When my son was 16, we bought a beat-up old Subaru WRX and spent two years sorting it out. That car broke down and got towed to the shop more times than I remember. But now that beautiful blue beast is a daily driver and sometimes race car. It’s my favourite car of all time.
You see, when I was 16, my dad gave me a car. As a suburban teenager I was happy just to have wheels. But my car wasn’t cool, no matter how many subwoofers I added to the trunk. I wanted my boy to have something much better.
The kid always liked the Bugeye WRXs, so our search was very specific. But surprisingly, he wanted an automatic transmission. I asked if he didn’t think it would be more fun to shift his own gears, and his snarky response was ‘Sure, why not get one with a hand- crank start too, like a Model T Ford?’
I’m a driver, not a grease monkey, so most engine and bodywork had to be done by professionals, but Daniel still had to earn the dough to pay for all that. And we did plenty of repairs on that car ourselves. Finding a set of BBS wheels was easy, but using corrosive acid to clean 20 years of grease off them was hard. He also learned how to refinish the headlights using abrasives and polishing compounds. Looked like a million bucks.
I watched Daniel get his Class B racing license at Shannonville in that Subaru. I even raced against him on the oval track at Sunset Speedway; me in the Miata, him in his Subaru. This year, we even painted the F1200 car to match his road car, and took both of them out on the road course at Cayuga. We started by searching junk yards for parts, and now he’s had all these great experiences with that car, his first car. That’s special.
So what does the future hold for the Bugeye WRX? Daniel has a younger sister who’ll be getting her license in the next year-and-a-half. There’s been some discussion of passing it on to her. I thought she’d want the Miata sitting in the driveway, but she wants four wheel drive and four doors to take her friends for a drive. Maybe one day I’ll get to drive it a little, too.
Dad does not get to drive it. Wonderful histry of the WRX.
Well… dad so.etimes gets to drive it. Just not often enough.
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But thats my favourite car because of its history. Because of all the time and effort and cash that went into it.
You gotta love project cars.
Great story, Chris. Lots of great parenting in there, too.
If I was a good parent, I’d know how to do my own bodywork and mechanical repairs!
The only lesson in there was work hard to have enough cash on hand to maintain / repair such an old car.
This Subaru is a great example of what Hot Rodding is all about, a father-and-son project at its best. Great story, Chris; I hope this car will stay in your family forever.
That brings a smile to me. Hot rodding isn’t only about pre-war Fords. The WRX is a modern day hot rod; cheap, old and quick.
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And even if we didnt do all the work ourselves, father and son at the junkyard looking for parts is a REAL moment.
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Luckily, my daughter has her eye on that car!