BATTLE OF THE BOXERS — 3RD PLACE FEATURE

Rico Christian's Bugeye Built From Spare Parts and Second Chances

Rico Christian's bugeye WRX started as a car that was "basically ready to go to the dump." Battle of the Boxers third-place finisher, Rico sat down with us to talk about how a written-off shell, a wrecked Hawkeye, and a friend's totaled STI came together to build the car he now calls his dream car. Todays story has more behind than most builds you'll see scrolling on Instagram.

Meet Rico

Rico's love for Subaru goes back to childhood. He remembers hearing one drive by long before he ever saw it. "I heard it like driving across, and when I saw it, I fell in love. That boxer rumble," he says. "I always said to myself, I have to get a Subaru no matter what." He saved up and got his first one, a Hawkeye WRX, and never looked back.

Rico is based in the Cayman Islands, where strict import age restrictions mean he can't just bring in an older car to build. "If at the time I would have just brought in an STI, that would've saved me some cash," he says. "But we have a law here that we can't bring in cars past a certain year anymore."

From the Dump to a Dream Car

When Rico's mechanic had a rough bugeye shell sitting around, it wasn't much to look at. "It was basically ready to go to the dump," he says. But Rico didn't have a lot of other options, so he took it.

He'd already been through a Hawkeye WRX of his own — one he ended up crashing unfortunately.

He pulled the motor out of that wrecked Hawkeye, and instead of just dropping it straight in, he decided to take his time and build it properly. The block got opened up, new pistons, rods, springs, and retainers went in — a full bottom end refresh — paired with upgraded cams, a Forced Performance turbo, IAG fuel rails, 1700cc injectors, and a Radium fuel pressure regulator.

Then came the next phase: A friend totaled his own 05 STI, and Rico bought the whole drivetrain off him: the six-speed transmission, the differential, even the carpets, door panels, and seats. "This is the closest I could get to making it a full 05," he says. "I couldn't pass the deal up."

The result is a bugeye shell running a built Hawkeye-spec EJ207 and a full STI six-speed drivetrain — a car made almost entirely out of wrecks. On E85 and 36 psi of boost, it's making north of 600 horsepower.

Paint, Not a Wrap

The color is one of the first things people ask Rico about — and most assume it's a wrap. It's not. "Everyone thinks it's a wrap," he says. "When I tell them it's paint, they're shocked." He wanted to keep the signature Subaru blue but always loved Nardo Gray, so his painter sprayed the car Nardo Gray and laid a blue pearl over top. Catch it at the right angle and the blue comes through. A few other builders tried to copy the combo afterward, but overdid the blue and lost the effect. Rico and his painter wanted to keep it subtle on purpose.

The wheels tell a similar story of small, deliberate changes: originally black, Rico had them painted white. "Hardest thing to keep clean, trust me," he laughs, "but it stands out a lot more."

The Kartboy Connection

With the power sorted, Rico's focus now is handling. He's already running Kartboy front endlinks, with rear endlinks next on the list. Funny enough these will be funded by a discount he picked up through the competition. New rotors and a full bushing refresh are on the to-do list too, all in the name of finally getting the chassis dialed in to match the power.

What's Next

Rico's current suspension is a set of budget coilovers he picked up to hold him over, with BC Racing coilovers next on the upgrade list. He's also eyeing a track day for the first time. A local track near him closed down for a rebuild after a fatal accident and is set to reopen this year, and Rico's ready to find out how the car actually handles under real load.

Beyond his own build, Rico started a local Subaru community page, Subaru Nation 345, where he and other owners share builds and keep each other connected. It slowed down during COVID, but he's kept it running and hopes to see it pick back up as more cars in the group get finished.

Full Mod List

Engine and Transmission

— EJ207 built from a wrecked 05 Hawkeye WRX (fully built bottom end: pistons, rods, springs, retainers)

— Upgraded camshafts

— Forced Performance turbo

— IAG fuel rails

— 1700cc fuel injectors

— Radium Engineering fuel pressure regulator

— GrimmSpeed boost controller

— ARP 625+ custom head studs (upgraded from ARP 2000)

— 535 lph fuel pump

— Making 600+ hp on E85 at 36 psi of boost

— Full 05 STI six-speed swap (transmission, differential)

Suspension

— Race Line coilovers (BC Racing coilovers planned next)

— Kartboy front endlinks (rear endlinks planned next)

Exterior

— Custom Nardo Gray base with blue pearl paint

— White-painted wheels (XXR)

— OEM Subaru "rainbow" fog lights

— Full Tomei exhaust

Interior

— Full interior swap from a wrecked 05 STI (carpets, door panels, seats)

Advice for New Builders

Rico's advice for anyone getting into modifying a Subaru is simple: know what you're signing up for.

"You've got to have a lot of time and patience. You can't expect everything to be rushed, because that's when things happen. Especially when you're making more power than factory settings, things are going to break. There's no running from that."

He speaks from experience. He only got the car back on the road in March after lifting a head, and rebuilding it from the ground up. Engine first, then the body which took months of its own. His take is this: if you don't have the patience for that, it's not for you. But if you do, it's worth it.

Rico's bugeye was never meant to be a trophy car. It was built out of a wrecked Hawkeye, a friend's totaled STI, and a shell that was headed for the scrapyard. Piece by piece. Out of necessity as much as passion. A third-place finish in Battle of the Boxers is a nice bonus. For Rico, the real win was just getting it built, and getting to hand it down to his son one day.