Matt Shulman has been a friend of mine for quite some time.  We both come from a BMX background and love everything about riding and hanging out with friends.  Since I live in Bradenton, and Matt lives in Clermont, (about 2 hours away) we haven’t been able to ride for a long time due to our busy lives, and of course, because of the distance.  Matt has been into Subarus for as long as I have known him.  I remember when we’d be riding somewhere together with mutual friends, (I didn’t know him too well at first) I would always hear jokes and small talk about Subarus around him, and this was before either of us owned any.




I have been wanting to do a Limelight feature of Matt and his 2012 WRX, but just like trying to go ride, it’s hard being 2 hours away while trying to meet up with the limited time we both have.   Subaru Mega Meet this year was a huge opportunity for us to reach out into the Florida Subaru scene.  It’s always a pleasure to talk with those I don’t see very often, and it’s even better to meet new faces as well.  It was the perfect opportunity for us to link up and get some photos since we’re all at the same place and the same time – a miracle, I know.

Matt does detailing on the side of his full-time job working for Adam LZ.  You probably have seen Adam LZ on YouTube, or have at least heard of him if you are remotely into cars (specifically drifting) or BMX.  Matt’s job is to make Adam’s life a little easier by helping him with filming, running errands, packing orders at the warehouse, detailing Adam’s and his wife, Nicole’s cars, and so on.  Since the Mega Meet staff were having most of the non-booth cars park in the grass field, all of our cars were quickly covered in a layer of dust.  Matt, being the detailer guru he is, was pretty bothered by all of the dust.  He found a hose at the venue near an airplane hangar, where I happened to see him doing his thing – cleaning the car.  I called CJ, who was running around like a madman getting content for the blog and I said, “YO, Matt is washing his car!  Come on over and get some shots so we can finally do this Limelight article I’ve been wanting to do!”

After catching up with Matt for a while, CJ showed up out of breath, ready to shoot, just as Matt was done with cleaning the car.  Matt takes incredible care of his WRX.  It’s fully ceramic coated, giving the Obsidian Black Pearl color a really sleek, glossy, and healthy look – something black cars usually lack in the harsh-weathered state of Florida.  Ceramic coatings are like gold in the world of detailers like Matt.  After he got his car cleaned up, CJ started the shoot.  It was pretty hot out for being a day in early December, but it was partially expected in typical Florida fashion.  We decided to snap the photos in front of one of the hangars for less harsh lighting, and to finally be out of direct sunlight to hang out.

Matt has had his 2012 WRX for just over 3 years at this point.  Like I said before, I knew Matt as the Subaru fanatic, BMX kid.  He had a bunch of friends who owned Subarus, as he says, “I always wanted one, a lot of my friends had them and I fell in love instantly.”  This led him to the decision of getting his favorite generation of the WRX, 2011-2014 (GR).  He recently got a set of Volk Racing CE28 RS Black Edition wheels in 18×9.5″ with a +40 offset.  These wheels were a great choice, as they flow really well with the deep tone of the Obsidian Black Pearl paint.

While CJ was in his zone shooting pictures, I proceeded to ask Matt some questions about the car to refresh my memory for the article.  He popped the hood and I saw the custom powdercoated plumbing, which reminded me he had swapped out the OEM top-mount intercooler for the much larger FMS front-mount intercooler, allowing more air to be sucked into his VF52 turbo.




To also improve breathability, he’s done a full Invidia R400 exhaust – saying it’s “the perfect sound for me.”  Paired with the exhaust is a GrimmSpeed up-pipe and a 38mm external wastegate.  The sounds external wastegates make are absolutely wild.  Matt said, with a little hesitation, that it gets a little old from time to time, which I could understand.  Not to mention an additional aftermarket GFB blow-off valve, which he loves.  All kinds of fun noises.




For the suspension, Matt has BC Racing type BR coilovers.  Based in Orlando, Florida, BC Racing coilovers are widely popular in the Subaru community, as well as most of the car scene in the United States.  Specifically, the BR series gives the a much more aggressive stance than the factory suspension.

In addition, he’s done a Cobb Tuning SF intake with the must-have Subaru modification: the Cobb Accessport.  You may also notice the Pro Sport gauge pods, which give the driver, Matt, even more information that a modified WRX owner would want to monitor, such as boost and oil pressure readings.  Obviously Matt keeps the interior very tidy and well put-together too.  Personally, I think it’s one of the most important things you can do to your car.  After all, it’s where you are the most.  A clean interior is always appreciated and sometimes overlooked.




Matt talks about doing a possible motor build one day, but he says he’ll only do a small build if the motor goes.  He’s recently started to get into drifting, so his Nissan S13 240SX is the car that sees much more abuse.  With all this said, thank you to Matt, for taking the extra time before heading out to let us get some photos and talk about the car.  If you ever see him or his WRX at a Florida BMX event, or even more likely at an Orlando drift event, go say what’s up!  To see more of Matt’s life, and of course, his 2012 Impreza WRX, check him out on Instagram at @mattshulmanbmx!

 

By Zach Osborne – @momentum.rs