Photos – Dominic Bates | Words – Matt Gaumont
Didn’t think you’d be reading one of these again, did you? To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be writing another one. I lost faith in car culture a few years back. But honestly, I realized that It was me, not the community that was changing. I was maturing past waking up at 6AM for shows, sold all my “toys” and was losing interest in a culture that felt stale. And It was, to an extent, but in hindsight, I gave up on a community that treated me so well. I gave up on a community that I put a ton of time and effort into. I was watching from afar though, scrolling through IG and keeping up with what was going on. Still rooting for the “scene”. Still smiling when I come across cars like Tanner Bischofbergers’ WRX.
On the surface, Tanner’s WRX seems like just another ‘wheels and bags’ car. A recipe that we’ve seen for YEARS, and although it works and looks great, I think we all enjoy seeing a car that has MORE. When I called Tanner to discuss this feature, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was his build funded by mommy and daddy? Is he a clout chaser? Is it a sponsorship build? But to my surprise, his story was very refreshing. A tale of following through on a vision to its completion, and evolving with it as the years went on.
Every high school kid wants a damn WRX, Tanner included. In this case, a 2002 Sonic Yellow wagon. Over the next couple of years, the build progressed with some simple, but effective mods. Front lip, air suspension, over fenders, and Work wheels. Not a bad way to pull up to school before first period.
The car was at a good point. Fun to drive, performing well, etc. A few trips down to Ocean City did a number on the car though. On the way back home in 2019, Tanner noticed that the strut mounts were starting to rust out, along with a few other parts on the car. With 262k miles, he knew that the end was near. New England had claimed another one.
The end of an era. It was time for the next build. Most people go for something completely different, but Subaru kids do Subaru things, and a friend of his had a 2002 WRX Wagon. Yeah, another one. Typical Vermont things. Except this one was originally a California car. 55k miles, Blitz goodies, no rust, EJ207. The perfect platform for Version 2. Time to get to work. With a pile of saved parts from the first car, a couple sketchy Harbor Freight tools, and a blessing from his parents to keep the car in their garage, Tanner set out to complete the build he initially envisioned. “You can do anything you put your mind to” – Dad.
Over the next 2 years Tanner spent his evenings building the car with the the guidance of YouTube tutorials, friends knowledge, and online forums. And let’s give the man his props – most of us would absolutely butcher a build if we followed that path. He sourced some additional JDM parts to compliment the tasteful bits that we’re included in the cars initial purchase and took it to the next level with welded and molded fender flares from Ulterior Motive and Bradaforged BR5 wheels tucked underneath. You VW kids might recognize the paint color from the MK7 GTI. Great Falls Green Metallic. The vision was complete. That “take a step back and enjoy your work” moment. Proud of his efforts, Tanner started hitting events and shows with the car, taking home some hardware in the process. But, not long after, he couldn’t help but feel bored. He wasn’t done.
What happens when you have a show car but hang around a bunch of drift kids? You come up with the ridiculous idea to slide your show car around. Well, not me, I don’t do peer pressure. But it got Tanner. He could have bought an S13 or an E36 or something cheap and easy, right? Nope. He RWD swapped the WRX with a bunch of STi parts and it was game on! He spent some time getting it to break loose and control it in the rain. After some totally legal street practice, Tanner decided it was time to hit the track for a Lock City event. This is what was missing the whole time. The car performed great and held up to everything Tanner threw at it. Something that most Subaru owners can’t say. (Shots Fired). So what’s next? Tanner says he plans on continuing to improve the on track performance of the car while hoping to keep it show worthy. But he’s happy with it and just wants to keep enjoying it. One thing I know though, is we NEVER stop modifying. So I hope mom and dad have space in garage still. I can’t wait to see Version 3.
Additional Photos – D.J. O’Brien
Additonal Photos – Tanner
Build Details
2002 Subaru WRX wagon
Painted VW Great Falls Green Metallic
Custom made molded metal widebody arches by ?Ulterior Motives
Airlift manual air ride
Bradaforged BR5 wheels
Ej207 swap
Blitz intake, FMIC, BOV
RWD STi 6 speed swap
Full 04 STi rear suspension (arms/links etc)
All bushings replaced with poly
Bride seats/door cards
Vertex wheel
Takata harnesses
Cusco 3 pt strut brace
Custom made rear seat delete
Chargespeed rear lip
Custom molded front lip
Tanabe super hyper medallion exhaust
HKS equal length header
Tial 44mm external wastegate
JDM STi projector headlights
Custom all red 04 WRX tail lights
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