I have known Brandon for a few years now. He was one of the most instrumental members of Midwest Automotive in its early days. Without him and his work, Midwest Automotive would not have the following that it does. When I posted to Facebook that I wanted a few cars to shoot before winter, Brandon offered up his STI. Since he shot my Mustang the prior fall, I thought it was only appropriate that I photograph his car. I scheduled a shoot with him and Zach (the previous Camaro posted here on Midwest Automotive) on a weekday after work. We got to one of our favorite spots, and got a quick 20 min shoot in.
Brandon’s car may look like your typical “bags and wheels” car, but it is so much more.
The car sits on a Airlift 3P setup with Work Emotion D9R’s. RacerX upper control and toe arms help to get the stance and ride as desired.
Fitment.
One of my favorite shots from the shoot. 300mm and 2.8.
The remainder of the outside of the car is subtle, yet perfectly done. The most obvious change is the custom livery from @clctve.us, but other touches such as the crystal black mirror covers and gloss black roof wrap also stand out. Add in the CS style front lip, custom colored badging, paint matched bumper vents, and Perrin wing stabilizers, the exterior of the STI is just subtle enough that unless you know your Subaru’s, you will miss most of the changes.
The lighting set throughout the car may be the most in depth I have seen. From the OLM Spec CR Tail lights, sequential mirror turn signals, GCS rear fog light, and OLM S4 DRL front bezels, there are changes to almost every light on the car. See the mods list below for a complete list as there is just too much to list here.
Stickers are the car enthusiasts calling card. If you see even a stock base model family sedan rolling around, but it has enthusiast specific stickers, you can reasonably assume it it someones daily and their racecar is in the garage. I am personally a fan of stickers to help showcase that little extra bit of your personality.
The inside is fairly straight forward, stock with Airlift controls, an alcantara steering wheel and a Titanium shift knob. Oh, and a Daihatsu red push start button.
Memento of an awesome show.
Work Emotion D9R. 19×10.5 +23. The greatest wheel ever created (ok, maybe I am a bit biased).
As far as performance modifications, the car remains relatively stock for a daily driver. If Brandon want’s to go fast, he hops into his C7 Corvette Z06 instead. A Cobb Accessport and P&L Track Series exhaust help the car breath and sound a little bit better.
Really like this shot for some reason. Wide angle, high vantage point. I’m down with this photo.
35mm is still difficult for me to figure out, but the results are cool. Also, shadows of tall grass on the door.
Eh, idk. Trying a silhouette shot that didn’t work.
As the sun was setting, I finished shooting Brandon’s STI and headed over to shoot Zach’s Camaro. I only had a few mins left before the sun set and wanted to get another shoot in before the long, cold winter settled in.
Although it was a quick shoot, I am glad that I was able to get the chance to photograph Brandon’s car. It is always a bit awkward for me shooting another photographers car, but then I realize that I absolutely love it when someone else shoots mine. They always get shots that I never thought of, showcase a different style, and see my car in ways that I just never do. So I put aside my concerns and just enjoyed shooting in the sunset. This summer it will be Brandon’s turn to shoot my mustang in this same spot.
– Andrew
Modifications:
2018 STI Limited
Air Lift Performance 3P
Work D9R 19×10.5 +23
Custom Neon Yellow Work Emotion accent stickers
P&L Track Series Exhaust with straight cut tips
RacerX upper control arms and toe arms
Accessport with intake
Federal ST1 Evoluzione 245/35 R19
CS Style front lip
OLM S4 DRL Front bezels with sequential turn signal
Custom wrapped front STI badge in Neon Yellow
GCS black subaru badging with white stars
Neon yellow STI side badging and livery by @clctve.us
OEM side skirts and rear spats
S208 paint matched bumper vents
OLM spec CR tailights in dark red
JDM wide angle mirrors with turn signals
Sequential mirror outside turn signals w/ optional DRL
Crystal Black Silica mirror covers
Gloss black roof wrap
Subispeed KV alcantara and leather steering wheel
Daihatsu red push start button (lol)
WC Lathe Works Titanium shift knob, reverse lockout, collar, and SI drive knob
Craftech cluch stopper
HIC roof vane
Maxton design gurney flap
Perrin wing stabilizers
GCS rear fog light with reverse option
Black STI rear badging
