RS Revival: Rally Livery

It's still not complete, but this 2.5 RS never really will be so long as I own it.  That's the thing with projects like this... but that's also what makes it fun.  The ideas keep flowing and the bar keeps getting higher.  However, there are certain stops along the way where you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  In this case, it's the first time this car has looked good in awhile.  The "Rally Livery" actually makes this car look like it's right out of a Special Stage in the Rally America National Championship.  ...okay well maybe not THAT convincing, but there's something special about the car right now.

When I took it to work today, I had compliments from co-workers who have watched this car transform from a rusty bucket to a work-in-progress to something that's noteworthy.  Not only that, but two customers at work asked to take a closer look at it in the parking lot.  One of them even took a picture of it and sent it to his friend.  "He's gonna love this!"

I love it, too!  Not so much the attention.  That's just a nice after-effect.  But having the car in this state right now makes me smile ear to ear.  It's funny how this change that isn't even performance enhancing is making the car that much more satisfying to drive.  I can't see the outside of the car when I'm driving, but since I KNOW it looks good, I'm proud to be  out and about.

This new "Rally Livery" features the logos for parts that make this RS work the way it does.  They're not on for show or in a sticker-bomb fashion.  Each represents a piece working together with the others to make this a great little rallycross car and I'm proud to "fly their banner" wherever I drive.  Some are also lesser-known brands, so I hope this car acts as good exposure for them as I take it to meets, races, and other events.  Just as there is still space on the sides for more, there's also still room for more improvement.  As I said from the start, this car will never really be completed as long as I own it, but it's certainly making it fun!

Today, as I took a minute to be proud of the work done thus far, I decided to take a look at everything that has gone into this project since it's start in 2013.  Here's a short video covering all the repairs and improvements made just under two years so far.

There's more in store for this car.  Not just for looks, but for wringing out more performance.  By October, I'm hoping to have this car prepped and ready to kick ass at the next NRSCCA Rallycross event!  Got some time to get it there and more room to improve!  Still, I'll probably take a little vacation from the busywork for a week or two and just enjoy the car as it sits.

RS Revival: Livery Progress

It's been performing like a rally car for awhile.  Now this RS Revival is starting to look the part!  With body work finished up on this 2.5 RS Coupe, the vinyl rally livery is starting to take shape and make it to the car.  Parts of this were completed before the rallycross a month ago, but the big parts are finally done.  The dark gray vinyl stretches from the side marker lights on the front fenders to the edge of the rear bumper.  This design strategically covers the repaired portions of the body in an asymmetrical to both sides.

It took awhile to get it completed as we had run out of vinyl to use about halfway through the application over a holiday weekend.  The major portions were recently completed and now the "sponsors" are making their way onto the car.  Obvious accolades to this blog that I run plus Nebraska-Subaru logos to support our local group.  Other upgraded parts that are on the car will make their way to the car as well.  GrimmSpeed, Perrin, Primitive Racing, STI, Whiteline, Gorilla, and others will make their way to the gray rear quarter panels in white font.  The upper portion of the fender will eventually adorn a large Subaru logo.  There are also emblems for the SCCA and an additional Nebraska Subaru log on the front fenders.

They white-on-gray look happened to remind me of the apparel that Subaru Rally Team USA uses right now, so I may toss some blue in there to complete that sort of look if I can find the right shade.  Otherwise, the Silver/Gray/White look will do just fine.

I'm really happy that this car is starting to look as good as it has been performing.  While adding vinyl to a car has not yet been proven to boost horsepower, it's certainly putting a smile on my face!

The Twenty Two Dream

It's inevitable.  Every car guy (or girl) has a "dream car" that they have pinned inside their garage.  Some love American Muscle from simpler times.  Some go weak in the knees for European Supercars.  Some have that incredibly rare import car that they only made a handful of and are impossible to find.  Yup, you guessed it.  I fall into that last category.

For me, the dream car is a 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B: the widebody rally car for the street built as a celebration car in limited numbers.  With a closed-deck 2.2 liter turbocharged flat four at it's core, boasting a wider stance to make better use of the limited slip differentials supplying power to four gold BBS wheels, in a light and nimble chassis, it's a far cry from the 1st Generation Impreza Coupe that it's built around.  There are reviews upon articles upon videos covering this iconic car all over the internet... so instead of adding to that growing list, I thought I'd explain why I should never have one.

Be an Ambassador

Chances are if you're reading this blog, you like Subarus.  Recently, Subaru introduced a new initiative recognizing owner loyalty and brand advocacy called the "Subaru Ambassador Program".  The quick summary is this: if you're already a fan of Subaru and like promoting this brand, you're just a quick online form away from being recognized as a Subaru Ambassador.  You'd be provided information and Subaru Gear items to share with others.  Owners are invited to take part in Subaru events and unique experiences so they can connect with others and enhance their relationship with the Subaru brand.  Ambassadors can share activities, ideas, and social media posts with Subaru on a monthly basis while receiving exclusive gear to keep and share!


I'll be learning more about the program through my fellow owners, so I'm excited to learn more about it and spread the word about this great program!

Shedding Weight

I've been working on my 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS Coupe for awhile now.  From the brink of a cancerous death and stuttering heart problems to a facelift and motor transplant, this rust bucket has come a long way since I picked it up in September of 2013.  However, I haven't been easy on the car even while repairing and improving it.  It's my rallycross car!

At a recent NRSCCA Rallycross event, I was sharing the wheel with a good friend slinging Nebraska clay around the I-80 Speedway.  Conditions were a little tricky that day, as the sticky clay was contrasted by the slippery grass and weeds on some corners.  My co-driver went a little wider than planned on an opposite-lock-inducing turn.  The car jumped and bumped through the dirt clod ridden field but we made it through and finished the rest of the run with his best time of the day yet.  As we pulled into line to have another go, one of the course workers said "Nice run, but you're missing your bumper!"  My co-driver and I laughed it off like a joke until I looked in my rearview mirror.  I could only see the upper fender, not the edge of my rear bumper.  I opened the door and leaned out further.  I turned to my co-driver and said "Well, he isn't wrong."

We stepped out of the car and just laughed.  The whole bumper had been ripped clean off of the back of the RS.  Sure enough, a corner worker walked up from the course with a big silver bumper, still intact.  We continued the rest of the runs that day making jokes with everyone about "on course modifications" and if we were now in a different class for weight reduction.  It's only partly the fault of my co-driver, as the bumper didn't have much holding it on.  Instead of 18 plastic clips it should've had from the factory 15 years ago, this RS bumper was being held on by 4 clips and 3 Zip Ties.  The edge caught on the debris and, once it broke free, there wasn't much else to stop the rest of it from breaking off.  It'll get repaired and re-installed, but it was a good laugh among some great runs at rallycross.

The Tornado Bowl

The Nebraska Region SCCA hosted a 2-day Rallycross event over the weekend that was a ton of fun!  While I was only able to make it to the 2nd day, I still had a lot of fun with my RS Coupe in the dirt.  Recent rain had made the Nebraska clay pretty sticky but, with lots of grass and weeds growing on the site, grip levels could quickly change.  When you weren't on the moist clay, the matted down grass and weeds made for slippery corners, so it was difficult gauging grip levels on the first few runs.  Turnout was lower than the other events I had attended this year, but the drivers were all top-notch!

My co-driver for the event was a fellow RS owner whom I have known for awhile.  He made the 2-hour trip down to help me sling this Coupe through the dirt and we had a great time as usual.  While he's a talented driver, we both tend to make mistakes sometimes.  However, instead of getting frustrated with less-than-ideal situations, we laugh and have a good time with it.  Whether we nailed an awesome time or spent up precious seconds going sideways dodging a cone, it was grins and laughs and fun times the whole day.

A testament to that fun happened when my co-driver was going a tad wide in a long turn through some deep weeds and dirt.  We made it through the run without too much of a fight but were quickly notified once we arrived at the pits that we were missing our rear bumper.  We laughed and assumed it was a joke until we saw one of the corner workers carrying a silver bumper cover up the hill.  The clips and zip ties had snapped when the bumper was tugged off in that wide turn and, amidst all the fun, we didn't even realize we had lost it!  It should be an easy fix to get back on and, in true rallycross fashion, we refitted the RS with the bumper again with some more zip ties to get it home.

For the event, my RS Coupe was sporting 50% of the rally livery that was planned.  We ran out of vinyl and time this weekend and couldn't complete the look just yet, but we'll finish things up once another roll of dark gray 3M Vinyl arrives.  The stripes on the passenger front and the panel on the drivers rear side were complete and looked great!  Now we just need to mirror those sides and wrap it up... literally!

Aside from a Miata, a VW Beetle, and a Mitsubishi EVO, the rest of the field was dominated by a familiar brand to rallycross.  Subarus were in force at the event and, much to my surprise, mostly older models too!  There's certainly a rally heritage with Subaru, so it's not unusual to see many of them at events like this.  Perhaps it was due to the thinner turnout, but there was definitely a strong Subaru showing at this event!

While the typical June humidity made for a sweaty event, everything ran smoothly with the entire event.  The NRSCCA has a great rallycross program and it's been a lot of fun being more involved with it this year.  It's also been more fun seeing other newer drivers taking the reigns and getting hooked on it!  It not only helps this sport grow, but also reminds seasoned drivers of the spark and excitement they had when they started out.

RS Revival: Livery Progress

Getting this car ready for the next Rallycross has been tricky.  In order to get things squared away with the look of this car, we had to get everything nailed down with the body.  No more rust.  If we didn't get every inch of it, the vinyl would just be in vain and need to be removed.  That's not an option, so I've been trying to be as careful as possible getting rid of it all.

I spent much of Throwback Thursday working on my 15-year-old project car.  RalliTek endlinks on the front, repaired the rocker panel metal, camber adjustments in the rear for the rally tires, it was a busy day.  The progress is really coming along nicely, but the clock is ticking down quickly.  The event is two days away, and we only have the front passenger side done!

As with the Plasti-Dip Livery I had done before, the dark gray vinyl is strategically hiding the portions of the body that we had repaired.  In fact, the Plasti-Dip was intended to serve as a temporary way to see how the look I envisioned on this car would work out, so it's good to finally have a more permanent design going on the car.  It will take a small miracle to get this car's look done before the event like I had originally planned but, regardless, it'll get done and look great!