Subaru WRXs were unique and… almost intoxicating/hypnotic when they hit the market in the US.
They looked quirky, goofy, and lovable… but also mean, stout, & confident. We knew the Subaru WRX/STi legacy from Gran Turismo & rally, but they were finally here on our shores, at the peak of the import explosion. Performance cars were coupes, they weren’t supposed to be oddball sedans at that time. Yet the interior of these boxy things were bolstered & gauged-up with a thick steering wheel. Oh… and that boxer sound! The way they burbled through the parking lot made the hair on your arms stand up. Even the domestic V8 guys began to know that AWD + turbo was nothing to be taken slackly.
Dan Ristau had a neighbor who bought a brand spankin’ new Subaru WRX back in 2002 when they first came out…
Dan told himself that he too… would have a WRX in his garage one day. And a few years later, he made it happen! He got this blobeye Subaru WRX in 2009, and still has it today.
Problem is – ‘having a WRX in your garage’ has become a little too literal for Dan in 2021 lol.
As Dan Ristau admits, his blobeye Subaru WRX spends more time tucked in the garage these days than anywhere else. But a hard fact of life is… life tends to get in the way. Life gets busy as you get into the innings. Don’t let the whirlwind carry you off.
Listen up, because one thing I’ve really learned in the last few years is: ‘Convenience’ is at the core of adult life WAY more than we realize and/or want to admit.
Convenience is the key to adult life lol. Literally – the grill being placed an extra 20 feet away from the backdoor, miiiight just be far enough to say f*ck it & order pizza lol. So you have to prioritize your passions, and streamline them to be as convenient & efficient as possible. Draw a hard line in the sand as to what you’re gonna hold important… but then do yourself a favor & line it up to be as convenient & easy as possible. Because when we are younger, the errand itself is enough reason for the adventure. Everything’s a journey, and you just wanna be out there & be seen.
But as you get older & busier, everything becomes a *distraction/obstacle/delay* for some OTHER thing you’re trying to accomplish.
It’s true my friend. You gotta keep your eye on that sh*t & tackle it head-on… or it will eat at your happiness & ability to enjoy the moment. You’re late, rushed, & distracted. Mentally, your thoughts are in another place. And something as simple as a box behind the car will make you just grab the keys to the daily & go already.
Don’t let life be a distraction. Be where your feet are; be in the moment.
Don’t miss out on the journey, because you’re only thinking about the destination. Or worse… just getting back home from the destination & in your sweatpants lol. I know that as a family man, you tend to be magnetically drawn home. Your heart just wants to be home with your family. And that’s a blessing! It’s the best part of life. But don’t lose your ability to enjoy the road home.
Make it a daily habit to tap into whatever it is that gives you peace & pleasure.
Don’t lose your character or your identity. A lifelong hobby AND the mental/physical therapy it gives you… makes you the best you. Your fam doesn’t want some burnt-out, hollowed-out, brain-fried, version of you… they want the vibrant superhero version.
So don’t just take the easy/lazy path every time, because you’re only cheating yourself.
Going-with-the flow it slick… but sometimes you’ve gotta fight the flow & be hard-headed. Never truer than when it involves your passions. It may be a little damn inconvenient to take the ‘fun cars’ out sometimes. They may be a little temperamental, and you may have to move a box to get the door open. But don’t let 1 skipped trip turn into 1 skipped week… turn into 1 skipped month.
TEXT by Wooley PHOTOS by Andy Eineichner
Blobeye Subaru WRX : ENGINE
ARC air box w/ Zerosports intake tube, ARC oil & radiator caps (approx value $1 million apparently lol), ARC alternator cover, ARC radiator panel.
Koyo radiator
Cusco strut bar
GReddy Ti-C exhaust
Nameless crank pulley
GFB 50/50 blow-off valve
Weapon-R washer fluid/coolant combo tank
Blobeye Subaru WRX : INTERIOR
Bride seats & Takata harnesses
Key!s Racing steering wheel & shift knob
Prodrive blue-face gauge cluster
STi shifter trim bezel
Tanabe Revel boost gauge
Alcantara door panel inserts & shift knob
Blobeye Subaru WRX : EXTERIOR
Zerosports front lip w/ carbon splitters
Chargespeed sideskirts & rear bumper extensions
HIC rear window spoiler
APR GT mirrors
Stance Supersport coilovers
Work VS-SS wheels: 18×10 +14 w/ 5″ lips
