The Story
The build started in 2014 when I found the FRS at a local Subaru dealership in Chicago IL. It was a used car with a odd history. The car had 9000 miles at the time, but the previous owner only just recently purchased it back in September 2013. They drove it for 4 months before trading it in. So when I purchased it, it still had 32 months of its warranty left. I saw the car was built November 2012 so between when it rolled off the line and finally purchased it must have been a demo for a small window.
I knew i was always going to modify the car. What I didn't know was where the build was going to lead. It started off as a OEM+ build from 2014 to 2016. Up to that point I had minimum aero, Jackson Racing Supercharger, Sparco racing seats, Harness, Strut bars, Wilwood BBK, and more. But it all changed when I purchased my first set of JDM wheels, the TE37vSL. After that i really honed in and starting importing JDM parts over the years. I really wanted to be different and use parts you don't see often in the US scene. It was also around that time I hit up my first track event at autobahn race track in Joliet.
From 2017 to 2021 the JDM parts kept coming in the Sparco seats swapped to Bride. Aero was changed over to Zele and Varis parts. I purchased full carbon replacement pieces from Baruta Jp and sought many more parts to keep the build unique but functional. It was also during that time I really embraced my nerdy side and finally itasha my car which really overhauled the look. The car up to that point won numerous of shows ranging from small local shows to the largest at the time was Subifest.
2022 - Now had the most drastic changed that finally capture that Tsukuba look and function I aimed for. I picked up a Esprit GT wing and mirror. Removed the roof with a full dry carbon replacement from Pro Composite Jp. Embraced the Narita Dogfight Catalog with their Bride collab seats, harness and steering wheel. Even went as for to swap the wilwood bbk to APG since Dogfight believed in their product. Of course I even changed the itasha to what a true Tsukuba car would have. I wanted it to be authentic so I had the designed done by Divid jp. The car continued to be use on the track and participate in shows. Since then it has won shows for the Best FRS/BRZ category at Wekfest, Tuner Evo and Import Expo.
What I wish I knew when going into this build was just how vast the Japanese market for parts this platform had. I have replaced so many parts over the years that if only I could have narrowed it down sooner. However, the changes the car has gone through and information i learned has help me educate others on the platform and what's available beyond the US market.
