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When Shaun Cardinal began watching rally racing in the seventh
grade, he was hooked.
When he went shopping for a vehicle in 2000 it only seemed
natural he would choose a manufacturer with a strong rally
racing heritage, one that had countless manufacturers' and
drivers' titles in the World Rally Championship to its credit
- Subaru. With the Impreza 2.5RS coupe's naturally aspirated
horizontally opposed engine producing 166HP and 165 lb-ft
of torque, all wheel drive and street adjusted rally racing
suspension it was an easy sell.
However, after getting more deeply involved in the local
autocross, sport compact and car club (ZuCru and the Winnipeg
Sports Car Club) communities, Cardinal found shortcomings
after a year of driving the car.
He started by changing the Impreza's appearance, everything
from the front end to a complete Japanese spec interior. He
then turned his attention to perfomance and handling. He tried
standard suspension alterations and bolt on engine components
to get more out of the Impreza on the autocross track but
these modifications couldn't overcome Cardinal's biggest beef.
Unlike its brethren around the world the North American version
of the Impreza did not come with a factory turbo. "Everywhere
else but here got a turbo version of it," he explained.
"I wanted to venture into a turbo but a lot of guys who
were turbo charging the stock motor were having a lot of issues.
At first, I thought I could maybe swap in a motor but as the
years went by a lot of these motors started racking up some
pretty high kilometers."
Cardinal received a glimpse of hope when in 2002 Subaru released
the WRX with a two-litre turbo-charged engine. Then, in 2004,
he found the ultimate answer to his problem when the STi version
debuted. While he desired the STi's 2.5 litre engine, its
300 horsepower and six-speed transmission, he wasn't a fan
of the four door sedan body that had been wrapped around it.
The solution was to swap the engine, front and rear sub frames,
transmission and Drivers Control Center Differential (which
allows the driver to control the amount of power going to
the front or rear wheels) from a 2004 STi into his already
customized 2000 Impreza body.
Cardinal couldn't be happier with the result, now referred
to in Subaru circles as a RSTi.
"A lot of guys liked the older look of the Impreza because
the coup isn't offered anymore, its all sedans since 2002.
But a lot of them also say 'I wish I had the performance of
a WRX,'" he said. "Now they look and say 'you have
got a new STi in here and the car is the old style look so
it is the best of both worlds.'"
Despite the magnitude of the alterations, both in terms of
overall scope and international origin of many of the parts,
Cardinal has managed to keep the car entirely OEM. "Looking
for parts, I'm really meticulous. Every part on that car is
an OEM Subaru part whether it be from Europe or from Japan,"
he explained. "For the most part it looks really stock
unless you really have an eye for this. It looks stock but
for a real Subaru enthusiast they'll notice the small differences."
With the exception of a new paint job, Cardinal is now largely
content with the body. For the engine he has a new full exhaust
planned and a different sway bar setup for the suspension.
He is aiming to place in the top three in his class in the
upcoming year of autocross in addition to improving on the
12.7 second, 108 mph trap he set last year in the car's first
visit to Gimli Motorsport Park.
SPECIAL THANKS
Planet Motorsport; ZuCru; Winnipeg Sports Car Club; Mike,
Rob, Japheth from HPA; Darryl, Vince from Point Douglas Autobody;
Shane, Jason from Tintmasters Motorsport; Matt from Keystone
Ford; Regan from Frontier; Allan Chan and SCP; family and
Grace.
MOD LIST
Engine - 2004 2.5L STi swap (EJ257), Worx BOV (Blow
Off Valve), Cobb Accessport STG 1 reflash, Blitz Nurspec exhaust,
Perrin Panel Filter, custom SS shrouds designed by owner,
GT Spec hood scoop splitter w/ factory STI intercooler spray
system.
Suspension/Drivetrain - JIC FLT-A1 coilovers, STi front/
JDM STi rear swaybars and subframes, STi 6spd w/ DCCD controller,
STi Brembos brakes (Front and Rear), Goodridge stainless steel
brake lines.
Wheels/Tires - JDM Advan RG, 17x8.5 w/ 225/45/17 Bridgestone
RE070's.
Exterior - JDM STI V5 fog cover (drivers side), EDM
Limited Edition Prodrive P1 fog cover (pass side), STI V6
front lip, custom Acura TSX projector (DOT) headlight retrofit
with BMW E46 Shrouds and Nissan G35 D2S HID's (4300K) aimed
to DOT spec, EDM clear corners, Rear Tail lights, JDM rear
bumper skin
w/ spats, JDM front grill with STI Pink "I" badge.
Interior - JDM STi V6 Front/Rear seats, STi pedals
(Drive by wire), Stock WRX/ STi Lamco boost gauge, JDM IC
water spray button, JDM hazard button, EDM Impreza steering
wheel, RJS 5pt harness.
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