Despite what Pixar’s Cars might have people think, the eyes of a car are its headlights…not its windshield. The 2002 & 2003 Subaru WRX had such cartoonish, happy-looking eyeballs, it seems strange that so many people pick this design element to modify. Many install Japan-only HID lights from the STi, giving the face an angry look (or even cross-eyed look) from the projector lamps. Not many owners just leave the stock headlights alone.
Daniel decided to take a different approach to his WRX. Restoring rather than modifying it. Keeping the car as original as possible, with concessions to some modern amenities like a back-up camera.
When the car came back from the body shop, the bright, World Rally Blue paint really emphasized how yellowed the headlight lenses had become. Oxidation of the plastic on the 18-year-old car really showed, plus millions of little scratches diffused the light into a starburst pattern.
With the guidance of uncle Trevor from Reeve Webster Racing (and a 3M headlight restoration kit), Daniel was able to sand, polish and coat the headlights on the Bugeye WRX to make them look almost new again. Anybody can throw a couple hundred dollars at the parts guy for a new set of lights, but putting in some time and effort makes them your headlights.
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