A Sideways, Straight-Six, Subaru Impreza WRX

In 2007, J.R. Conner sold his project, an S14 Nissan Silvia, to fund his next car: a brand new Subaru Impreza WRX, right off the showroom floor.

Having modified cars in the past, he was quick to make a start on his new Subaru, with an aftermarket exhaust, cold air intake, coilover suspension and more. After everything was checked off that list, he found himself bored and wanting to get back into something he could drift.

So he parked the car, and started scheming on his next move into a RWD chassis. JR started to draw inspiration from Team Orange – a legendary drift team in Japan – who in 2007, turned the same car J.R had been storing into a championship winning drift car.

That sparked an idea in J.R’s mind… “I would build my Subaru in the same vein as the Team Orange cars. To me, they were some of the coolest D1GP cars of the time.”

The first iteration of the build was as OEM as any RWD Subaru could be. Utilizing the factory flat-four motor, he sourced a six-speed transmission and rear differential from a WRX STI model.

With that and all of the bolt-on modifications previously installed, he was able to squeeze 260hp and 275ft/lbs of torque out of the engine – sending it to the rear wheels. As fun as this set up was, he knew it wouldn’t last forever. 

Once the stock motor inevitably left the chat in 2018, he quickly started transitioning into version two-point-oh of the build. The first order of operations was a heart transplant, one that he knew from the get-go would be swapped in; a Toyota 1JZ-GTE.

From there he picked the rest of the components very strategically, with careful consideration about the ease of replacement parts…since they’ll inevitably break when drifting. The transmission is a six-speed Nissan CD009 out of a 350Z, mated to the engine through a Fisch Race Tech adapter.

The differential casing and axles are also Nissan items from an R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, but with a stout OS Giken 1.5-way LSD swapped in. He went with this differential specifically because it matches up 370Z axles; affordable and easy to get ahold of.

The axles are also a direct fit in terms of length to the Subaru’s OEM rear subframe; coming together like a jigsaw puzzle.

That’s where Walker Pro Motorsports came in, fabricating everything needed to mount the new mechanical components; tubbing the front end for more wheel angle, building the full cage and everything else in between.

Once everything had a home he contacted Hartsock Motorsports – of Formula Drift fame – tasked with creating both the engine and chassis harnesses. Hartsock created the tightly fitted and high quality looms to the perfect lengths without even seeing the car. Last but not least, Art of Assembly in Grand Prairie tuned the car for a conservative 357 wheel-horse power and 360ft/lbs when on ethanol.

To wrap up the build, he modified some WRX STI knuckles and installed TSSfab extended lower control arms. The fuel system was removed and replaced with a 10-gallon fuel cell that was relocated to the trunk for better weight distribution.

For additional safety, he installed a fire suppression system with a Lifeline Zero 360 system; hardlines going to both the hot side of the engine and fuel cell in case of a mishap. Last but not least, fixed-back Recaros keep him snug when sliding through corners.

J.R. is more than happy with how the build has progressed. In its current state, the build is dependable and allows him to stay focused on driving without fear of a breakdown.