A few weeks ago, I was told by Ethan (@wrboiii) to check out this black bugeye wagon on Instagram.  He has been following Tom, the owner, for a little while and I’ve heard him talk highly of the car in the past, usually referring to his sedan front fenders and aggressive tire set up.  I checked it out for myself and I see why he praises Tom’s Subaru.  Ethan was hoping to write this Driver of the Day since after all wagons are his specialty, but since time hasn’t been on his side lately with school, he asked me to write it.  So here we go!

Tom previously owned a bugeye sedan, but has owned this particular WRX for about a year and half now. His wagon didn’t start out as your typical modified Subaru “build” though.  It was fully stripped to a bare shell from a friend of his.  He says, “He lost interest and offered it to me first. I had always loved the car when it was previously put together, so I had to go for it and build it myself.”  I really dislike using the term “JDM” nowadays, since it gets thrown around so much and doesn’t seem to describe the significance of a “rare” Japanese part anymore, but Tom has all kinds of authentic JDM parts that are truly unique.  He currently has a built EJ20 with forged internals and 272 cams, mated to a version-7 STi Type-RA 6-Speed from Japan.  Also, his wagon is equipped with one of my favorite JDM goodies; the OEM roof vent, – which of course forces you to drill a hole in your roof.  Worth it?  Absolutely.



In addition, he has a power steering cooler and a long runner intake manifold all from an STi Spec-C model.  “On the inside is also a full version-7 STi wagon interior, including the rear fold-down seat,” he says.  Tom is the perfect example of “built not bought.”  Yes, a played-out phrase, but it was truly built by him from the ground up.  Starting with a shell and ending up with this would be quite the accomplishment and self-gratification.  “I really enjoy just driving it.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the build process but there is just something about driving a car built by yourself.”  Looking forward, he says, “The future plan is to just keep collecting rare JDM goodies and build my dream Subie!”  To see more of Tom’s 2002 Subaru WRX wagon, check him out on Instagram at @stiwgn.  Thanks again to Tom for letting us feature you as our Driver of the Day!

 

By Zach Osborne – @momentum.rs