Have you ever met or came across a person that left you feeling refreshed and good about humanity? Well that is the feeling I got with this feature shoot of Mike's GC8 WRX 2.5rs. If I were to get into the boxer engine game, I would start with one of these two door late 90's subaru's. My favorite example in the chicagoland of this iconic car belongs to Mike Szabo of the Four Star Society.
Now the Four Star Society is Chicago's "Elitist" crew of cars and individuals. So when I reached out to Mike about doing this feature shoot, I wasn't sure on what type of reaction/response I would get. Would he respond with a stuck up no of an attitude and that his car is too cool for little ol' me or would he simply say yes?
I was nervously enthusiastic with my approach to do this feature shoot, despite my apprehensions; Mike turned out to be totally down for it. Rule one of sales is to be just as energetic on the first call/ door as you are on the 1000th call/door. I believe that a positive attitude helps a lot especially when rejection seems to be a temporary trend.
Still in shock that I am about to shoot my favorite GC8, I had to gather my composure so that I didn't come across like a total fan boi at the shoot. It is weird how we put these cars and people on a pedelstal. What is even weirder is how some people let that go to their heads.
Mike couldn't be anymore of the opposite. Which is why I named this article "Planted". Not only because of the infamous Subaru rally proven ALL WHEEL DRIVE system but also because Mike came across as very down to earth. Humble if you will. 
Seeing the advan RG wheels tucked nicely in the overfenders, the battle ready stance of the GC8 and Mike's refreshingly humble interaction with me just confirmed the "planted" idea that was going through my head for this article.
The chargespeed kit adds the right amount of attitude to the exterior and a bit of JDM rareness. Where the carbon fiber hood with the iconic subaru hood scoop hide a WRX engine swap. The swap is pretty much a stock STI motor with your basic bolt ons for some more added power.
The interior is adjourned with quality name brand parts. Like a deep dish vertex steering wheel and some Bride seats. The back seats were removed in favor of a roll cage to finish off the interior.
In spite of my preconceived notions that the Four Star Society are just a bunch of stuck up pricks, Mike totally changed my perception of the group. I'm very appreciative for this opportunity to shoot my favorite GC8 in Chicago. They say you should never meet your heroes because you might just be disappointed but that couldn't be further from the truth in this instance.
BONUS IMAGES
