2007 Subaru Impreza STi Spec-D
Discussion
Inspired by a number of Subaru threads recently, I thought I'd finally get my Spec-D ownership recorded for posterity.
I bought it in 2012 with about 43k on the clock. I've always been a Subaru fan, since watching the WRC cars in my youth with my dad, who had a classic turbo wagon himself which he bought new and kept for 15 years.
I fell in love with the Spec-D in particular after completely failing to keep up with one on a road run, and mistaking it for a cooking spec WRX. I love the plain looks that never turn a head, contrasted with how quick it is in the real world. It's not exactly a sleeper, but it's the same sort of feeling, a car that is a lot quicker than it looks.
My car is very deliberately standard looking, because I think the appeal of the Spec-D is its discrete styling. So many in the classifieds have been blinged up with badges and spoilers, and I think that's a shame. So, I want to keep mine true to the look of the original.
Underneath it's had a few upgrades after the usual 2.5 engine troubles (a long, long story, I can tell the tale if there's any interest).
Fully closed-deck EJ25
ACL race bearings
Mahle forged pistons
Manley forged rods
RCM 14mm head bolts (no chance of another HGF!)
RCM gaskets
Walbro pump
FSE Fuel pressure regulator (hidden)
Cosworth panel filter in standard airbox (standard looks again!)
Cobra decat 2.5" downpipe and straight center, standard Prodrive backbox. Quiet and discrete again, but power-sapping unfortunately.
TEIN 1-way adjustable coilovers
Standard Brembos, with DBA T3 disks front and T2 rear and DS2500 pads
Braided brake hoses
Remapped on the rollers at RA Motorsport (who did the rebuild) by Andy Forrest in Feb 2015, it made about 350bhp at 1.5bar and a very solid 400lbft.
The power bottleneck is the 2.5" exhaust at the moment, but I'm not looking to change it. There's obviously plenty more scope for power upgrades with such a strongly-rebuilt engine, but it would mean compromising the Spec-D character. I've tried to build a Spec-D+ rather than change too much.
I've yet to throw a Whiteline catalogue at it, so some stiffer ARBs and anti-lift kit and maybe a few other bits will probably be added in Feb 2018 when the service/MOT is due.
I bought it in 2012 with about 43k on the clock. I've always been a Subaru fan, since watching the WRC cars in my youth with my dad, who had a classic turbo wagon himself which he bought new and kept for 15 years.
I fell in love with the Spec-D in particular after completely failing to keep up with one on a road run, and mistaking it for a cooking spec WRX. I love the plain looks that never turn a head, contrasted with how quick it is in the real world. It's not exactly a sleeper, but it's the same sort of feeling, a car that is a lot quicker than it looks.
My car is very deliberately standard looking, because I think the appeal of the Spec-D is its discrete styling. So many in the classifieds have been blinged up with badges and spoilers, and I think that's a shame. So, I want to keep mine true to the look of the original.
Underneath it's had a few upgrades after the usual 2.5 engine troubles (a long, long story, I can tell the tale if there's any interest).
Fully closed-deck EJ25
ACL race bearings
Mahle forged pistons
Manley forged rods
RCM 14mm head bolts (no chance of another HGF!)
RCM gaskets
Walbro pump
FSE Fuel pressure regulator (hidden)
Cosworth panel filter in standard airbox (standard looks again!)
Cobra decat 2.5" downpipe and straight center, standard Prodrive backbox. Quiet and discrete again, but power-sapping unfortunately.
TEIN 1-way adjustable coilovers
Standard Brembos, with DBA T3 disks front and T2 rear and DS2500 pads
Braided brake hoses
Remapped on the rollers at RA Motorsport (who did the rebuild) by Andy Forrest in Feb 2015, it made about 350bhp at 1.5bar and a very solid 400lbft.
The power bottleneck is the 2.5" exhaust at the moment, but I'm not looking to change it. There's obviously plenty more scope for power upgrades with such a strongly-rebuilt engine, but it would mean compromising the Spec-D character. I've tried to build a Spec-D+ rather than change too much.
I've yet to throw a Whiteline catalogue at it, so some stiffer ARBs and anti-lift kit and maybe a few other bits will probably be added in Feb 2018 when the service/MOT is due.
wst said:
Does the Spec-D have equal-length headers like the Spec-C, or does it retain the classic burble? (nb. I honestly like either sound... they have their own characters)
No, it doesn't have ELH. I couldn't have a Subaru that doesn't burble. I did look at ELH and twin-scroll turbo options, but I can't mess with that noise. 
Spec-D isn't a performance model like the C. D literally stands for "Discrete". Mechanically, it's a normal Type UK STi, but with metallic grey paint, black leather, black carpets, low spoiler, silver wheels and debadged.
lewis87 said:
I like the idea of keeping the standard looks and going for big power, they definitely are more discrete than a regular STI.
Are you happy with the RA motorsport rebuild? I'm not too far from Perth and have thought about using them if I ever needed any big jobs done.
The rebuild work by RA is really good. I'd definitely recommend them, providing you don't need daily progress updates and a quick turnaround. They always seem to be very busy, so I had to chase sometimes, but if you can live with the business side of things being a bit chaotic, then you'll get solid advice and fair value in my opinion. Pop in and see Andy Napier and have a look at the race cars and customer cars. Their work speaks for itself really.Are you happy with the RA motorsport rebuild? I'm not too far from Perth and have thought about using them if I ever needed any big jobs done.
SiT said:
Any updates on this, I love a Scoob and this is real nice!!!
Si
Hi, and thanks!Si
Well, it's not getting used much at all now. My wife moved offices, has a much longer commute, so we bought a Fiesta Ecoboost 1.0 for that, which is doing a great job.
The Spec-D had a service and MOT last week ready for going up for sale (yes, I'm dragging my heels, but I love it). Nothing remarkable about the MOT except it needed a touch of welding underneath. I didn't see the damage, but the bill suggests it wasn't much.
A couple of advisories left to sort. Headlamp levelling warning light came on, dammit. This is common, usually a dodgy sensor, so not bank-breaking. Just needs a bit of testing to work out which corner it is.
The other was a small leak in the turbo up-pipe at the flexi section, so it'll need a new pipe. A bit annoying, as I was hoping for a clean sheet to get it advertised for sale now.
I was going to get it washed and photographed this weekend, but I put my back out on Saturday so had a lazy weekend to recover. I'll be searching for a good mobile valeter/detailer in Aberdeenshire to come and do it for me.
madwrx said:
i,m not sure i,d call that a big power build- but reliable torquey power definately-imo be careful with too many whiteline goodies-easy to lose the nice easy balance of a standardish impreza
Definitely not big power, but that wasn't the aim. I didn't want lag in exchange for huge power gains at the top of the rev range where this car never goes. Low-down torque was the aim of the game as this is a road car. In hindsight a silenced 3" exhaust would still have been a good idea, as the 2.5" is the current power restriction. That one change might have seen 370-380ish bhp, but I really wanted the standard backbox to stay. Trust me, as a road car, it's very quick and pulls hard, and I'll never take it on track and rev the nuts off it anyway. I don't think the Spec-D is the right base for a big power build. It sort of defeats the point of the Spec-D in my mind.Paul S4 said:
Take the rear spoiler off....then it really would look like a sleeper !
Not really into Subarus ( I like my Alfas ) but I really like that Spec-D.
It's much better having a car that looks standard ( or even base spec) but has more underneath. The saying "less is more" and all that !
I agree, I've always loved less-is-more cars! Not really into Subarus ( I like my Alfas ) but I really like that Spec-D.
It's much better having a car that looks standard ( or even base spec) but has more underneath. The saying "less is more" and all that !
Fantastic. That's still reasonably "D" even with the high spoiler.
So many good drives in mine. I've had quicker track cars where weight and cornering speeds and late braking come into play, but you can't take corners at max speed on the public highways. You need some traction and torque to get you off the apex as you can see it's clear, and you need some compliance in the suspension so you're not constantly grounding out and jumping around.
I think when you take road conditions and our weather into the equation, there are very very few cars which are quicker in the real world than a lightly enhanced STi.
I can't bring myself to go out and polish it one last time for the advert photos. Maybe this weekend.... maybe I'll just go for a drive instead!
So many good drives in mine. I've had quicker track cars where weight and cornering speeds and late braking come into play, but you can't take corners at max speed on the public highways. You need some traction and torque to get you off the apex as you can see it's clear, and you need some compliance in the suspension so you're not constantly grounding out and jumping around.
I think when you take road conditions and our weather into the equation, there are very very few cars which are quicker in the real world than a lightly enhanced STi.
I can't bring myself to go out and polish it one last time for the advert photos. Maybe this weekend.... maybe I'll just go for a drive instead!
Yes, the 2.5 horror stories do put you off. I sort of wish they'd put me off too, because getting them solved involved a long and financially painful experience. When this one had a head gasket failure, I refused to compromise on the rebuild. I could have thrown in a second hand EJ25, but then what if that one had failed too?
So, 5-figures was spent with RA Motorsport, the block could now withstand a nuclear blast (easily good for 700bhp+), and I have slept soundly ever since.
Why am I selling? Well, sadly mostly my wife's office move triggered it. We've had to shuffle around the daily nursery runs and commutes, so every day we're using the Golf and the Fiesta between us. The Scooby just doesn't fit in any more. I'd put it in the garage, but there's another toy in there for sunny days.
It will be very sadly missed. So many happy drives, camping trips, epic b-road blasts, and one NC500 solo mission, which was just incredible. I spend a lot of time up the north west of Scotland with friends, and I built this car specifically with that in mind, for less-than-perfect B-Road surfaces and inclement weather. It's currently on Cross-climates for the cold season (about October to April in Scotland), and I have a second set of wheels with Pilot Sport 4s for summer. In all conditions this car is very enjoyable.
I would imagine a Golf R or S3 with DSG and lots of electronics would beat it (and would probably have cost less to own if you count the rebuild and upgrades) but we don't do these things with our heads, do we?
So, 5-figures was spent with RA Motorsport, the block could now withstand a nuclear blast (easily good for 700bhp+), and I have slept soundly ever since.
Why am I selling? Well, sadly mostly my wife's office move triggered it. We've had to shuffle around the daily nursery runs and commutes, so every day we're using the Golf and the Fiesta between us. The Scooby just doesn't fit in any more. I'd put it in the garage, but there's another toy in there for sunny days.
It will be very sadly missed. So many happy drives, camping trips, epic b-road blasts, and one NC500 solo mission, which was just incredible. I spend a lot of time up the north west of Scotland with friends, and I built this car specifically with that in mind, for less-than-perfect B-Road surfaces and inclement weather. It's currently on Cross-climates for the cold season (about October to April in Scotland
), and I have a second set of wheels with Pilot Sport 4s for summer. In all conditions this car is very enjoyable.I would imagine a Golf R or S3 with DSG and lots of electronics would beat it (and would probably have cost less to own if you count the rebuild and upgrades) but we don't do these things with our heads, do we?
Edited by TartanPaint on Friday 23 March 15:35
Great to see all the photos and hear from other Spec-D owners! Wonderful things, aren't they?
That's my advert live in classified now:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Seeing it shining on a lovely sunny day yesterday was really tugging at the heartstrings.
That's my advert live in classified now:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Seeing it shining on a lovely sunny day yesterday was really tugging at the heartstrings.
Nice car! I've already admired your ad, actually. A lovely example.
I can see how you might feel aggrieved by my implication that all EJ25s are ticking time-bombs. However, it's hardly undocumented that these engines fail. at all ages and with little warning. I'm not making that up, and have experienced it first hand, to my (massive) cost. I think it's great that you've had a good one, and I'm sure anyone looking for an unmodified car will be delighted to find yours for sale.
However, I hope you understand that I have to justify my upgrades, how they've been chosen, and be very clear about the reasons for them, and why a buyer might want to take that into consideration when choosing a 2.5 STi.
Don't worry, there are still plenty buyers out there who wouldn't touch anything that has been modified. Good luck with your sale!
I can see how you might feel aggrieved by my implication that all EJ25s are ticking time-bombs. However, it's hardly undocumented that these engines fail. at all ages and with little warning. I'm not making that up, and have experienced it first hand, to my (massive) cost. I think it's great that you've had a good one, and I'm sure anyone looking for an unmodified car will be delighted to find yours for sale.
However, I hope you understand that I have to justify my upgrades, how they've been chosen, and be very clear about the reasons for them, and why a buyer might want to take that into consideration when choosing a 2.5 STi.
Don't worry, there are still plenty buyers out there who wouldn't touch anything that has been modified. Good luck with your sale!
Blown2CV said:
if this was about a month from now I'd have that. Lemme know if you get time-wastered!!
The ebay auction didn't work. Only traders bidding. However, my dad's offered to garage it and insure it for a while, so that takes care of my space and no-claims transfer issues. So another month is not a problem for me if you want a chat. PM me!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff