The rise of the Subaru Impreza WRX has been a very gradual one. Here in Australia, the WRX first stepped onto the stage in 1994 - but it took until the release of the updated MY97 before people really started to take notice. By this time, the go-fast crew had also begun dabbling with Rex enhancement. There was nothing really groundbreaking available though - only stuff like exhausts, filters and boost controllers. In those days, a 13 second WRX was considered fast (true!).
More recently, WRX performance has taken a giant leap. The availability of dog gearboxes (amongst other things) has enabled the creation of such cars as the Dominic Rigoli WRX - which, last time we heard, had run a 10.0 ET. Up until now, this kind of performance and its associated hardware has been considered drag-only. But there's one streetcar that's now popped up with even better specs than the Rigoli racer - this MY97 WRX sedan owned by Alfred Buttigieg...
Having previously owned an ultra-quick 350 Chev-powered Torana and a VK Group A Commodore, Alfred's move to the WRX was brought about by its "zippiness and driving enjoyment". Alfred fully expected to modify it - but once things got rolling, well, you know the story.
Not long after having purchased his MY97, Alfred threw a "traditional" set of mods at the car. This involved a big exhaust (3½-inch off the turbo, leading into 3 inch with a single cat and Hi-Tech muffler), a ram-pod air filter, a front-mount air-to-air intercooler, an IHI VF22 turbo (blowing at up to 22 psi) and a MicroTech MT8 programmable injection system. With a very healthy improvement in power, it makes sense that the car went pretty darn hard. Twelve point two seconds over the quarter mile hard, in fact. And that's usually where people let things lie...
Not Alfred.
With WRX performance really starting to get into its stride, Alfred wanted to stay on that cutting edge. After all, who wants to spend the time, money and effort modifying their car when everyone else has all the same gear?! Not wanting to stuff around, Alfred delivered his car to Tony Rigoli Performance on the Gold Coast. Whatever Dominic's famous white drag racer had, Alfred wanted it!
Needless to say, the car was attacked with a lot more than just bolt-ons. Out came the robust Subaru EJ20 quad-cam 16-valve engine and the Rigolis set to work working the magic that they're now dab hands at. The first step was to stretch the internal swept capacity from 2.0 to 2.4 litres (2.4, not 2.2 litres like the Rigoli vehicle). This was done using an atmo 2.2-litre block, which was then kitted out with a TRP (Tony Rigoli Performance) stroker kit. This incorporates a long-throw crank, forged rods, forged pistons (giving around a 7.5:1 CR, like the Rigoli's), heavy duty bolts rings and bearings. The rest of the engine received an O-ringing, copper head gaskets and all-important heavy-duty head studs. Subaru's effort with the 2 litre's DOHC, 16 valve alloy heads was pretty good, so these were bolted on standard - just like the Rigoli racer.
Alfred's car runs the same turbocharger that's used on the Rigoli WRX. Mounted off a custom top section of exhaust manifold is a Turbonetics roller-bearing T60/70, which the lads at TRP have nicknamed the T62. Both cars use the same type of wastegate to bleed off excess exhaust gasses - a 42mm external Turbonetics Racegate. Controlling boost on Alfred's car is a pneumatic pressure regulator located under the bonnet. Simple but effective.
The previous front-mount intercooler that had been fitted to Alfred's car was probably fine for the first phase of modification - but the stroker engine and big turbo required significantly more airflow capacity. This is now provided by a PWR (Paul Weel Racing) bar-and-plate front-mount 'cooler, which does the job very nicely thanks very much. There's no need for a water spray or anything fart-arse when you've got an intercooler like this...
Note that - unlike the Rigoli vehicle - Alfred's streeter maintains the factory throttle location. The Rigoli car sees the throttle flipped onto the leading side of the intake manifold, giving a more direct airflow path - but at the expense of having to remove the air conditioning system. Alfred, on the other hand, didn't want to say goodbye to his air-con - and neither would we! Other turbo-associated hardware that's shared with the Rigoli car is the RBR blow-off valve (soon to be replaced), silicone hoses and heavy-duty hose clamps. A catch can is also fitted to prevent blow-by oil from entering the intake tract.
Because Alfred had already had a MicroTech management system wired in, there was no need to replace this - only remap it. The MicroTech unit is now in control of four hi-flow 800cc injectors (around the same size as those used on the drag car). Some serious fuel pushing is performed by an in-boot surge tank and Bosch Motorsport pump teamed with a Malpassi rising rate reg.
The ignition side of things - also MicroTech controlled - sees the standard coils being used in conjunction with a MSD booster. The booster unit hides in the glove box - the rest of the car's interior is standard.
From the outside, Alfred's car features just enough to give it tasty looks - without being too overt. A 22B-style rear wing lives on the boot lid and Tony Rigoli stickers break up the factory green paint down each side flank. Rally-style gold Turismo 17s can be found at each corner, while the body is brought down 1½ inches closer to the road thanks to Pedders springs. Damping and the rest of the suspension remain standard. At the time of our photos, so too were the brakes. Thankfully, though, these have recently been upgraded to MY99 4-pot fronts. Indeed, this is much more practical braking improvement than strapping a 'chute to the tail end...
As mentioned, the recent introduction of aftermarket Subaru dog boxes has allowed modified Subaru WRXs to make use of some serious power. Alfred's car has been equipped with one of these as a mater of course (together with a 4200lb pressure plate and brass button clutch). Without a strong gearbox there'd be no point in extracting so much power from Subaru's potent little flat-four....
So lets get down to it. The Rigoli racer - at the time that Alfred had the work done to his car - was making 499hp at all-four-wheels on the TRP Dyno Dynamics dyno (on 42 psi boost). (And for our overseas readers, that's way, way more than this at the flywheel - the DD always reads far lower at the wheels than a flywheel figure!) Alfred's car is run at a more conservative boost level - ensuring heightened reliably. With its turbo set to push a relatively mild 25 psi, Alfred's beast has cranked out 405hp at all fours. Not at all bad considering how much harder it can be pushed!
Being a streetcar (yes, Alfred's WRX does get driven almost every day) the car hasn't yet run a quarter mile time - but you'd be a fool not to expect a 10 second pass. Looking at the power, the traction and the vehicle mass, that'd be a very safe guesstimate. Indeed, Alfred says it's a terrific weapon to drive on public roads, but - as you'd expect - there is the odd trade-off. That dog box can be a real stubborn bastard at times. If you want to change into a lower gear, you'd better be still rolling - or you're in for a big fight with the gear lever! Oh, and the dog box is a loud sucker too. Other than that though, it's safe to say that Alfred's Rex is pure ecstasy on wheels.
Drag car performance in a road car? Mark this down as another milestone in the WRX evolution...
Contacts/Thanks:
Tony Rigoli Performance
+61 7 5528 4666
Australian Competition Clutch Supplies
+61 7 3891 6114
Mr Radiator (Prahran, Melbourne)
+61 3 9530 2688
Note that Alfred and his brother - who run Mr Radiator in Prahran, Melbourne - are now also branching out into intercooler fabrication work.
A big thankyou goes out to Alfred's mother and brother, Lori and the Rigoli family.
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