The Subaru Forester is a simple car, it takes the handling and safety of the Impreza’s renowned 4wd system and throws it into a mid-sized practical family wagon/crossover. Mix in some of the rally bred DNA from the Subaru STI range and you’ll get a punchy turbo 2.5l boxer engine equipped car that is a far cry away from the standard round-trip to school, A to B affair you’ll find in most families driveway.
To Sumida-san this 2004 Subaru Forester made the perfect blank canvas and his favorite brush to use on it was the ‘lowering brush’…


Recently wrapping up our 2nd trip to Japan for 2015 we couldn’t wait to get stuck into some features and ‘first off the rank’ is Sumida-san’s STI Forester. We met up with Sumida-san by chance in a car park in Osaka late one night.
After a brief chat and some help from his friends we managed to translate enough to organise a shoot. We met up early the next morning and convoyed with Sumida-san and his friends to our location in some equally impressive cars. (More on that soon.)

In the light of day we were gobsmacked! Away from the shadows and orange street lights the paint work came to life and the extremely low ride height of this Forester became immediately apparent.
When it comes to lowering cars Japan is next level!

Tucked into the guards are an immaculate set of Volk TE37Vs. This design is an instant classic and just like the original TE37 that suit almost anything the 37Vs were designed with a vintage feel that looks at home on classics and modern cars alike.

We say “immaculate” as although Sumida-san’s Forester is extremely clean, you’ll find the telltale signs from driving a car this low on the fenders and wheel arches. For some these scars and bruises add character, almost a trophy if you will.

The wheels themselves are flawless and this goes to show it’s just as much about the wheels as it is the car for some. The wheels aren’t just an accessory here, they’re the major draw card and the car/ride height compliment them.

Looking directly from behind you can see just how much camber is used to tuck the wheels into the guard.

This amount of camber is sure to pour more fuel on the fire, the same fire that has been raging across the internet for years. Queue the “That’s just stupid”, “Ruined the car”, “stance is the worst thing to happen since…”.
We’ve all heard it, there’s arguments from both sides of the fence and we couldn’t care less. We like all cars and all styles, all we see is a passionate owner with an incredible car.

The TE37Vs measure in at an impressive 17″ x 10″ -20 on all four corners.

Standing back it really is an impeccable combo. The lines and wheel choice compliment each other perfectly!

Sumida-san drives this height everyday, there’s no airbags in sight. The suspension is comprised of a set of Cusco coilovers with a staggering spring rate of 34k up front and 16k in the rear!

Sumida-san has owned this car for a little over 4 years and in that time the car has gone through a few different looks. From different bumpers, wheels and roof racks. This car has seen it’s fair share of changes.
While every time the look is quite simple it seems Sumida-san is quite reserved in the overall appearance but when it comes to lowering his car he ‘takes no prisoners’ and goes to the extreme end of the spectrum.

Chatting with Sumida-san about his time with the Forester we asked what his favorite thing about it was, of all the answers we were surprised by his simple and humble answer… The pillar-less doors!! We thought it about it and had to agree. It’s not a common feature found on small four door family cars and usually reserved for sports cars and coupes.

Under the hood Sumida-san has kept the same reserved approach as the exterior. All the factory items remain. The only additions are an upgraded air filter and full exhaust system.

When the starting point is an STI badged Subaru there’s not a whole lot you would want to change.

What he has changed has made all the difference, the full exhaust system has amplified the famous boxer grumble from a meowing house cat to a roaring lion. The noise of the flat four echoing off the street was down right menacing!

Aside from enhancing the sound and freeing a few extra horses from the engine, the custom exhaust really changes the look of the boxy Forester.

Tie this in with the aggressive fitment from the wheels and this is sure to break a few necks anywhere it goes, no matter the reason you can’t help but stop and stare.

Inside are a host of ‘knick-knacks’ and ornaments livening up the standard interior along with a chrome gear knob, extended shifter and Grip Royal steering wheel. The drivers seat has also been replaced with an SR4 Recaro for a bit more support over the factory seat.

The more we looked at the car the more we fell in love! The simple look is super aggressive thanks additions like a headlight cover, eyelid, factory scoop and black front lip.

Spacers lift up the rear of the hood helping cooling and adding a little touch to the front that’s easy to miss at first glance.

Believe it or not, this is Sumida-sans first car! An impressive first car to say the least and over the 4 years it’s gone from stock as a rock to the pavement eating, fender smashing car that you see now.

Sumida-san has enjoyed everyday of owning it and at the moment his plans for the future are actually getting it to sit even lower! He also plans on making a few cosmetic changes along the way.

We’re curious to see if the wheels stay or go, it will be hard to top the Volks.

They’re the hero of this car and look great against the blue, we can see why he hasn’t changed them to save the guards from further damage.

Up close you can see the results of running around Osaka with only a few centimeters of ground clearance!

Sumida-san and his group of friends call themselves AKDP, they share the same love for cars and the same sense of humor. Just don’t ask us what AKDP stands for. (It’s not exactly PG-13).
We’ll be posting all of the crew together very soon. Keep your eyes out for the full feature.

We would like to thank Sumida-san for his time and for agreeing to meet a complete stranger early in the morning for a photo shoot. Thanks to Takahashi-san for translating, we had an awesome time with you and the AKDP crew and can’t wait to get stuck into the next feature.
Thanks for reading,
Gwyn.

Helping the engine to do the best it can, are a handful of goodies like an Edelbrock carburetor, Moroso air filter and an MSD ignition system.

All in all, it makes for a super simple, yet ultra cool American cruiser that is a far cry from the typical cars that are found on Japanese roads.

Helping Hiroyuki turn spanners into the night are a group of friends who go by the name of Team Freee’s. They all have different tastes, but share the same love for cars. Just the handful of cars we saw on the day were of such a high standard. Among them we saw a neck snapping Honda Accord with some of the most aggressive fitting wheels we’ve ever seen, and one tough as nails Toyota Verossa drift car that was ripping it up on track while we shot Hiroyuki’s truck.

When Hiroyuki’s not scraping along the roads in his truck, he is usually slaying some tyres in his own S13 drift car with friends.

For the future, Hiroyuki’s has decided to convert to the dark side and create an airbag system and make things a little more practical to get around.

Even on the perfectly smooth roads you see in these photos, the truck was hitting invisible bumps and pot holes everywhere we went. And all the while, Hiroyuki was all smiles.

Of the two short weeks I spent in Japan, I was constantly surrounded by cars. From street meets, track days, Super GT, grass roots & pro drifting, but this single car will stay with me the longest.
You couldn’t find a more impractical car for Japan and then to do what Hiroyuki has done to it, this truck captures Hiro’s spirit and attitude perfectly to the “T”.

I would like to thank Hiroyuki for not only sharing his amazing Chevy with us and his time but also his patience as the language barrier made it very difficult to arrange the shoot.
We would love to catch up with Team Freee’s again on our next Japan adventure. Until then…
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Poking out through the rear diffuser are the burnt tips of the exhaust, hinting that this car has a bit more going on than just clean paint. All the pipes that help the hefty GTR exhale are 90 spec titanium from Amuse with an AMS de-catted dump pipe to keep everything flowing when push comes to shove, or just when the lights go green.

Inside the car things are as you would find them fresh out of the dealership, minus the Cobb V3 access port hand controller and Mines leather steering wheel, there really isn’t much that can be improved on here.  Nissan have done an outstanding job creating this space. It is comfortable without putting you to sleep, and is a perfect blend between form and function that would suit almost anyone looking for a sports car you can live with everyday. Just don’t have more than one friend. The back ‘seat’ is best reserved for those of us who are vertically challenged or missing a few limbs. 

The premium red/black seats are surprisingly comfy and even have a heater element inside for those cold mornings. It is a bit like strapping a back massager to the end of a bungee cord! How warm someones buttocks are surely is not exactly very high on their list of priorities in a car like this.

The illusive little red ‘start’ button, it’s almost a shame it only turns the car on… It looks like fun to press!!

Like any premium performance car out of Japan in the last decade, you’ll find electronic controls that can change exactly how the car behaves at the flick of a switch. The three centre switches change the 4WD system, suspension and traction control. Now the GTR isn’t just any old premium performance car is it?..

Atop the centre console, you’ll find Nissan’s latest incarnation of the multifunction display that was first found in the R34 GTR Skyline. Here you’ll find a multitude of live stats ranging from various temps, to steering angle and g-force! If you think that all seems like something from a Playstation game, you’d be right! Kazunori Yamachi of Polyphony Digital fame (Gran Tourismo game series) was enlisted to help Nissan design the GUI as they wanted it to be as easy as possible to access.

Having done the bold look with his previous car, Charles concentrated only on enhancing what was already there. Some of the first things added to the car were from the Revosport catalogue.
First in was the carbon fibre boot lid and dry carbon front lip and diffuser.


The Revosport boot lid really changes up the rear end dramatically, the hard lines of the factory spoiler are all but gone and instead this smooth flowing replacement looks like the air just slides away like water off a ducks back.

To tie in the rear of the car, Charles picked up a Top racing dry carbon rear diffuser with mesh delete, this was only fitted a few weeks before the shoot.

Take a step back and admire the simple little touches that all come together to make this such an exciting looking car.

The GTR wears its’ badge of honor everywhere you look.

Brakes to match the brawn.

Another hidden gem thanks to Revosport, these little carbon air ducts direct cold air directly into the vented brake discs… Now that’s cool! (sorry).

After his time with the car Charles says he cannot go back to a naturally aspirated car again, turbo for life he says with a grin.

We’re not really sure what Charles could ‘upgrade’ to after he’s done with the GTR… Nothing else comes close to matching the GTR’s performance in the sub $200k price bracket.

The sign of a spotlessly maintained car that is actually driven? A worn out keyring of course!!

If you aren’t green with envy already, wait until you find out how Charles affords to put petrol in every week… He owns and runs his own Mexican restaurant!! Now throw in a house on an island and that’s pretty much the best life we could hope for.
Charles’ next project on the GTR will be an e85 fuel conversion, the parts are starting to pile up and we cannot wait to see the results.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this feature and we would like to thank Charles for sharing both his car and time with us.
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

The above mentioned predecessor is now more than 20 years old and in 2007 I was actually given one as a loan car strangely enough in Brisbane while my Honda CRX was in for suspension
maintenance. At the time I wasn’t entirely aware of the cultural status this car had, but what I do remember was nice heavy steering, a very throaty roar from the 120hp motor
and surprisingly how well balanced that car was. You could take it round a corner, lightly lift off the throttle and feel that ‘kick’ of the rear end while still retaining balance. Given its position as
a preferred choice in the drifting scene I would have originally expected something a bit more aggressive in the handling than it was, but I thoroughly enjoyed the 970kg little rocket for 2 days and
how easy it was to drive.
So does the GT86 still retain the AE86 DNA? Let’s take a look at the GT we have here…

Aggressive, although a clichéd word in automotive terms, is what stares at me. The swooping arches of the front guards leading to the bulging rear quarters are beautifully complimented by a set of
TE37 RT 18’s wrapped in Hankook rs3 245-40-18 up front and 265-35-18 on the rear, supported by a set of Tein Monoflex and stopping power supplied by Endless Brakes. Oh and if you can’t tell yet, the
front guards are of the carbon fiber specialty provided by Seibon.

The rear is no different. In a car that was designed as a compact RWD coupe and with a body shape that rides low to the ground to improve handling ability, it has not escaped the proverbial rear
diffuser/wing additions we see so commonly on track inspired vehicles. Seibon once again makes an appearance with the incorporation of a CSL style carbon fibre boot lid and wing coinciding with an
under-rear cover supplied by, you guessed it, Seibon. Surprisingly however, the diffuser itself along with the side skirts are all custom made items.

The rear section of the GT is one of my favorite areas, especially when complimented by this set of TE37’s. One design characteristic I really enjoy is the shape of the rear pointed window, which
appears to flow or lead very fluently into the downward motion of the roof line to meet the rear guard where the two seem to appropriately ‘echo’ each other.

The front end of the GT86 which speaks to the cars overall ground-hugging design maintains its low center of gravity and a slippery slick presence with hauntingly beautiful sweeping style, reminding
us of the heritage of Toyota sports cars of days gone, such as the renowned Toyota 2000GT.

One may debate the need to change such an already impressive design, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Som has added a very aggressive carbon fiber bonnet courtesy once again
from Seibon, along with front Carnard additions such as the lip to augment an already sporting appearance.

I’ve only been a passenger in the new GT, but I could deduce that the command center had a strong focus on driver orientation to hammer home the sports car theme, and the interior of this
GT has only received some basic additions from well-established brands such as Bride, Takata and a Miracle X Bar half cage. And if you’re wondering why we haven’t delved into the world of ‘what lies
beneath’, it’s primarily because this 2.0 litre boxer motor is still standard. Som has focused his efforts just as the Toyota executives have… Handling and styling!

Although we’re told jokes have been had among Som’s circle of friends that he may do something rather drastic… Swapping out the original boxer engine for something with twice as many pistons and a whole lot more power.
Som’s 86 is already in the middle of another rebuild and we cannot wait to see version 2.0!!

At the end of the day when you have a genuinely lightweight machine, a machine that allows you to feel something, provides that bit of controlled exhilaration behind the wheel of a car that lets
it be the extension of you, the GT 86 I find has evoked the emotions and surprise that I had back in 2007 of the last AE86. Combine this with a large aftermarket support base, answers my question
posed in the beginning, why do I see so many 86’s? Well, it’s clear you have a car that will grow with its owner, and vice versa.
– David Steer.
A special thank you for the photos from Ohmpimp Crows | Connection