It all started...
Back in 1999 for me. I was at work, surfing 25rs.tsx.org, and found out that right around the corner from my office, a club meet had been called. Heck, I'm a web designer, maybe I could lend a hand. I was after all, ready to show off my bone stock, 1999 Impreza TS slushbox.

As I rolled into the parking lot of the then Plantations at Warden & Steeles something caught my eye. It was Rommel's blue 1998 RS, with BIG STi stickers on the rear view mirrors and impossibly bright headlights. As I hunted around for parking, I found the car above, sitting quietly in the parking lot.

It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

Fast forward over 6 years, as I sit at my desk writing this. Yeah, a 98 RS with a (fake) version 4 bumper and a (fake) j-speed lip isn't a whole lot to write home about, but keep in mind the climate at the time. "Tuners" were still going by unnoticed, there was no such thing as a turbo impreza in north america, and there were only about 500 2.5RS's in CANADA. That made the bunch I was about to meet a fairly unique group. And what I later found, a bunch of like-minds. So for the inaugural article on this, the 4th or 5th iteration of the Toronto Subaru Club, I wanted to showcase not a 500hp WRX, or even Arthur's TRIAL widebody madness, but a collection of humble little sport coupes, that struggled keeping up with Preludes and Si's, but had some damn style doing it.

Colman Chan's 1998 Rally Blue 2.5RS Coupe
Best known for terrorizing the bayview twisties, this car was, at the time, the flagship of the club. Boasting KYB G2s matched with a spring I can't quite recall, and custom intake, headers, catback and cams and sporting at first a version4 bumper (follow this one around as I write, it's fun!) and then an STi Sport Kit front bumper, off-center fiberglass 22b style wing with carbon blade and gold Speedline Chronos. Colman's car met it's end after he moved back to Hong Kong, and we stripped it of it's parts, leaving it to go back to the dealer (it was leased!)

Arthur C.'s 1999 Rally Blue 2.5RS Coupe
The Trial madness being some 4-5 years off, Arthur's car's humble beginnings started with inheriting Colman's used version 4 bumper, later adding a JC Sports intake, APEX'i catback and horrendous yellow mudflaps + calipers0. Later a Ludespeed turbo kit, version 5 bumper+grille and real Prodrive RB5 wing would be added. Along with a vinyl install that took all day, sweating in the hot sun.

Benny W.'s 2000 Aspen White 2.5RS Coupe
The elusive Benny. His car, something of a unicorn. I've heard stories of those that have seen it. Benny rocked TEIN coilovers, a custom intake, STi sport kit bumper (2 of 3) and Version 5 wing.

Carl C.'s 1999 Silverthorne Metallic 2.5RS Coupe
a.k.a the car Carl shared with his mom, it was one of the first to sport a carbon fiber hood. Also of note was the Varis Extremor front bumper, STI seats, Black wheels and Carl's inescapable urge to paint stuff. It would later be replaced with something special... And not quite as loud.

Gordon W.'s 1999 Rally Blue Pearl 2.5RS Coupe
Before moving to Honk Kong, buying a skyline and screwing people over on a group buy, Gordon had a pretty pimp car. One of the earlier cars to sport an EJ20 swap, it also rolled with JIC coilovers, Varis front bumper and v5 wing. It was pretty fast, and the suspension would knock the fillings out of your teeth.

Harvey L.'s 2000 Blue Ridge Pearl 2.5RS Coupe
Ah... nothing hugs me tighter than a thai hooker like fake recaro's. Dubbed the BC-auto special (mostly by me), Harvey's pre-STi -Killer was a modest RS, dumped on Tanabe Coilovers, weapon R intake, v4 bumper w/lip and a hot set of Hokuto Hiryu's with the damn skinniest tires I've ever seen. And here's some trivia - it was one of the first RS ECU's Paul Neethling of neetronic's ever picked at. Unbeknownst to Harvey. and in all likeliness, without his permission. (It was Colman!)

James McIntosh's (aka, ME) 2000 Silverthorne 2.5RS Coupe.
Before it was all c-westified and driven by a young doctor with excellent taste in cars, this car belonged to me. In it's first iteration it had an STi Sport kit front bumper (3 of 3), version 5 suspension and wing, C-west grille (first of 2) and very bald RE92s.

Maciek Z.'s 1998 Diamond Black 2.5RS Coupe
One of the hardcore rally guys, Maciek's car was filled with navigational gear I care not to go into. It also had a roll cage, some kind of rally suspension, and the dubious honour of being rumoured to have been seam-welded by Maciek himself. In his garage. In the dark. With one hand tied behind his back.

Rommel P.'s 1998 Rally Blue Pearl 2.5RS Coupe
Still rocking that very version 4 bumper that caught my eye in 1999 (while on another car), Rommel's car is one of the least recognized up here, if only for the fact that the dude lives in windsor. It sports a 22b style wing w/carbon blade (Colman's), version 4 Bumper (colman's, then arthur's) Speedline Chronos (colman's) STI v5 seats, c-west grille, Apex'i sideskirts, cusco coilovers and an STI version 7 EJ20. It's fast, and we've broke it before. Hee hee.

Well, that ends my trip down memory lane, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

-James McIntosh