Competition Subaru Motorsports Car Show 2025

Every car enthusiast enjoys a good car show, either prepping the ride months or days before the event or just coming to admire some great builds. A good car show is an example of how vehicles can be art. Custom paint shining in the lights or sun, engine bays clean enough to prep meals on them. It’s a showcase of what can be achieved with current technology as much as it’s an homage to classics and restoration.

Competition Subaru of Smithtown, New York held the Subaru Motorsports annual car show at their dealership on August 18th. Motorsport and car shows aren’t often mixed. Motorsport and Rally Racing tend to be the opposite of what the pristine builds of the car show world are all about. Dirt, mud and the smell of race gas isn’t what the typical show attendee desires. This show was very different with the emphasis on Competition as the dealer name suggests.

This season, the dealer had Subaru Motorsports USA the Vermont Sports Car Project Midnight. (An insane take on a WRX with full Carbon composites made in house at VSC by our friend Simon and the team at of the composite shop.) Project Midnight is an EJ motor

making 600 plus HP and TQ from a 2.0 liter boxer flat 4. The car with Scott at the wheel is the fastest Internal Combustion Engine at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed overseas.

My affiliation with SOA and Motorsports gave me the opportunity to help the team out preparing the trailer and AirSlayer VSC car that they had on display. Travis Pastrana’s AirSlayer is something to see with some radical aerodynamics and awesome livery. The Mt. Washington Hill climb would be the cars legacy with multiple gymkhana films under it too.

The crowd started filling up the entire side lot at Competition Subaru with everything from vintage race cars to wild VB builds. The people were welcoming and excited to see Scott Speed there with the Motorsports trailer in full presentation mode. Staples of the trailer include the free Subaru lanyards and posters of the many rally cars. A “Can You Keep Up With Rally Pace” activity and a cut away version of the FA motor showcasing the inner workings of the Boxer flat four horizontally opposed engine.

Being there and bringing a presence from 845Subie is still an honor. I felt like the club was there in spirit even if when we have different events on the same day.

Walking the dealership at Competition Subaru you quickly notice the underlying theme of how unique this dealership is. The owner drove up in a Vermont Sports Car Official test car for the aftermarket parts they provide. A local resident that had a 2004 STi in pristine condition was telling me about the family that owns the branch of different dealerships and that he was a Subaru enthusiast and collector. Instantly realized he was James Buzzetta and had supplied the Rally display at the 2025 New York Auto Show. Every once in a while you meet someone that is so deeply passionate about the sport of Rally and Subaru that it reminds yourself why you do this in the first place. When a conversation covers everything about why we are all here to gather outdoors and meet people you can have an instant connection with.

The Subaru I brought to the show was my 2004 STi wearing ARA American Rally Association full livery. When I attend these focused car shows I never expect to place anywhere near the people who painstakingly piece and build their cars to immaculate conditions. They have a plethora of aftermarket high quality parts with gleaming engine bays and Dyno sheets with off the charts power, tuning and engine management systems. The focus of my STi was a balanced performance car with moderate power matched by the suspension and braking. The car has seen multiple seasons of SCCA Rallycross and lately SCCA Autocross for the New York Region. Emphasis of my “build” would be driver over sheer performance car so on paper the STi is impressive but light years, we’re talking galaxies away from the machines on display today at this event.

This show had a unique angle where James and the EFI Performance staff were talking to the enthusiasts about the cars with a different perspective focused on Competition as it’s in the name. Of course I had to mention 845Subie Race Team and that the car is considered a team car even though we compete against each other as Teamates in 845Subie. My 2004 STi received its first Best in Show thanks to EFI Logics EFI Performance due to the Competition nature of the car and no one was hurt by it as it felt strange but oddly satisfying that the name Competition Subaru was not talking about sales, but about real Subaru Rally Heritage and a love for the brand and vehicles we grown to love and continue to even after owning it for 16 years now, my 2004 STi is going full Race car spec. Funny how a little inspiration can go so far.

Thanks to Bill and Irene at Subaru Motorsports USA , James Buzzetta from Competition Subaru and the whole staff, Scott Speed (can’t wait to see the 04!) you bet 845Subie will be coming down for the 2026 Motorsport Car show!