For Nick Catalfamo, it all started with a 1999 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, finished in silver.
“I bought my first Subaru, and my first-ever new vehicle, to replace a horribly baby blue ’94 Ford Probe I got as a hand-me-down from my mom when I was going to college,” he said. “I knew Subarus were awesomely tough vehicles, so knowing my broke-ass was in college, I wouldn’t have to spend a lot to keep it going.”
The Impreza 2.5RS was Subaru’s first offering to North American enthusiasts constantly lusting after the WRX STI as it became a rally racing legend in its blue-on-gold livery. More so than other Subaru vehicles at the time, the 2.5RS amassed a dedicated fanbase among enthusiasts.
Subaru’s first offering to North American enthusiasts was the Impreza 2.5RS back in 1998. This one has more than a few mods under the hood, apparently lending it “mucho” horsepower.
Nick Tragianis, Driving
Today, Catalfamo is on his seventh Impreza, a 2015 WRX STI. He’s also the owner of the North American Subaru Impreza Owner’s Club (NASIOC), an online hub established in 1999 for Subaru owners, primarily for the “dedicated fanbase” behind the 2.5RS.
Today, that would be putting it mildly. Very mildly. Over the past 15 years, and with the help of the introduction of other wildly successful models such as the WRX, NASIOC has evolved into something of a cult following for all things Subaru. In fact, more than 125,000 members are registered on the board.
“Quite often, we will lose people for a few years,” Catalfamo said. “But many come back into the fold after a stroll outside the Subaru family.”
It’s easy to understand the following behind an iconic nameplate. For instance, the Ford Mustang — which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary — has fans across the globe and from all stripes. But Subaru? It’s an ordinary brand, and except for the WRX, STI and BRZ, doesn’t have any stand-out models in its lineup. Some Subaru owners themselves think the Legacy is more Camry than Subie.
Known affectionately as the ‘Bugeye’, the Impreza WRX first hit North America in 2002.
Nick Tragianis, Driving
Yet once people are hooked, they’re hooked for life. They bleed blue and gold because, somehow, Subaru inspires a high degree of loyalty that’s almost unbreakable. Derek Serianni, who runs the Toronto Subaru Club (TSC) closer to home, says there’s much more to the loyalty than the quality of the brand and the passion it instills.
“I also think that the community we created in the Toronto Subaru Club has a big part of this as well. Because the club is so diverse and is more than just ‘car talk’, it brings us closer together as a family, making us loyal to the common element,” Serianni said. “We stay loyal because we don’t want to give up the community and friendships we have built around the brand, which brought us together in the first place.”
Like NASIOC, TSC started out in 1999 as a hub for Impreza 2.5RS owners. As the Subaru lineup grew, so did TSC — about 8,000 owners of just about every modern Subaru are registered on the board today. To get a sense of just how tightly knit the local Subaru community is, we checked out TSC’s Spring Fling, one of many extremely popular meets each year.
Spring Fling is the Toronto Subaru Club’s many major meets.
Nick Tragianis, Driving
This year’s Spring Fling was held at a hockey arena in the suburbs of Toronto. Thankfully, the parking lot was generously sized, because the number of cars was astounding. It wasn’t exclusive to the WRX and STI, either — in the sea of bewinged and hoodscooped Subarus, it was easy to pick out a fair bit of Forester SUVs, Legacy sedans and wagons, and even a pristine SVX. Even if every Subaru served a different purpose at the meet, loyal owners were still on hand for two reasons: the cars and the sense of community among others who refuse to sell their cars. And if they must, they’ll probably buy another Subaru.
No matter what Subaru does, it would be almost impossible to faze the devoted following it has established over the past 15 years. Even if they’re a particular bunch, and even if Subaru is a seemingly ordinary Japanese automaker, the community will continue to grow as long as there is a turbocharged rally rocket with a hood scoop in the lineup.
“I believe what set the Subaru community apart was that the brand was not one of the more popular choices back in the day. It wasn’t a brand that was top-of-mind for most people, compared to others … it was sort of an odd-ball brand,” Serianni says. “Being a ‘not so popular’ brand is what brings us together as a community. It’s what makes us unique and special.”
And no, neither Catalfamo nor Serianni would ever consider jumping ship to the Lancer Evolution.