Client Spotlight - Pete

We see a lot of different builds come through our shop but every once and awhile, something really catches our attention. Pete is back in this month with his 1998 Legacy Brighton that’s undoubtedly one of the most unique builds we’ve had the opportunity to bring to life.

The Legacy’s exterior has a STi hood scoop fitted to adequately feed a cold supply of air the the Mishimoto TMIC, which is the only exterior modification done to it; no crazy flares, diffusers or downforce-producing fiberglass components. The only body modification is truly for overall efficiency (and a set of the alloy STi wheels). So I had to ask him, ‘Why the 1998?’

“I wanted the lowest cost, used Legacy that would be compatible with the year of STi that had an intercooler sprayer. This Legacy was $750 CAD, and had 330,000km.”

Before we start getting into the engine bay, I’d like to pay homage to the interior, which is uniquely awesome. If you’re going to have a sleeper, you might as well make the interior as comfortable as you deem fit. First off you’ll see that we fitted the dash and HVAC from the STi into this vehicle. That’s right! The HVAC system from the STi has been completely retrofitted into this Brighton with functioning A/C. Furthermore, everything from the seats, carpet, and complete vehicle wiring harness have been swapped to make this as much an STi as possible. Every wire in this vehicle from the nose to tail was replaced with the full harness from our donor vehicle (‘04 STi). This required extensive custom wiring to integrate with some of the factory ‘98 switches and rear functions of a wagon that weren’t included on the STi sedan.

”I put in the complete dash and front seats from the 2004 STi, as well as a few extra gauges. It was simpler than trying to splice the two wiring harnesses; the STi seats are so nice.”

When you pop the hood open, you’ll find our NWRS-400 2.5L Longblock with a custom powder coated intake manifold, Crawford Air Oil Separator, Cobb Blow Off Valve and a Perrin inlet w/ Cobb SF intake. Additionally there’s more supporting mods you can’t see:

“A Tomioka Twin Scroll turbo, equal length headers, 1000cc injectors, STi brakes, Tein suspension system, and an STi 6-speed transmission and drivetrain to back it up.”

All of these components allow the Legacy to excel in terms of power and handling, while maintaining Pete’s main focus for a sleeper. Currently this vehicle is putting down 425 Wheel Horsepower This has probably received some interesting reactions from people; I had to ask him what people think about it, especially when they peak under the hood.

“People are surprised and want to know who did it  since it looks so close to stock. Then, they all ask ‘Why?’ with the answer being that Subaru does not sell a left handed drive STi wagon, so I had to make one.”

This has been an amazing opportunity for us at NWRS by being able to take one of our customer’s dreams and bring it into fruition. Thank you to Pete for allowing us to spotlight his build and for being a part of the NWRS team.

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