| Subaru WRX - Axis Power
For a company that earns a lot of its revenue selling wheels, Axis Sport Tuning in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., has gotten its hands on some pretty remarkable vehicles. The company has seen virtually every kind of car roll through its stables-from SUVs and Civics to JDM Altezzas, turbocharged MR2 Spyders and Ferrari 360 Modenas. Axis has tuned them all at one time or another. as a testament to each car's real-world driveability, Axis founder James Chen isn't afraid to push his automotive creations to the limit in pursuit of the recognition he craves for his company. Given Axis' proliferation of wondrous tuning projects, it was only a matter of time before a set of WRX keys started circulating the Axis offices.
The car's owner is actually Dick Bray, an Axis sales manager. He bought the car at a time when the WRX was new to the marketplace and the only turbocharged all-wheel drive car available since the recent demise of Mitsu's Eclipse. Though Bray bought the car as daily transportation and still uses it as such, he knew the car would have mad aftermarket potential, and would make a pretty good rolling promotion for his company. Since, the Sube has been redecorated with a comprehensive array of accessories that give it enough clout to land it on these pages. Take a closer look and maybe farm a few ideas of your own.
The first area you'll notice, naturally, is the exterior. The scheme has been dominated by a full Wings West body kit. Wings West's aggressive urethane sculptures look quite at ease hung on the WRX's muscular panels, and the fog light apertures nicely echo the bulbous Sube headlamps up top. Not that this car runs fog lights. Like most other upgraded WRXs, it runs a massive front-mount intercooler, which is clearly visible through the central opening in the bumper. A Fiber Images C.F. hood frowns over the front end, complete with reverse-induction cowl and stainless securing pins. In the rear, a two-tiered W.W. wing perches on the trunk lid.
For running gear, Dick didn't fuck around. He went right for the proper goods: a quartet of Axis Se7ens wrapped in snug Falken GR- rubbers. The Axis rims are a seven-spoke design that bursts out from behind the generous polished lip and compliments the WRX's natural fender flares nicely. The Falken rubber, on the other hand, is simply the best tire you can get for the money. So we've heard, anyway. The sleek black-and-silver Axis graphics, contrasting nicely with the factory yellow paint, were provided by Modern Image Signworks, the vinyl-slinging mercenaries of the import revolution.
Beneath the Sube's formidable sheet metal, a full set of high-tech JIC coil-overs replaces the stock springs and dampers. This setup is complimented by a sturdy JIC strut tower bar bolted inside the engine bay. While he was knocking around underneath the car, Dick decided it would be a good idea to upgrade his brakes, so the assemblies at all four corners were enhanced with equipment from Wilwood. The front rotors measure 13 in across and are gripped by track-bred, six-piston calipers, while the rears measure about 12.2 in and use four-piston binders to drag them to a halt.
Under the hood, the induction system has had its breathing passages widened for optimal performance. HKS up- and downpipes replace the restrictive factory piping, and a full Bullet titanium exhaust pipes gases out the rear canister. AEM lightened pulleys reduce parasitic accessory drag. The aforementioned intercooler setup is from XS Engineering, and a Blitz blow-off valve was grafted into the cool side of things to provide the soundtrack to Dick's heated driving sessions. For extra laughs, a JG Edelbrock nitrous system has been incorporated with the intake for a 75 or so hp boost when it's needed.
The interior has been reworked in a decidedly Sparco-oriented theme-Sparco Torino buckets reside in both the front locations for driver and passenger. World-famous upholsterers, Stitchcraft, reupholstered the back seats using the same unique Jacquard material found on the Torinos. They even incorporated a custom baby seat for Bray's four-year-old daughter. The tiller has also been replaced with a three-spoke Sparco Lap 5 steering wheel, and the shifter is topped with a Sparco Globe X knob. Phaze II in Lakewood, Calif., was employed to mastermind the audio system. It is comprised mainly of Eclipse equipment, and the install is so clean you'd be hard pressed to realize there's an aftermarket stereo present. The only thing we saw was what looked like an amplifier mounted to the back of the rear seats.
The aftermarket mods present on this car are used sparingly, to be sure, but the sum of the parts is a clean, thoroughly docile street performer that can get its owner to and from his destinations in style. For those who believe more is better, stage two of this project is now officially underway. Bray tells us Maverick Motorsports currently has the car and will be performing a comprehensive overhaul of the motor and turbo systems.