They say that the world is beautiful because it is varied, and so there seems to be room for everyone, even for those that identify cars as mere expensive and bulky appliances. A portion of humanity, however, is safe and breathes gasoline from an early age. Then years pass, we grow, and from the afternoons spent in the garage to disassemble and reassemble a motorbike’s engine, we found ourselves with hands dirty of grease and oil, eyes swollen from dust and exhaust smoke and a sports car that makes our head turn as the girl of our dreams. Not all love stories for a car are roses and flowers, but these truly are the most beautiful, those experienced wiping the sweat from our forehead after solving a mechanical problem, those that after weeks and months of sacrifice, make us fit under the hood that much-needed upgrade, which makes our car a unique creature, special and damn fast.
The story of Milo is like that of some of us, born by chance, passing by a Subaru dealer. That day, he entered for a quote and came out (two days later) with a 2000 Impreza that, 8 years after its purchase, has virtually nothing of what it had stock. It immediately became his passion, his obsession, his mainstay and the companion of a path made of fun on road and track. We are talking about a Limited Edition #41/100 which originally featured a 2.0 turbocharged engine and now, by opening the bonnet, it shows a stroker 2.2 turbo with a ton of mechanical works wherever there was a chance to intervene. Milo was entrusted to the expert hands of “Preparazioni Soretti”, Subaru specialist recognized at European level, and has thus almost unwittingly embarked on a journey that will never end, that of car mods. It would be simplistic to mention only some of the major improvements made to his Impreza, as it has been tuned for the most part of it, thanks to new connecting rods, heads and valves specially designed by the same tuner, GT30 turbocharger, handmade exhaust system, twin-plate clutch with forged steel flywheel, increased oil sump and oil pump, self-locking front and rear, pop off, new fuel pump and improved power steering, BC Racing adjustable suspension and … I told you that the list was long! Even cosmetically it stands out and makes it clear that the cures under it are properly interesting: there are huge WRC front lamps, a 22b rear spoiler and Brembo braking system of the STI. All this translates, for those fools mentioned above, in 400 horses, put under a blue “appliance” of approximately 1200kg. We are sure that those fools would not understand anyway, but it would be enough to see it speed by, to realize that it is not a new iPhone model, but rather a shotgun ready to break their brain.
Subaru have something magical, I have had two and, between joy and sorrows, they can give you excitement and satisfaction that much more expensive cars struggle to give. It is not some sort of fashion that passes when a new model comes in, it is not about rumors that try to make big something far more suitable in the parking lot of a supermarket: Subaru Impreza and racing is one of the most absolute couple in the world. Even your grandmother knows that, and would recognize the unmistakable sound of its boxer engine, or blue and gold wheels combination. That’s why Milo does not care if sometimes he has to get his hands dirty, opening the hood and poking his nose into the engine bay, it is his child we’re talking about, a car that he wanted and shaped according to his very need, to go fast, indeed very fast. The permanent all-wheel drive and the perfect balance of the weights, combined with the 6-speed manual gearbox do nothing but emphasize the constant desire of adrenaline, the continuous search of the limit that culminates during a powerslide, just before straightening the back and completely floor the gas pedal, raising a bit the nose and pressing the butt. And then, BRA-PA-PA-PA, explosions, sparks, flames, fireworks as if it were the last day of the year. That’s why we are a few to live the passion for cars so viscerally. We are not wrong, we just want to experience goose skin at top level and reach that limit steeped in speed and a bit of risk. The real drawback is that there is no end to this, there will never be an end, as we’re gonna always want more, that something that actually is like a chimera that we will never achieve, but for this very reason, it kindles in us a passion that others can’t even dream of.