It’s easy to point the finger and say that the abundance of Subaru ‘performance’ vehicles here on our beautiful island, Saint Lucia, is due to to our realization that they are relatively cheap and quick machines. As a result, it can be said that the Subaru brotherhood here has been antagonized almost in its entirety; the few genuine car enthusiasts who own them aren’t even taken too seriously. Also, certain events have not helped their faction in its pursuit of genuine respect either and interestingly, the cars we consider to be “top-of-the-range” in terms of modified Subarus are barely ever seen; they’re akin to myths!
There is, however, one young man who puts practically all his energy in his attempts to break out of the ‘joker’ bracket. By his own admission, it wasn’t a Subaru he was looking for while searching every corner of the Internet for his first car but when he stumbled upon what is now his very own Impreza GF8 Sportswagon, he welcomed the idea of owning such a vehicle
Shayne Thomas, a humble young man from the island of Dominica is no stranger to cars, as he shall explain in the Q&A segment of this article. But I have found that, one may think he knows something, even after doing endless hours of research…until actually experienced. So then just his luck that he came to own a car plastered all over its body with ‘Scooby Doo’ decals and aftermarket part manufacturer stickers. Need For Speed? I thought so too. For an individual who’d been living his life out of the spotlight, owning this car would turn out to be quite the change of pace for him.
It wasn’t very long before the car developed an alias. The name itself has been taken directly from the very thing which provided some comedic relief in earlier days, and the car is still referred to as ‘Scooby Doo’ even this long after the owner decided to put his own twist on the car’s apearance. The pair’s raw dedication to automotive engineering and motorsport in general has seen this car and driver become quite the figure in Saint Lucia’s car scene, and with somewhat of a following. And of course, with admiration comes curiosity, so it was with great joy that I welcomed the opportunity to ride along with this intelligent owner in his intriguing machine as we made our way to the location of the photo shoot.
Driving to the location and speaking to the owner, just barely hearing each other over that signature Subaru exhaust tone, this time from an EJ20 turbocharged motor I could tell this man had a passion. He knows his car through and through and demonstrated all its highlights with some discreet accelerations. It sure has the tone and the power is enough for a responsible yet rewarding drive. Still, it would be good to know the actual horsepower output of that engine. Thanks to a few smart modifications, he can raise and lower boost presure created by that TD05 turbocharger to suit the situation. Raising boost pressure results in more forceful accelerations, and I could have felt the difference when he did so! This power is sent to all 4 wheels via the stock 5-speed transmission. However, power is nothing without traction and it was obvious that his front differential was a factory unit, shown clearly by the excitement made by those front tires under a hard launch from a standstill. That isn’t to say the car doesn’t grip though, as in stock configuration this car still hooks up quite well as the rearmost part of the drivetrain houses an LSD unit, also a factory item. To help this cause, he has increased the tire size, going from the factory 16″ wheels on 205mm width tires to a set of 17″ wheels using 225mm width tires.
As I elaborated with him on how the power delivery was different from other vehicles I’d been in, he went on to say that his suspension is just as important. He spoke of an adjustable coilover suspension system from Megan Racing; certain characteristics of that shock and spring combo can be tuned to suit various road conditions. This conversation, however, was met by the sound of tires clashing against the wheel arches upon hitting a small bump. These struts seem to go against the car’s natural practicality.
Something beside the personalized general appearance and colour scheme I noticed before I jumped into the car was a slight but noticeable negative camber on the front wheels. Right then and there, the suspension flexes it’s muscles over a stock equivalent. But does it justify the uneven tire wear? Let’s leave that to the owner.
Being inside this car as it rolls around, turning heads and twisting necks, is a feeling that could compel anyone to go out and buy one of these; it’s that much of an attention grabber. And the outside? Despite the fact that the car is not in ‘show car spec’, it looks decent if you consider that it’s used by a man who firmly believes in using the car for what it was built, i.e. off-road hooliganism. I hadn’t been a huge admirer of white wheels before this car, being concerned about cleanliness and otherthings but the way this car pulls it off made me change my mind on the subject completely. The quite brilliant look that the colour scheme pulls off is really worth spending about an hour per week cleaning those rims and giving the car a good clean.
Many a question has been posed to this young man with much eagerness for responses, but he has often found himself too busy with his quest for improvement of the car to even bat an eye to them. So, with this in mind, the Lucian Streets team recently caught up with ‘Scooby Doo’ and its passionate owner for a brief Q&A session. Enjoy!
Q&A
You bought this Subaru Impreza Sportswagon online. What attracted you to this car over all the other listings? Why a Subaru?
Well, to answer that, first I need to let you know that this wasn’t the first car I wanted. Before I thought of things like budget and duties, I wanted an Aristo or Mark II Tourer V; something rear wheel drive. Those were nowhere near budget! So I thought and thought. Everything RWD was so darn expensive. The minute I let go of my craving for misbehaving, I knew what I wanted: an Impreza WRX STi. But I didn’t end up with that either. Again, they were out of my price range. So I went searching British car sites, looking for any Impreza Turbo 2000 or WRX I could find. After several people not responding and several cars being bought before my father could get to them, I got this one. It wasn’t the gem I was looking for. I just stumbled upon it. I wish I could have gotten a newer one though. As for why a Subaru…it’s my preferred JDM brand. I love rally, and I love the sound they make!
When you first got this Impreza, everyone dubbed it ‘Scooby’ because of the Scooby Doo decals it came with. So then, why did you change the look of the car knowing it already had that alias?
Well, I just like darker colours, to be honest. The silver/grey colour was nice and all, but I wanted something dark. My original colour scheme was going to be black but then I remembered there is a black WRX wagon here and decided against that. So I went for dark grey instead. The name stuck anyway, so losing the stickers hasn’t taken away from the car. I planned on putting some of them back but I just never got around to it.
What got you into the car scene and is it a hobby or a serious passion?
As far as I can remember, lots of family experience got me into this culture. I remember watching my uncle’s MR2 from across the road every day. The thing was magical! And I used to go ‘full retard’ over this copper-coloured 300ZX in the neighbourhood. My dad was into cars, my big brother was into cars; I was just surrounded by it. This is definitely a serious passion for me right now. I live for cars, I really do. I never get tired of them, even when they frustrate me.
Do you have a favourite racing discipline? If so tell us a bit about it and why you prefer it over other forms of motorsport.
My favourite racing discipline is, without a doubt, rally racing. I love it more than the others because it’s a hell of a lot more intense, and I think when I was younger I loved it because I felt the most connected to it. I felt like these were actual obtainable cars that I was watching. F1, NASCAR and all that: they were track built metal tubes with bodies on top. But back then, Rally cars were real, and that connection to the real world was priceless.
Being your first sports car – or even car on a whole – you must have been excited! What were your first experiences like? And what was the first modification you did to it?
My first thought and reaction was, “holy crap, I am in command of a sports car. I hold proper acceleration at the whim of my right foot.” I felt damn privileged. I spun it that very first day though. That was a good reminder of what I was driving! And if I remember correctly, the first modification I did was HIDs in the headlights and fog lights.
What other modifications have you done to the vehicle?
Quite a few, actually. After an oil pump failure caused a bearing knock, I chucked the whole EJ20G block in the bin and got an EJ207 block from a teacher at the school I went to. I got some STi shocks with lowering springs around that same time, and a boost controller, and that was it for quite some time. Then the thirst kicked in. Now I have a Megan Racing coilover suspension system, an HDi boost controller, Apexi Super AFC and Super ITC, rims, although I’ll concede I don’t really know what brand they are, and recently a front mount intercooler.
So then, is there a specific way you plan to modify your car or is there any particular way you would modify your cars?
Not really. I have everything listed down in sections, but I’m not really that organized in terms of how I go about it. I change what I feel needs to change. Whatever makes itself known as the weakest link, it’s getting changed. If I’m buying suspension parts and then the car starts to feel a bit slow for how well it can corner, then I switch up and buy engine parts. This is just an example.
Whenever there’s a racing event on island, you’re always there and you always take part. Your dedication is amazing! What advice do you have to anyone new to the car culture in Saint Lucia?
First and foremost, you all have sports cars, use them as such. But on a serious note, I understand each owner is entitled to what whatever the little voices in their head say to do with their car, but it doesn’t make sense to come to an event, sit around running nothing but our mouths and then complain that the government isn’t taking us seriously. Before they help us, we have to help ourselves and get this culture going. I’m not saying you have to race. Leave that for the ones whose hearts lay bare on the track, but show some real support.
Your car has pretty much become synonymous of who you are. If you were to sell it, would you buy another Subaru?
If I had to sell it right now, I wouldn’t but one right away. I’d buy something driven by the rear wheels. I’d really like to trifle with the ‘artistic’ drivetrain while I’m still young so I can, as they say here, ‘catch my hand’. Eventually, I’d buy another though.
You’re always working on your car and looking for ways to improve it. Do you have any specific plans for future improvement and/or modifications?
I have, a lot of plans for this car if it stays in my hands. I want to make a real do-it-all car. I want something I can drive every day, and then at any time be able to destroy some egos on the strip, circuit, dexterity, road…anywhere. All while listening to some Sade at just the right volume.
And finally, pretty much all motorsport enthusiasts have a dream car: A car they wish to own someday. Do you have one? What is it?
My dream car is a Dodge Viper SRT10. Surprising? It’s striking, vulgar and brutal! I just love the thing to death. A Viper really is the car for me: the one I need to own.
“Scooby Doo? Where are you?”
I’m sure, by now, the owner is probably used to that signature call used by his fellow car enthusiasts and regular car admirers alike when referring to his car. But unlike the fictional character that we’ve all grown up watching, Shayne is never one to take off fleeing from those we may consider to be monsters in the St Lucian car scene. By monsters, I mean the really fast cars of course! The man eats, breathes, sleeps automotive engineering and lives his life as if he has a point to prove: that a 1995 Subaru Impreza GF8 WRX Sportswagon can be as competitive as our favourite Japanese sports cars: the Supras, Skylines and all the others. In the two years he’s owned the car, he’s been through many a setback but always seems to resurrect the car with such a passion and it’s always nice to see the car rolling around. Look out for this notorious machine, it’s a permanent fixture now.
