I was looking forward to the day we’d be able to link up with Mike so we could shoot his WRX and get to know him and his build better. All of us were very fond of his taste and style. The day finally came where we made the trip up to the Midwest and got to meet up with @aayyy_wrx and many others. On our second day, we left our hotel in Valparasio, Indiana mid-morning and drove roughly an hour north to meet with Mike at Warren Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan.

We exchanged handshakes and talked for a little around Mike’s car, learning a little more about it. I know we say this a lot, but it’s really cool to finally put a face to a car we see on Instagram all the time. I could probably speak for all of us, but is definitely one of our favorite things about doing this whole MFortyFive thing. We drove around and scouted out some shooting spots, but were having trouble finding decent lighting in the park that we paid to get into. The midday lighting was pretty harsh with hardly any clouds so it made it a slight challenge to get pictures that weren’t washed out. We later found a spot outside the park that was decent so we made it work. Mike’s 2006 WRX wagon is one of my favorites I see on social media from time to time.

It’s simple, aggressive, and looks so good from all angles. Mike has done the popular sedan front fenders and the LIC rear flares to fit a meatier tire set up like his 265s which is NOT a common modification on wagons. He’s done a significant amount of work to it.

About fifteen minutes into the shoot we ended up leaving the area to try another location so the photos could be the best they could be. Mike had in mind an abandoned glass factory, which turned out to be quite the spot. It seemed like a location out of Call of Duty or PUBG. We almost spent more time exploring around the abandoned factory than snapping photos and “interviewing” him about the car. Mike knew a good bit about the factory and we were so fascinated at how the workers just left everything there like they would be back the next day – pretty crazy.

Back to the car. One thing that confused me for a while was the color. For the longest time I never really looked closely enough and just assumed it was the typical World Rally Blue with a slightly darker saturation added to the photo.

Little did I know, the car is actually wrapped in 3M Gloss Dark Blue Metallic. Honestly, a great choice in my eyes and Mike did it all himself. I really love a slightly OEM+ color – I might be biased. One thing that really stood out to me on his car is the color matched Greddy Gracer front lip. It’s one of those lips I think is a must for the hawkeye generation – kind of like the Cusco GT lip for the blobeye generation.

For wheels, Mike has 18″ x 9.5″ Rays Gram Lights 57DR wrapped in 265/35 Federal 595 RS-R tires, giving the car much more capable speeds around corners.

For suspension, Mike has done ISC coilovers, Cusco and ISC camber plates, and one of my favorite modifications, the Whiteline adjustable sway bars, just to name a few. Under the hood he has the stock EJ255 power plant on a VF48 turbo. A Grimmspeed AOS, Koyo radiator, STi pink fuel injectors, GFB blow-off valve, and many other bits make this WRX a very lively and fun street car.

His interior hasn’t been left untouched either with bits like a Sparco leather steering wheel, Bride Digo seats, STi gauge cluster, a 2015 STi arm rest, galaxy-wrapped headliner, and much more make it a pleasant place to be.

I asked Mike why he chose a Subaru in the first place, “I’ve always loved rally cars growing up, but something caught my attention with Subarus. The sound and looks of them of them I just loved. I remember seeing a pretty-much-new World Rally Blue bugeye that was modified and that’s really when I started looking into these cars.” Mike got his wagon around January of 2016 just about stock. The car has a come a long way in almost three years. Mike’s favorite thing about the car is the boost, but also loves the handling and all-wheel-drive.

He no longer daily’s the car but when he did, he had a blast doing so, especially in the Midwest winters. His favorite modification to the car as of right now would be the discontinued LIC Motorsports rear flares. A very popular fender upgrade, which you don’t see them on wagons too often, but it works quite well to flow with the rest for the car. Mike is actually at 154k miles on the original block as of now, which leads me into his future plans. A closed-deck set up and STi drivetrain is in Mike’s future as well to make things a little more exciting and interesting. We had a blast hanging with Mike. We ended our shoot with him by doing some rollers in our usual fashion.

I really started enjoying rollers and learning through CJ how to properly shoot a car in motion. Huge thanks to Mike for agreeing to meet up with us, grab some photos, and exchange stories about our lives with the cars we enjoy so much. To keep up with Mike’s WRX wagon and all of his shenanigans give him a follow at @aayyy_wrx on Instagram. Can’t wait to get back up the Midwest and hang with everyone sometime in the future!

By Zach Osborne – @momentum.rs

 

Mike’s Full Build List:

Engine/Performance:

Stock EJ255 with VF48
Grimmspeed AOS
Koyo Radiator
Mishimoto Racing Thermostat
STi Top Mount Intercooler
STi Pink Fuel Injectors
Perrin Cold Air Intake
Grimmspeed EBC
Subtle Solutions Turbo cChimney
GFB BOV
Killer Bee Oil Pickup and Baffle

Wheels/Suspension:

Rays Gram Lights 57DR 18×9.5
Federal 595 RS-R 265/35r18
ISC Coilovers
Cusco Front Camber Plates
ISC Rear Camber Plates
Whiteline Front & Rear Adjustable Sway Bars
Whiteline Endlinks
Cusco Front Strut Bar
Whiteline Rear Strut Bar
Subframe Lock Down
Whiteline Differential Bushings
Whiteline Anti-lift Kit

Exterior:

3M Dark Blue Metallic Wrap
LIC Motorsports Rear Flares
OEM Sedan Front End
LED C Headlights
JDM STi Side Skirts
Rear Wiper Delete
STi Rear Diffuser
APR Carbon Plate Surround
Greddy Gracer Front Lip

Interior:

STi Gauge Cluster
Cobb V3 Accessport
ATI Triple Gauge Pod
Subtle Solutions Gauge Pod
Cobb Short Shifter
VMS Carbon Shift Knob
JDM Red LED HVAC Controls
JDM Hazard Button
NRG Hub & Quick Release
Sparco Leather Steering Wheel
Bride Digo Seats
STi Floor Mats
2015 STi Arm Rest
Galaxy Headliner Wrap