It's impossible to go through life without being aware of the generation gap that exists between parents and their children. Whether it's music, dancing, clothing, slang or even taste in cars, the younger generation's preferences rarely seem to intersect with those of older generations. And thanks to the incredibly fast-paced and rapidly changing world we now live in, the generation gap is certainly wider than it's ever been before.
Logan Schlegel, who not too long ago was touring the country as a member of an underground metal rock band, knows all about the generation gap. He grew up in Joplin, Missouri, with a father passionate about dragsters and hot rods from his youth and who still owns his high school dream machine, a '68 SS El Camino. But for Logan, it was the rumble of a Subaru boxer engine that captured his imagination and inspired him to scrape together enough cheddar to buy this '08 Impreza STI.
Having quit the rock band he was touring with so that he could go back to school to get a recording arts degree, Logan found himself drawn to the idea of building a Subaru. His Subie love started back in high school when a buddy of his owned a lightly tuned WRX that made the kind of angry noises that appealed to his heavy metal ear. "His car just had an exhaust upgrade and an AccessPORT tune, but the aggressive sound of the boxer engine got me. I knew I had to have that boxer rumble!"
Wanting to build something fresh and new, Logan and his father went to look at the new '08 STI and they both liked the practicality and uniqueness of the five-door hatchback body style. Trading in his Toyota Matrix, Logan suddenly found himself in possession of this WR Mica Blue STI and a fresh new bank loan.
There's no better way to bridge the gap between father and son than by wrenching on a car. And that's exactly what Logan and his dad did, literally installing every upgrade in their home garage. "I'm really proud of the fact that I did all the work myself on this car, with my dad's knowledge and skill guiding me along the way. I definitely couldn't have done it without the support of my parents, but I want people to know I spun most of the wrenches myself."
El Camino In Modified?
It's not every day we get to sneak a picture of something as, umm,
The one exception to Logan's home-built approach was the custom front-mount intercooler and ECU tuning. For this he turned to P&L Motorsports in Chicago, who he bought his GT35R turbo kit from. "I was super impressed by their turbo kit when installing it and I really like to work with smaller shops like P&L that do all their own development work. So once I was done installing the turbo kit, my dad and I trailered the car from Missouri to their shop so they could install a prototype front-mount intercooler and then dyno-tune the engine for me. Once they were done, I jumped in the car and drove it to Florida, where I go to college. I couldn't be happier with the results and can't say enough good things about how professional and skilled the guys from P&L are."
Running a very conservative street tune, Logan's growling boxer is now pumping out a rock-solid 380 whp and 360 wtq. Of course, like all of us, Logan's original plan was to just do a reflash and install a nice set of wheels, but his cross-country P&L adventure certainly speaks volumes about his dedication and growing passion for his Subaru, as does the impressive list of top-shelf parts he's added to it. From the angry-sounding Invidia N1 Race exhaust to the 18x10-inch +30 offset Advan RS, Logan has carefully selected his upgrades to suit his personal taste and style. "I guess I've been influenced a lot by my dad's love of hot rods, where the emphasis is placed on achieving a super-clean look. That's really the look I've gone for on my STI."
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Interior Bride Cuga front seats, door pulls, shift boot, e-brake boot, center arm rest and
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By David Pratte
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