The Happy Couple: a pair of Subarus

Couples do things together. Some buy matching outfits, others try to take an interest in the other’s hobby, and some build a pretty bad ass pair of Subarus. I’d like you to meet Sally and Shawn, and they are the latter.

Sally and Shawn have been coming out to Lap Battle from Wyoming for a little while now, and we’ve been able to see their cars change with each event. Sally drives the hawk-eye, while Shawn drives the blob-eye. While they do race together, they’re technically not in direct competition with each other; because, they’re in different classes. Sally has a legitimate car Shawn has a legitimate race car. Allow me to demonstrate the differences:

Under the hood Sally has a lot of bolt-ons you’d see on cars that never see track time. COBB Tuning intake and SF intake bring fresh air to the bigger VF39 turbocharger. A STi top mount intercooler (fitted with a Forge Motorsport blow off valve) helps cool down the pressurized air, while an Invidia cat-less downpipe channels the spent gasses into a Greddy Ti-C catback exhaust. A COBB Accessport watches over the whole operation, as a Walbro 255lph keeps the two and a half liter mill with all the fuel it needs and a Saikou Michi oil catch can gathers all the gunk and keeps it from screwing things up.

Shawn has gone with a different plan: build it better. He tore into the engine and tossed the OEM pistons, rods and bearings with offerings from Manly and ACL respectively. 1000Cc injectors from Injector Dynamics and a Bosch 044 fuel pump replace the smaller factory units, while the TGVs have been outright deleted. An 83mm KS Tech cold air intake feeds the AMS 900X rotated mount turbo kit. The compressed air flows through an APS front mount intercooler and into a ported and polished throttle body. Keeping the inside of this monstrous motor cool are a Koyo radiator, a custom oil cooler and an AquaMist water-methanol injection system. An Integrated Engineering surge tank ensures that there won’t be a fuel starvation issue, while a Fluidamper makes sure the engine doesn’t shake itself apart.

Harvey Epstein, of TheBoostCreepLTD, tuned both cars. Sally made 267awhp, while Shawn (who did everything except the tune and engine build) made 453awhp. What’s almost 200whp between boyfriend and girlfriend?

Both Shawn and Sally are on coilovers: Shawn with his BC Racing BR’s and Sally with her TEIN Monoflexes. Sally is packing a TEIN front strut tower bar to help stiffen up the front, and a Cusco piece out back to do the same. Kartboy subframe lockdown bolts and a COBB rear sway bar round out the chassis aids Sally has chosen to employ. Shawn is rocking a set of Whiteline swaybars, along with their Anti Lift Kit. Kartboy end links have been installed, and the knuckles have been converted to 05 STi units for good measure. Both cars had their race alignments and corner balancing work done at Innovative Garage

At first glance it would appear that the happy couple are on matching wheels, but if you look closer you’ll see that they’re just on similar sets. Shawn’s are a set of Work Emotion CR-Kais wrapped in Toyo RA-1s, while Sally is on a set of Drag DR-31s shod in Nitto NT-01s. Shawn’s are an inch bigger in diameter so as to fit the StopTech ST-60 big brake kit. A set of Carbotech XP12 pads fill the calipers and Motul 600 fluid runs through the stainless steel lines. Quantum brake ducts keep the massive brakes as cool as they can. Sally’s set up is no slouch: Hawk HPS pads out back are in the OEM calipers, and HP Plus pads are in the Brembo calipers she sourced in the front. Castrol SRF brake fluid provides the hydraulic boost needed to reel the car in.

Both cars have carbon fiber hoods, splitters and big wings; however, while Sally is rocking a STi rear wing, Shawn has a massive Kognition piece. Shawn’s hood is a Kaminari unit without a hood scoop (because of the front mount you see) and Sally’s is a Seibon OEM style piece, complete with big hood scoop (because of the top mount you see). Sally has an APR splitter and FUNKtion canards whereas Shawn has a custom splitter (made from a “Welcome to Wyoming” sign) and no canards.

Both interiors feature Sparco seats (Pro 2000 for Shawn, Evo for Sally) and six point harnesses. A set of Autometer gauges inform Shawn of all that is important, while an Innovative Motorsport vent mounted boost gauge tells Sally about how boost she’s cramming in to her motor.

They say that the couple that plays together, stays together and coming out to the race track once a month definitely counts as playing in my book. We look forward to seeing them at Lap Battle, and where ever else we run into these crazy kids and their pair of Subarus

-Words and Photos by Michael Chandler, Video by Trent Bray

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