And here’s another one in the bag!

Aldrich’s Subaru Impreza WRX – just finished for the year once again – or is he? (we’ll get back to that later). I’m glad I’m finally getting off of my lazy ass to do some shooting because it’s now September and everyone is getting the last few nice weeks in before it’s time to put away the toys or convert back to winter mode. If you’ve been keeping up, you’ll know that I’ve been complaining that the last few months have been crazy and busy and everything in-between, and it totally has. I’ve been doing a lot of vacationing this summer so by the time I get back, I have to play a lot of catch up. By the time I’m caught up, there’s events and shows that I have to get ready for. And if it isn’t car related, then I have somewhere else to be that also takes away from shooting time. But I digress… I just needed to (once again) complain about how busy my ass is and not really do anything about it.

Back on topic… Rich has gone through multiple changes and modifications for his WRX over the years that I’ve known him and he’s owned this WRX since I started my Civic days. In fact, below is a picture of the first photoshoot I did of his car. You can kind of compare the differences, and to some it may not seem like a lot, but for someone like myself who has seen all the changes come together, it’s actually quite different.

Rich is a very simplistic and function-orientated individual. He always has been and as I write this, I don’t know if I want to say that he always will be. People change, tastes change, and again – you can see Rich’s car evolve in the same way. I remember when I got my STI and first slammed it and put wheels on it with small tires, he shook his head. I remember when I rolled the fenders and tried to go lower, he shook his head. I remember when I got the Varis kit and put the Voltex wing on it, he shook his head but said it looked good. I remember when I had finally finished the aesthetic part of the STI, there wasn’t anymore head shaking. Not that it’s a bad thing because I can’t expect my friends to like my style of modding, but I just ask that they respect it. Rich has always been that guy – it may not be his flavour, but that sure has hell doesn’t mean he hates it. You will always get an honest opinion out of Rich, even if it’s not something you want to hear.

Here’s a good shot for comparison. Rich has gone lower using Raceland coils over the lowering springs he once had. He’s gotten a more flush and aggressive fitment, the Perrin wing risers help give the car more flare from the side and rear. It’s not necessarily a boy-tuner car anymore. It’s more than just “function” and he’s getting close to the point where he’s introducing a lot of “form” as well.

Rich has gone through lots of sets of wheels, and at one point – his instagram feed made me believe that he was beginning to turn into a wheel whore. He now sits on STI BBS wheels with a spacer and bolt pattern conversion to run them. Those of you familiar with the WRX/STI bolt pattern know that it’s impossible to run STI wheels without the conversion, that’s what makes this a little different.

The front of Rich’s car is now more aggressive. He’s running slightly more camber and you can see the wheels poke a bit, his custom “devil eye” projectors in a blacked-out housing paired with red Hella horns make it stand out.

From the rear quarter you might be able to spot some differences as well… Just guess before you keep scrolling.

Sitting pretty in the sunset.

The STI BBS wheels have also been repainted for a nice, fresh look.

Rich – also part of the Mode Luxe family. Not just for VIP cars!

A shot of his Perrin wing risers.

Sitting in it’s natural habitat…

And of course the rolling shots

I personally love the wing risers because it makes it look so much more aggressive than stock. Rich’s WRX is not a widebody like the ones you see rolling around today. I call them the STI-wannabes…

Alright time for the rear. Again, if you’re familiar with the differences in the non-widebody and widebody exteriors, you’ll also know that the hatch didn’t come with a quad-tip outlet. What good is that? Rich said. So he said “fukkit” and got an Invidia Q300 V1, stock STI exhaust finishers and went to town. He did the cutting and bolting up of the finishers to the stock bumper and mated up the exhaust with no issues. At the end of the day, we all stood back and pondered for a bit and said “Well shit, that looks good”. Subaru – I bet you wished you thought of that.

He also did what a lot of hatch owners do – tint the tail lights with red film. I just want to say that I don’t know what made Subaru think that clear “Altezza” type tail lights would look good.

Rich’s newest additions were the Recaros straight from the Accord Euro R (Acura TSX). The Honda fanboy in him lives on. Not to mention that it looks like it sits right at home in the car.

A close up of his rear exhaust finisher and Invidia Q300 exhaust. Once again – you might also notice the reflectors light up. Rich got the Liberal Reflector LED’s and hooked them up to his brake light. Another small touch where attention to detail goes a long way.

A shot of his “devil eye” projector retrofit. “Dat cutoff doe”. If it’s better than stock, it’s getting replaced. I feel like that’s what Rich’s motto is even though he never actually said it. I’m just going with how he builds the car…

We’ll end it here with Rich rolling off into the night.
Let’s revisit that idea of where Rich might be done for the season. Yesterday Rich test-fitted JC’s WORK VSXX’s and is now in the predicament of his life. I say that because he once thought he was done this season, and he even told me himself that he was and now he’s in that vicious cycle again. I feel for the guy because I know what it’s like to feel like the car is complete and to know that your wallet is safe once again. I also know what it’s like to have that dream shattered and have your wallet hide in fear of abuse again. All I will say is “Rich, just do it”. Nike has been saying it 1988 and everybody listens.