Obsessed with Hot Wheels 2018 Subaru WRX STi

Brandon Deuster on his 2018 Subaru WRX STi…

I got into cars at the youngest possible age. Since before I could walk, I was obsessed with Hot Wheels and practically anything with an engine & tires. My dad and I would walk around the mall when I was a toddler, and apparently I would get upset when I didn’t get to look at all the Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars at the toy store. As I grew older, I became more and more obsessed. By elementary school, I knew the stats of every popular supercar & sports car out there. And before I ever got behind the wheel of a real car, I was spending every minute of my spare time playing racing simulators, watching car TV shows, movies… everything.

I’ve always been fascinated with creating things…

Therefore I got into media at a pretty young age too. I started drawing cars in the early years of school… pretty much any moment I could. And over time I actually developed a pretty decent skill set. As I grew older, I started to obsess over photos & videos – anything visual. I used to envy the people who would make Youtube videos or take cool photos. I would steal my dad’s camera every now & then, and play with lights & blanket backdrops to take photos of my model cars. Sometime in middle school, I went to a local car show with my dad and took his camera along. After that point, I was hooked. Ever since, I’ve been practicing photography, and have gotten to the point that as of a few years ago, I am practicing it as my full time job. I do real estate photography day-to-day, freelance automotive work, and even some scenery work from time to time. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to travel to some beautiful places to photograph & film some amazing cars… alongside some of the best in my field. Photography & cars go hand-in-hand for me, and it’s something I’ll never tire of.

A lot of people talk about how incredible, or even how terrible the car world can be. But personally speaking, it really saved me…

Throughout my school years, especially high school, I didn’t do well. I had very few friends, I had no social skills – nothing. It’s hard to say, but I had almost no understanding of how people interacted in a social sense or anything like that. But once I got my license and my first car, that started to change. I am forever grateful for the car world, no matter how good or bad people may see it. Because in a way, it kind of gave me a 2nd chance to figure myself out. I learned how to socialize, how to make friends, and how to be a part of a community – as corny as that sounds.

As for the STi, I’ve always had a soft spot for them…

I remember once seeing a blobeye (2004) STi the year they started selling in the US at a gas station. It was WR Blue with the iconic gold wheels. For some reason, that car specifically stuck with me. It was my attainable dream car if you will. This is my 3rd STi now, my 2nd of this generation. And when I ordered this car, I had a pretty decent idea as to what I had planned for it. I even already had a few parts stockpiled.

The car remains pretty much a daily driver…

And truthfully speaking, I don’t have much interest in making the car outrageously fast or anything like that. I am very happy with how the car drives & behaves on the road, especially with the addition of the new seats. But the thing I enjoy the most are the little mods… the ones that nobody would notice but me. A lot of people build cars for the attention that it gets them, and it’s very easy to lose sight of what makes you happy. I build my car for my own enjoyment, and I hope to keep this car for a long time.