2009 WRX Hatchback - Former Track Weapon

Drew Woodall
Jun 27, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Jul 30

Our 2009 WRX hatchback has had an interesting life. From being a daily driver to a full blown track weapon - then back to a street car, this vehicle has been put through the paces.

We purchased the car in 2021 from a wholesale charity auction. It came across our laps and we did some background research on the car and found out it was built by Touge Tuning in Toronto and ran in the Canadian Sports Compact Series for many years. We decided to bid on the car, won it and shipped it home!

When it arrived, the clutch was non-existent and the car was dead. We installed a new battery and ACT clutch kit and it was a ripper! The half cage, Sparco seat and all billet mounts made for a harsh ride on the street. Here is how the car came to us:

Running an STI drivetrain from a 2012, built engine and Borgwarner EFR turbo kit. Every suspension component upgraded and with a big brake kit installed. All exhaust/turbo components were Swaintech coated for heat management. Running flex fuel kit tuned by the old OnPoint Dyno team.

Basic maintenance was completed and we enjoyed the car for a few year as it sat. We had bigger plans for it but between work, other projects and personal lives there was no time. We eventually removed the cage and Sparco to install a normal leather WRX interior.

This past spring we decided the car needed a refresh. We completed a major mechanical and fluid overhaul, swapped a fresh set of tires on, installed an STI interior, installed C-style headlights, re-cleared the carbon hood and replaced the billet engine mounts with OEM. Absolute night and day difference in the car!

Earlier this year Igor and I made the decision to finally build the cars exterior to be exactly what we wanted. We have been collecting parts over the years and finally had our collision guys get to work on transforming the car.

We converted the car to a 2011-2014 OEM "widebody" by changing the front fenders, rear doors and molding in new quarter panels from a 2013 WRX. Front and rear bumpers were added from a 2008 STI with a genuine JDM front lip. We also added front and rear seats from a 2008 STI and new to us Forgestar wheels.

Here are some photos of the process! We changed the colour to Subaru lapis blue pearl.