Chris Roux's 2003 Subaru WRX - Simply Obsessed
Chris Roux uses his artisan spirit to create a one-off Subaru
Thirteen years is a long time to own a car. In that time, many enthusiasts will have already built three or four cars. To spend that much time with one vehicle either means you really love it, or you're maybe just a little too obsessed, like Chris Roux and his '03 Subaru WRX. He's done everything you could possibly do to a car and more. He's found ways to modify his WRX that most wouldn't even imagine to try.
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Roux's journey, like many others, started off simple. He picked up the car when it was brand new off the lot, acquired a body kit and HKS exhaust, and cruised around for a while. Chris had plans to pay off the car and then turn it into a weekend race car but over the years, things just snowballed. "It always went from wanting to swap out one part to somehow tearing half the car apart," Roux says.
What started as a simple street cruiser has now transformed into something entirely unique. The engine bay is a marvel to look at with its floating Boxer engine, but the real attention to detail resides in the interior. The entire cockpit has been gutted and reworked to the point where it has been streamlined probably more so than the bay. A custom mild-steel rollcage was implemented and everything around it shaved smooth, from the A-, B-, and C-pillar areas, to the custom rear partition where the rear seats once resided. Not only did Chris learn to do all this metal fabrication himself, but he also taught himself how to create both a one-off engine and chassis harness! Once all the fab-work was completed, he put his occupational skills to work by re-spraying the entire chassis, including all the nooks and crannies in his own custom mix of yellow.
The build itself has crossed over the decade mark, but Chris considers this the third "official" iteration of his WRX. What you see now is the Subaru at its peak, both in aesthetics and performance. In the middle of that smoothed-out engine bay is a highly potent Subaru flat-four fusing an STI 2.5L block and CNC'd 2.0L heads. All components deemed unnecessary under the hood were eliminated for looks while the guts of the hybrid motor were upgraded to maximize the potential of the Precision 6466 turbocharger. To give it that extra bit of kick, Roux even installed methanol injection.
Just based on appearance, you wouldn't think Chris Roux's WRX was actually driven considering how much work he put into the body and all the shiny bits of chrome-but you'd be wrong. He prides himself on the functionality of everything that he's done to his WRX over the years and goes as far as to say that he doesn't even have to ever worry about something as trivial as angling his car over a speed bump. We would never doubt him because he literally knows every inch of his Subaru. It was the first car he ever really worked on since he was 15 with his learner's permit. Since then, he's used this WRX to teach himself how to put together an engine, how to fabricate a 'cage (among other things), how to paint, and most importantly, how to build a solid, functional, well-rounded car. Roux's level of detail may seem a little obsessive, but you can't help but admire his dedication.
