Forget a Subaru WRX STI Wagon, Get a WRX STI Truck

Photo: Cars & Bids

We really appreciate Ford and Hyundai taking a risk and introducing relatively small, car-based pickup trucks. The Santa Cruz may not be as popular as the Maverick, but they’re both still a refreshing change of pace at a time when it feels like every truck is designed to be as big as possible. That said, they do have their downsides. First, there’s no high-performance version of either, and second, they could both be smaller. Smythe Performance, however, has a solution.

Racing Tech 5 | Nascar Garage 56

No, we’re not talking about N-swapping a Santa Cruz, although we wouldn’t complain if someone was brave enough to try that. We’re talking about the conversion kits that Smythe Performance designs for cars to turn them into trucks. And in this case, we’re specifically talking about a 2006 Subaru WRX STI that’s been turned into a two-door pickup truck. It was never meant to exist, and yet, it does. And it’s glorious.

Photo: Cars & Bids

Currently for sale on Cars & Bids, this particular WRX STI truck looks clean and incredibly well done. Is it weird? Absolutely. But this is Jalopnik, and we fully believe that weird is good. There’s a decent chance the weight distribution has changed, but it’ll still be more fun to drive than pretty much any other small truck you might see on the road.

What started as a 300-hp, turbocharged flat-four has been modified to the point that it should be noticeably quicker than stock, although there’s no dyno sheet included to confirm exactly how much power it makes. Plus, it comes with a six-speed manual transmission and the STI’s all-wheel drive.

Photo: Cars & Bids

Is it going to be a hard purchase for a lot of people to justify? For sure. But this here is a car that basically does it all. Yeah, you have to trust someone else’s work and hope the previous owners didn’t drive the hell out of it. But come on. Just this once, let awesomeness win out over practicality, durability and reliability. You know you want to.