For a lot of enthusiasts, wanting a car that the factory has chosen not to sell in a particular market is not necessarily a hindrance, but rather an opportunity to build a unique ride. This is the case with Scotty Molitor’s GC8 Impreza, which was released in the U.S. in an RS, but not an STI version. Rather than mope about the fact, Scotty chose to build up his car to approximate a Japanese home-market WRX STI.
Installing a complete 2006 WRX drivetrain would have created a pretty awesome ride already, but Scotty didn’t stop there. The turbo was swapped out and a Garrett GT30/76 with a rotation kit was put in. The list of mods is extensive, but highlights of the upgrades include an aftermarket intercooler and aluminum radiator, a retuned ECU, Tial wastegate, HKS headers and blow-off valve. Suspension was not left alone and these received upgraded sway bars, Tein coilovers and Brembo brakes.
The interior was stripped, a rollcage installed and the roof was removed and replaced with a carbon fiber roof. If you think that this is just an aesthetic mod, consider that BMW did exactly that with its high performance E46 M3 CSL to improve handling and lower weight. Incidentally, that car, like the GC8 STI, was not sold in the U.S.
With the turbo swap and ECU tune, horsepower calculations estimate 408 horsepower at the wheels. But as with any enthusiast, it’s safe to assume that Scotty will be looking for more upgrades and that power output may not stay that way for long.
Inspiration for this post here.
A Supercharger is a compressor or an Air Pump that forces pressurized air into the cylinders during the intake stroke of the engine. A normally aspirated engine has to suck air into the cylinders, resulting in a lower density charge. Increasing the density of the intake air, along with additional fuel, increases power. It also helps in providing full combustion of fuel finally resulting in increased horsepower of the engine. No need to get confused in Superchargers and Turbochargers. Turbochargers from technical point are Superchargers.
ReplyDeletevortech supercharger