This 13,000-mile 2005 Subaru STI is a true rally-bred survivor
Subaru’s release of the WRX STI in 2004 was a huge deal for enthusiasts. Up until that point, if you wanted to drive an STI, you did so playing Gran Turismo. For the first time, Americans could actually drive the cars they were wheeling in video games and watching compete in the World Rally Championship.
Subaru owners aspiring to emulate Colin McRae drove these cars and they worked them hard. Few examples were kept as collector cars from new. An STI with 13,000 original miles, like the car currently listed on Bring a Trailer, is a special opportunity, indeed.
Even low-mile GD-series STIs are known for a tendency to suffer from corrosion. Suspension components and hardware are especially vulnerable to surface rust, but this car shows no such flaw. If you really want to be critical, a World Rally Blue paint job and gold wheels would be more traditional, and the this STI hasn’t escaped modification. Most of these upgrades are bolt-ons: a COBB air intake system, boost control solenoid, as well as a full exhaust system. All support modifications for a COBB AccessPort tune resulting in 275 horsepower at the wheels.
For the most hardcore STI collector, these mods will be a demerit; lower-mile and more original cars do exist, albeit in extremely low numbers. In general, however, most of the kit on this particular STI can be removed to return the car to a more stock state.
Regardless of how you feel about the upgrades, a fast Subie this clean does not hit the open market very often. At the time of posting bidding stands at $15,250; examples this clean can be worth upwards of $30,000 or more depending on degree of originality and condition.
