The Subaru WRX STI or the Mistubishi Evo? Back in the day, one had to pick sides on this JDM battle, but the Internet doesn’t work like that anymore. So, without further ado, welcome to the Subevo, a WRX that’s borrowed the identity of an Evo.
Back in the 90s, the two Japanese automakers took basic sedans and turned them into rallying monsters and while Subaru is still playing the performance AWD game (how do you like your 2022 WRX design?), Mitsubishi has abandoned its performance heritage and is struggling to build an identity as an eco automaker these days.
Well, the ingredients of the mix we have here come from the mid-2000s, with Jonah (aka Shood B Good) having decided to bring the two together for peace between the two camps—ah, who are we kidding? This build is going to upset many fans on both sides, but this hellraiser stands out like few others.
The starting point for the affair was a 2005 Impreza WRX (they still called it an Impreza back then), which came with a rebuilt title and a few leaks. And while the machine had endured for over 200,000 miles (320,000 km), it had received a second engine with just 70,000 miles (112,000 km) on it.
The crash that had affected the Scoobie meant the hood and the front bumper had noticeable scars, but this wasn’t an issue, since the said enthusiast fitted Evo 9 parts instead, even though this meant the Impreza had to lose its characteristic headlights, which gave it the Blobeye nickname.
When you pull such tricks in the rendering world, things can get tricky, but that’s nothing like the complications that show up in the real world, where Jonah had to cut the OEM aluminum Lancer Evolution fenders, work on the headlight brackets and cover other time-consuming task before the Subaru could put on a nice Mitsu smile. Interestingly, mixing the two front fenders together came easier than expected, all thanks to certain factory body line similarities.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Subevo is not a widebody machine, sticking to the factory design in this regard.
Don’t forget the Mazda shade covering this JDM mashup
And since he had a hard time deciding between the traditional Subaru blue and various Mitsubishi-famous rallying colors (mostly red), he went with a… Mazda shade, giving the Subevo a Sould Red wrap.
The tech side of the Subevo is a work in progress, so while this has already received multiple custom bits, such as a beefier turbo and larger injectors, alongside custom coilovers, you can expect more in the future.
“This thing will be a daily monster, I’m going to drive this thing every single day until it blows up or something,” Jonah explains in one of his YouTube videos, while adding that the troublesome six-speed manual of the said WRX generation has yet to cause problems on this example.
Sure, this face swap won’t give the WRX—once again, this is not an STI, even though that wing would have you think otherwise—the more tail-happy character of the Evolution, but many people prefer the handling of the first. Besides, you still get to enjoy the Boxer rumble of the Scoobie, and arguing with that might be even more difficult than completing such a project.
