Rebirth

Those of you who are reading these words from outside of Singapore, consider yourselves lucky. You might have read some of my previous car features where I mention the COE. The Certificate Of Entitlement is one of Singapore's government's measures put in place to limit the population of cars on the roads of our small island. Not only does it cost a bomb (current rates are above SGD60,000), but it also put a countdown on each and every car, as it is only valid for 10 years.

At the end of those 10 years, car owners have no choice but to either buy a new COE, or scrap their cars. Sadly, with the COE rates always getting higher, many of us do not have the finances to renew and have to bid their cars farewell.

As you can imagine, that makes the lives of us motorheads very, very difficult.

Nicholas' GC8 is one such casualty of the Singapore government's rule. This GC8 Version 4 that graced POWAA Garage's pages last January ran out of "paper life" last April, and renewing her COE was sadly not an option.

Yet his love for his Subaru named Azumi was not to succumb to the ridiculous laws of the country, and Nicholas exported her to Malaysia, where she would be reborn as a time attack monster.

With his car safely out of the crusher's grip, Nicholas did not waste time and took the first steps toward turning her into a specialised track machine.

First off, he changed the fuel pump that gave way during our last track session at the Johor Circuit. Out with the Mishimoto fuel pump, an in went a Walbro pump. With this, Nicholas said goodbye to fuel starvation and hello to a strong and steady fuel pressure all the way through the power band.

With Singapore's restrictions on modifications out of the way, Nicholas was also able to weld the 7 point roll cage for added rigidity.

The last modification he has done to Azumi is to add a side-plant exit to his exhaust, which is activated by a switch inside the car. He refers to it Azumi's split personalities - the "angel" mode has the valve closed and the exhaust gases going through their normal journey to the rear of the car, while the "bitch" mode opens the bypass valve and lets Azumi rumble the ground through the exit right beneath the front seats.

We took her for a quick shakedown at the Johor Circuit to try out the Walbro pump and enjoy the havoc of the side plant on unrestricted tarmac.

The welded roll cage feels much firmer and the cornering of the AWD machine is mental. The fuel pump is performing flawlessly, and if it wasn't for the old R888 giving way to the rough Malaysian asphalt, nothing could have stopped Azumi from running all day long.

Our aim there wasn't to clock a record number of laps, but to make sure everything was in check before the next step of modifications, which will start soon.

POWAA Garage will regularly follow the build of Azumi, as well as the practice and time attack sessions she will take part of in the near future.

Stay tuned for more!

Specs
Make		Subaru
Model		WRX GC8D
Engine		1,994cc 2005 EJ205 Turbo
Transmission		Manual
Drive Layout		AWD
Max Output		330bhp est.
Modifications
Power Mods
Intake	Perrin Air Filter
Cooling	Mishimoto Oil Cooler Mishimoto Oil Catch Tank
Fuelling	Walbro Fuel Pump
Turbocharger	VF22 Turbo Set Up
Exhaust	Side Plant (with Electric Bypass Valve)
Driveline	Exedy Racing Clutch Rear Differential Front Support Lock Kit
ECU	Vipec
Handling
Wheels		Rota Rims, 2 Sets (Black / Bronze)
Tyres		Toyo R888 / Yokohama Advan Sports
Brakes		Brembo STI (Gold Brake Kit)
Suspensions		D2 Race Suspension, Camber Adjustment Bolt Kit
Chassis		Whiteline Roll Centre Bump-Steer Adjustment Kit Whiteline Anti Lift Race Kit Whiteline Front Control Arm Lower Inner Front Bushing Whiteline Heavy Duty Steer Rack Mounts Whiteline Subframe Lock Bolt Kit Whiteline Heavy Duty Adjustment Steel Ball Whiteline F&R Sway Bar Link Extra Heavy Duty Alloy Assembly Kit Whiteline Front & Rear Trailing Arm Bush Kit 7 Point Welded Roll Cage
Exterior
Downforce		Carbon Spoiler
Interior
Seats		Recaro Seats Takata 4 Point Seat Belt
Steering Wheel		Momo Tuner
Gear Knob		Carbon Fiber Knob
Gauges		STI Genome Meters Apexi AVC-R Apexi RSM Apexi Boost Controller Turbo Timer