over the top.  I was in a pinch, so everything was pretty much purchased brand new with the exception of TGV deletes and fuel lines.  There’s a lot of other things I replaced while I was building the motor too; bigger radiator, external oil cooler, stainless valves and guides/seals.  I wanted everything to remain fairly OEM as far as systems were concerned, so I tried to recycle or recirculate as much as I could, and clean everything up with an IAG Street AOS.  Still haven’t had the car dyno’d since I had a street tune done, but it’s performed very well in the 20k miles I put on it in about 6 months – from 0′ to 14,114′ of elevation.”

Corey’s STi parked at the top of Pikes Peak.

Corey has really driven this car across the entire country.  Twice, at least.  It’s been through 28 states, from Florida to Washington, to Connecticut and literally everywhere in between.  I really love that his car is still used as a car and not some garage queen.  It was only recently that he picked up a mid 2000’s Tacoma as a daily driver, so before that it was just the STi 24/7.  It takes dedication to drive so much in a car like this, especially with racing seats, but all those miles give the car character.  It’s a road trip machine, and he takes incredible photos of wherever it goes.  Seriously, look at some of these photos, they’re f***ing sweet.







Our cars hanging out in the parking lot while we stood around talking about them.

To end off this different approach of a Limelight feature, I have to say that this is one of my favorite blobeye builds out there.  Simple, functional, and quality all describe this car to a T.  I personally have a huge appreciation for things done right without cheaping out on parts, which is part of the reason why I love this car as much as I do.  Corey is a good dude with great taste, and in my eyes, a true enthusiast.  He uses the car for what it’s made for, modifies it the way he wants, and takes it on adventures all throughout the country.  I think it’s pretty cool how you can make friends on the internet just because of a car/brand of car you both drive, and if it weren’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be writing any of this.  Now, if anyone actually read this far, I urge you to follow him on Instagram @stiover and check out his Flickr here for some amazing photography of nature and his own cars surrounded by it.

Thank you Corey, for being up for this feature and for providing some awesome photos, hope to meet up with you again sometime soon!

By Ethan Pfab – @supwagon

 

Corey’s Full Build List:

Engine:

IAG Stage 2 Tuff Block

IAG TGV Deletes

IAG Street AOS

Bouch Dominator 1.5XTR

ID1050cc Injectors

IAG Fuel Rails

Custom -8AN fuel lines

Radium FPR

Killer B Oil Pan/Baffle/Pick Up/Headers

Tial 38mm EWG

Company23 Anti-Surge EBCS

ARC Super Induction Box

ARC Alternator Cover

ARC Cooling Plate

Zero Sports Intake Elbow

ETS Top Mount

Go Fast Bits BPV

Mishimoto X-Core Aluminum Radiator

Moroso Coolant Overflow Tank

Mishimoto Oil Cooler

OEM BE Legacy Snorkel

Perrin Divorced Wastegate Downpipe

Tomei Ti-Expreme Cat Back

 

Suspension/Wheels:

HKS Hipermax IV GT Coilovers,

Whiteline 24mm Adjustable Sway Bars F/R

Kartboy Endlinks

Whiteline ALK

Every Turn in Concepts Shifter/Linkage Bushings

Turn in Concepts Rear Diff Bushings

Turn in Concepts Rear Subframe Lock Bolts

Volk TE37 18 x 9 +40 Magnesium Blue

Bridgestone Potenza RE760 245/40/18

Desmond Regamasters 18 x 8.5 +35

Michelin Pilot SuperSports 255/35/18

 

Exterior:

OEM JDM Headlights

S2 Designs Front Lip

Kaminari Fog Light Brake Ducts

JDM Spec C Roof Vent

Custom Mirror Block Offs

Do-Luck Carbon Trunk (painted)

OEM STI Rear Diffuser

 

Interior:

Anarchy Motive Shift Knob

Recaro Pole Positions

Planted Sea Rails

Radio Din Block Off w/ Bluetooth receiver mounted behind

WRX Rear Seat

WRX Black Carpet

WRX Black Door Panels

Custom LED 3rd Brake Light

Relocated battery

OEM Legacy STI Gauges

 

All photos are taken and owned by Corey Stover and used with his permission.