A Black Widow in Central PA
Part I
Nestled in the rolling greens hills of Northumberland county lies a sleeping monster. We need not worry however, as this monster preys on unsuspecting Corvettes and Mustang Cobras that are unlucky enough to cross it's path at one of the stoplights on route 61 here in central PA. This monster is a brand new, custom built 500+ horsepower WRX STi...and nap time is almost over.It started well over a decade ago when the owner of this black STi was first introduced to Subarus. She wanted a WRX but had no intentions on keeping it stock. In fact, she had no intentions of even driving a stock one, ever. That meant buying a WRX and having it modified immediately. She needed a "mod-friendly" dealer as enthusiasts refer to them as, with knowledge of what parts to buy, where to get them, and have them installed correctly. Keep in mind, this was not exactly an easy request in 2002. Enter W&L Subaru of Northumberland, PA.
W&L was no stranger to Subaru performance. Even before the WRX was introduced in the US, they were sponsoring rally cars at the STPR rally in nearby Wellsboro, PA as well as helping the local enthusiasts source parts and install them on their Imprezas years prior to the WRX. When the WRX did hit our shores, W&L was right there waiting for the Subaru performance market to catch fire. They have worked closely with SOA along with independent shops such as Rallispec and IAG and hosted the now defunct East Coast Subaru Shootout, an all-Subaru drag race event that had some of the quickest Subarus in the country go head to head. W&L was there from the beginning. In those years, Andy Long(owner of W&L) had forged a relationship with Ali Ashfar, owner of ESX Motorsports of California,which over the years had produced some of the quickest most powerful Subarus in the world and had forged a very good relationship with Subaru of America in their own right.
Fast forward to 2015. As many previous Subaru enthusiasts can attest to, Subarus are fun cars, and although W&L's customer sold her first WRX years ago, the Subaru community has a knack for pulling you back in, and pulled at her it did. A phone call was made to Mr. Long and the timing could not have been better as ESX had just released their limited edition individually numbered ESX WRX STi "Red Dragons". Only 25 would be made and all of them would be sporting ESX's traditional red with white stripe paint scheme. W&L was one of only 15 dealers nationwide authorized to sell the "Red Dragons", most of which would end up on the west coast. To make things even better, Andy committed to not one but two of the special edition STi's. His customer would be able to choose which one she preferred. The answer...neither. She didn't like red. So Mr. Long made a phone call to his old friend Ali at ESX and after a long conversation, an agreement was made that ESX would produce one more "Red Dragon" for the 2015 run of special editions, only this one would be all black.No stripes, just black.
The way it would work was like this; W&L ordered a black 2015 WRX STi Limited with Subaru of America. Upon arriving from Japan, SOA would send the car directly to ESX in California where it would perform all of the modifications necessary to transform it into it's Red Dragon. While there, ESX would also carry out additional modifications at the customer's request such as even more horsepower, DVDs in the headrests, 18" OZ wheels, a black suede headliner and trunk liner and a host of other additions to make this one out of 26 even more exclusive. This car would receive a "1 of 1" badge from ESX as the sole "Black Widow" in the country. The car would then be shipped to W&L Subaru and sold as a brand new WRX STi. Subaru still honors the Subaru parts not affected by ESX under warranty, and ESX honors their work with their own warranty.
I was invited to see the car this past week, and needless to say, I did not hesitate on accepting the offer. The car has not yet been delivered to the customer, as the technicians at W&L are waiting on a few more custom bits to finish it, including a new rear spoiler since, similar to the red paint, the customer is no fan of the iconic high STi spoiler(She is not alone. SOA is now offering the discrete, barely detectable WRX trunk lip spoiler as an option for 2016 WRX STi owners). I met with Mr. Long Thursday afternoon and from there we went to the undisclosed location where the STi is being stored. The security system of the facility was disabled and we entered through a side door. It was dark but I could easily recognize the silhouette of the 2015 WRX sitting completely by itself at the far end of the building. All of the lights were turned on but it seemed as if they were only shining over the STi like a rare artifact piece in a museum. "There she is", Andy said. Regardless of the fact that STi's have been in this country for 11 years, around these parts, it's still uncommon to see them often on the streets, and the newly redesigned 2015's are even more rare. That is changing though. From Williamsport to Pottsville, from Wilkes-Barre to Harrisburg, central PA is quickly becoming a hot bed for modified Subarus. This particular black STi, however, will stand out among them all. Walking up to it, the appearance with it's black paint, black OZ wheels, and dark tinted windows and it's slightly lowered stance is menacing.
I went to the front of the car where it's huge silver front mounted intercooler is easily visible through the mesh of the grille and front fascia. I could not help but think that this will be the last view of the front end that the occasional local gearhead looking for an easy win will see in their rear view mirror when it pulls up slowly behind them at a redlight. Andy walked around to the driver's door and released the latch for the hood, but before the engine is revealed, I inspect the interior. Custom ESX leather seats front and back with the headrest DVD screens jump out immediately. The headliner done in black suede looked incredibly factory and not as over-the-top as one might think it would be. And other than the signature ESX shift knob, the rest of the interior is pretty standard STi fare, which is in no way a bad thing.
Raising the hood instantly reveals the massive intake tube and intercooler piping as well as the huge rotated turbocharger and external wastegate. It is shocking. You immediately want to drive the car, or at least be driven in it. You want to hear the sounds that make turbocharged cars part of their mystique. The inhaling of the intake, the high pitched note of the turbo as it's boost builds rapidly to full boil in the blink of an eye, the scream of the external wastegate as it tries with maximum effort to keep the turbocharger in compliance, and the exhale of the bypass valve between shifts as it rids built up boost in the system only after your brain regains control over your muscles that adrenaline has taken hostage for the last three seconds and tells your right foot to lighten up a bit. You want to feel that force that only
Mr. Long and I close everything back up, reactivate the security system of the facility and finish up with some general Subaru talk on the way back to our original meeting spot.
One thing that is evident is that Andy Long of W&L eats, sleeps, and breathes Subaru. He has spent most of his life in, around, and working at his dealership that has been in his family for two generations before him. Many of Subaru's near 600 dealerships would shy away from a customer's request of this type but Long seems proud of his dealership that it is one of few that could make it happen. As well he should be.
As for the "Black Widow", I look forward to getting a detailed interview with the owner when she finally takes delivery of it. Until then, all the muscle car owners can rest easy, knowing it is not prowling the streets just yet. But they can consider themselves put on notice, as there is a nasty WRX STi getting ready to be seen and heard and make it's mark in and around Northumberland county. This Subaru means business.
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