Some old Fashioned JDM love
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On one the hottest Sunday's I have experienced this summer, the Retro and Classic Car Club held a small meet. It was really worth braving the tropical heat because I finally met up with Ivan, I really wanted to give this car a feature.
Glistening in the heat, sits Ivan's Subaru, this by no means is a performance car. The face of Subaru in the 90's was forged through its WRC success. The main platform was the GC8, where they really squeezed as much as they could out of it, distilling the "WRC" feeling to the masses. GC8's came in limited runs, like the 4 door WRX and STI, then the 2 door Type R, the 2 door P1, and the legendary 22B Sti.
But what Ivan has here is a different type of Subaru, it's like looking at the yearbook photo of a friend you realized reinvented himself with a ton of self-help books. Sure, he's really successful, but he's not that same guy you had good times with, he isn't your friend anymore. Ivan knew Subaru before they reinvented themselves, and this is his yearbook photo.
This car is one of the fortunate classics who lacks a tumultuous past. Ivan stumbled on this when he in a garage. The car was sitting in the back and it really wasn't for sale at the time but he made an offer and the owner passed the mantle on to him. It was 7 years old at the time he bought it, with about 25,000 km on the dial.
Some Subaru innovation
He's done a really bang on job keeping the car together over the years, making sure it's cleaned and free from wear from the super hot sun. Subaru really tried different things on the inside of the car to set them aside from other manufacturers, the open door light on the dash I thought was pretty nifty.
““Love. It’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”
Imagine being able to bottle that feeling Ivan has when he talks about his car. I'm sure it would loads of enthusiasts would buy into that venture.
Now we know where crowed engine bays started from.
The engine is a pretty simple layout. The standard Subaru 1.8L Boxer with a carburetor, which makes 70 bhp and 82 lb/ft of torque. At this period Subaru was not interested in making high performing car. They were making reliable cars. and this shines through with this machine, it has never once broken down on Ivan. Imagine that!
“This is not a rally car! the handbrake locks the front wheels!”
Ivan has owned a few Subaru's since this one, he's owned two GC8s and a 2007 Legacy. Those were great cars in his opinion, but they were not enough to pull him away from this GLF. The character that this car has, is something that would probably never be made again. Owning that yearbook photo now is tantamount to owning a piece of automotive history. We hope he continues to own it for years to come.
Until next time, Happy Motoring! - Alex.
