SPO Stage II Subaru WRX- A More Agressive Character

The more quiet exterior of SPO's other car, the Stage II WRX, belies its more aggressive character. Due to a no-fault incident and a component malfunction, the Stage II car was unable to complete the test. Cruising down the mountain after our photo shoot, the white Racing Sparco "Asphalt" mounted on the car had a close encounter with a small piece of mountain that had wandered onto the road, irreparably denting the wheel. This left the SPO crew with the task of sharing seven wheels between two cars for testing the next day. Then, at our test location, after completing only the slalom, the car suffered a blown intercooler hose while on the dyno, ending the car's day before we could get any acceleration or braking numbers-and unfortunately, before we could get a driving impression.

The same upgrades found on the yellow car, including 3-inch turbo-back exhaust with integral high-flow cat, mechanical boost controller, sequential blow-off valve, upgraded top mount intercooler, are found on the Stage II car as well. Optional items that greatly enhanced driveability on the yellow car, like the upgraded clutch, chrome-moly flywheel and SYMS Racing shift kit are found in the blue car as well, and with more power on tap, are likely more noticeable.

The most significant differences between stages of the two cars are the inclusion of a larger-than-stock, ceramic ball bearing A32 turbocharger and a Link fuel cut override unit. According to SPO, Stage II is good for 70 hp more than stock and, with careful turbo sizing, power under the curve should be as impressive as the peak figures. Also included is an intake system that reduces piping diameter toward the end to smooth flow into the larger turbo and a high-flow open element air filter.

SPO chose to feature different suspension components when building the two cars. KYB AGX adjustable struts damp H&R springs rather than the SYMS Racing set-up found on the other car, and judging from the slalom speed (71.2 mph, vs. 70.5 on the yellow car), the set-up works well. Sparco wheels in white of the same size (though perhaps with less luck) found on the yellow car set a nice contrast to the blue metallic paint. They were fitted with same sized Toyo T1S tires, and hide a Brembo big brake kit, as well.

SPO Motorsports, in conjunction with AVO Turboworld, is currently working on Stages III through V. Stage III bumps the claimed horsepower to 320, with the addition of an open ram intake system and a front-mount intercooler kit with HPC ceramic-coated pipes. Stage IV boosts the WRX to 340 hp using Link plug-and-play engine management. Stage V represents the big-boy upgrades, which start with a larger fuel pump; it also offers as options 555cc and 850cc injectors, as well as larger A40 and A45 Garett ball bearing turbos. We have a feeling the next time we test tuner WRXs, the stakes will have been raised considerably. We can't wait.