Talking to Eric throughout our discussion about his blob-eye STI, it's clear that he has regrets when it comes to his previous builds and how they turned out. Not necessarily the end product, but how he had to overcome more than he intended to get his desired outcome.
Before we got to his advice to other aspiring builds, we had a long discussion (mainly one way as he was so passionate) about how he got to this STI that was revealed at HIN 2019.
Fitment game strong. Love classic SSRs.
By trade Eric is a long-time Finance Manager, but he lives for his family. A husband and a father to two daughters, Eric's only remaining spare time is spent on building cars.
"I've loved cars since I was three years old", he tells us, "and I've been modifying for the longest time. I began with mountain bikes and my second car was the first opportunity with cars". Build culture is a form of escapism and self-expression, this is how Eric finds it easiest to show who he is and what he finds to define his personality and attitudes.
You can tell because his daily is a widebody(!) Nissan Murano, but his formative memories of vehicle modification came through mainstream media. Eric remembers, "I used to love the Fast and the Furious, but learning about Japanese car culture and how it is a reflection of their lifestyle changed how I looked at building cars".
We weren't heavily involved in this build, but happy to have supplied Eric his hood!
Along with the aforementioned Murano, Eric also built an Evo 6 prior to this STI, riding on airbag suspension while running 255kw at the wheels courtesy of a safe build by FE Motorsports. Even so, Eric couldn't have the taste of Coke, without trying out the Pepsi, "Evos and STIs were my dream cars in high school, so I had to complete the Evo and then buy an STI to achieve the dream of having both".
Eric purchased the STI with one goal in mind, a build that would be suitable for showcase at HIN 2019 in Sydney. Having already built a similar approach previously, Eric had already planned out the parts to work together and create the finished product.
Details make the difference...
Start to finish only took three months, not because it was rushed, but because everything was planned to flow. "My favourite part of the car is the widebody, completed by Auto Elements" Eric tells us. The widebody is a showstopper, STIs already look staunch from factory but the flares make a difference and provide a very planted aesthetic, particularly when shot by @fmzvisuals.
It is here where Eric provides advice to those looking to build a street/show car. Cars are being seen increasingly as products of self expression, and the huge versatility in modification gets lot of people excited to upgrade.
Black flares don't scream look at me, but they're not exactly invisible either...
"Do it once, do it right" Eric warns anybody looking to build a car for the first time. He remembers what happened with his first proper build:
"The widebody was not done well, and I spent so much money to try to fix it. As I tried to save the money to choose the cheap way to do, the final cost ended up being much more than doing it properly in the first place."
He then follows up with a bit of guidance on proper fitment and finding the appropriate wheels for the build, "complete your suspension set up first, before you go looking for wheel/tire set-ups. You can change your wheels easily, but working around suspension is going to be a costly exercise".
Eric's part of a close-knit community known as Simplex. Less is more with these guys!
Overall Eric's STI presents itself as a very crisp, straightforward piece of art that allows the small details to do the talking. It's a reflection of his group Simplex's philosophy:
Less is More.
Eric planned on selling, but the happiness and fulfilment he got from a relatively trouble-free build has him thinking to keep it longer. He says, "I want to thank my wife for supporting my builds, and to Matt and Alvin from FE Motorsports for being incredibly helpful for all of his vehicles. We are used to customer relationships, but they're friends to me now".
We haven't been the biggest vendors of Subaru-based products, but we're happy to have played a small involvement to his STI. Australia needs more Subie builds!
SPEC SHEET
MOTOR
- 210KW ATW
- Full Exhaust System
SUSPENSION
- AirBFT Airbag Suspension
- SSR Aero Mesh 18x11 +6
- 255/35/18 Nitto Invo
- Rays Lug Nuts
EXTERIOR
- Light Dark Tinted Headlights
- Carbonetics Carbon Fiber Bonnet
- Seibon Carbon Fiber Roof Spoiler
- Carbon Fiber WRC-Style Mirrors
- 60MM ABW Wide Flares
- Carbon Fiber GT Wing
- Wing Stand Dipped in Carbon Fiber
- Light Dark Tint Taillights
- S2 Auto Design Type C V3 Front Lip
