One Special Rex

How do you make a thing of beauty even more amazing? Ben Briskin found the answer with his one-off WRX STi. From what started life as a stock 1999 Impreza WRX STi V5 Limited coupe, his ride is now what he describes as the dream combination – taking the iconic coupe and marrying it to the 2006 Spec C Type RA drivetrain. The result? His favourite shape with the wizardry and reliability of the modern WRXs.

Ben is a self-confessed serial Subaru owner, noting he once “dabbled with the enemy,” but saw the error in his ways and returned to the brand he loves, buying his pride and joy in 2004.

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“After a few years of hard driving, the car began showing its age. As performance items tend to wear out sooner rather than later, I began to look at what I could do to get the STi to stand the test of time,” he said.

His solution was genius. By fitting the running gear from a 2006 WRX, he was able to take his ride to the 21st century and benefit from technology like Driver’s Control Centre Differential, where an electronically controlled differential can send up to 70% more power to the rear wheels, improving handling dynamics.

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With power sorted, suspension was then given an upgrade with new braces, swaybars and bushes, and the most important upgrade – the key to getting all that extra power to the ground – choosing Bridgestone Potenza RE003 tyres.

“The WRX STi with its new modern DCCD system drives like a powerful, hunkered down go-kart. The Bridgestone RE003s ticked all the boxes for a daily tyre, and a sporty tyre as well,” he added.

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Ben’s WRX STi is featured on Bridgestone’s ‘This is my Build’ series. Visit Bridgestone's website to check out the series.