June   2008
SubaruGirlie: Amy Kuek aka "Shale"

1998 Impreza HX20s Select thumbnails to view larger photos

  -Tell us about your Subaru ownership? What made you purchase a Subaru?
"From the moment I was forced by a mate to play Initial D 3, I fell in love with the Impreza. I'd tried a few of the other cars, but not one of them, even in the game, had the same grip and positive feel of the STi. Over the next year I was hellbent on getting myself an Impreza, eventually settling on the HX20s I currently have after a number of failed test drives. It was a dream; all-wheel-drive with a 2.0L SOHC powerplant, easy to work on...he's my baby! I'd always wanted a car that could go anywhere...so here we have it. A little non-turbo Impreza with a reputation that precedes him! "

-Modifications? What is your favorite Modification? Least favorite? "Including the $10,500NZ I spent on the car initially, the total now exceeds $30,000NZ. Sadly there's not much to so for it yet! Dyno says we've gone from 135hp to 160hp.

The best part of owning Shale is that he's easy to work on - but I wouldn't have learned a thing if it weren't for my better half, a guy that seems to instinctively know how Subaru's work and how to fix them! One of the first things he did is tinker with the knock sensor on the car, which is tuned to run on 100 RON - it's never run on less than 95 RON, so it doesn't need that sort of sensitivity. It woke up like you wouldn't believe! Following that, he removed the baffle in the right side guard - makes for a noisy idle, but again has woken it up substantially.

One mod we've done has had mixed results. The front struts started to leak and needed replacing; the 'ooh pretty pink' reaction hit instantly when we came across a set that had 'STii Showa' stamped on them! Had to have them! Turns out they are...erm...low and ridiculously hard. The front camber is greater than the rear and the ride makes passengers feel ill at times...but the blistering, gut-wrenching cornering is well worth it in my opinion."

-If you could have ANY car - what would it be? (dream car?)
"Dream car? Not too much of a hard choice... If I had a mere $40,000NZ, I'd buy an S201. I mean come on...scary-as body kit, custom interior, 6-speed gearbox and a top speed of 300km/h? 330hp? 0-100km/h in something like 4 seconds? Hell, I'd take that over any Subaru any day. Besides, it howls up to something like 9000rpm...that's some serious music to anyone's ears. Sure, Shale's new engine will redline higher...but he ain't no S201."

-Outside of cars, what hobbies do you enjoy?
"Subaru's aside, I'm a Graphic Designer by trade and an artist and fiction writer by passion. NZ Truck & Driver magazine is what I spend my days working on, deep in the bowels of their studio...at home, I paint and write, draw and generally unleash my creativity on some poor unsuspecting sod"

-Do you have a funny story about your Subaru or a Subaru encounter?
" There are many, but one of the most memorable came from the 2007 WRC, Rally of New Zealand. T'was the stage by Te Hutewai, near Raglan...we rolled up in Shale (since the Legacy, now known as 'Sparta', had been injured the previous day), windows down and exhaust burbling away as it does. The road up to the viewing points was dusty and windy...Subaru territory for sure. We passed by a large group of Japanese spectators on foot, who immediately turned in awe to watch us go by, nudging each other and pointing. A few murmurings of 'Subaru Impreza!' were heard through thick accents, of course...

Turns out further along the route, some Toyota had slipped a little off the path - it was resting against a tree. A tree which happened to be the only thing between the Toyota and a giant drop-off of 100 feet! The owner was...well...stressing.

As per usual, we busted out the tow-rope and rolled on up to the guys. Before we could even get the two cars hooked up, we'd drawn a crowd. Shale was nose-in towards the Toyota...I threw him into reverse and essentially launched...but to no avail. The rope strained, the Toyota strained, my clutch strained, and nothing happened aside from a whole lot of noise. Cam, my better half, gave it a try...rev, LAUNCH, ROOOOOOAR...cue epic cloud of clutch smoke. Toyota moved an inch. I cursed my cheap, crappy stock clutch.

A four-by-four came to the rescue...an old Range Rover with an entire family in it. Hooked it up, and it simply yoinked the stricken Toyota free effortlessly. Cue epic cheering...thirty or more people were clapping and cheering as the two vehicles rolled forward...but they were all looking at us, waving their blue-and-yellow-starred flags! WTF!

Subaru fans are amusing and rowdy...and the WRC seems to be the greatest home for them.

FYI - that was the highlight of the day...Cam got sick, Shale didn't seem to want to participate and we kept MISSING the damn stages. :/

 - Best thing about being a SubaruGirlie?
"Probably the way guys react to it. I start ranting about the exhaust/header setup I want for my car, the version 8 heads for the epic porting and the AVCS, the 12.5:1 forgies I'm considering and the custom DCCD controller going in, and they gape...then exclaim how 'weird' it looks with 'all that coming from someone like you' - meant in the manner of 'OMFG IT'S GOT BEWBS!!'...

There's also the looks of horror as 'boyracer' types try and race me when I'm driving Sparta. He's a 1990 Legacy GT - 2.0L turbo AWD, one of Subaru's greatest...and man does he haul. It's a good day when I get to drive him, and almost every time I end up being raced...and end up beating the sods should I choose to indulge their stupidity. They seem to wish they hadn't when they see a petite, asian-looking female at the wheel, snooting at them through the driver's window. :)"