Some kids love plastic model cars. You know, the kind that come in a cardboard box with a picture of the fully-assembled vehicle, glued and painted perfectly. Open up the box and find a million plastic pieces still in their stampings. Putting it together is pretty much standard practice, but that little car builder gets his first taste of customization by being able to choose whatever interior and exterior colors he wants. Now imagine opening up that box and finding the car fully assembled and painted.

That’s how things went down with Subaru at this year’s SEMA show. On one side of the podium was the 2006 Impreza WRX TR, a de-contented version of the regular WRX built to appeal to tuners and customizers. Here’s the car that you know, even before handing over $23,995 to cover the sticker price, will live a very short life sans modification. In Subaru land, the WRX TR is the build-it-yourself model, though in the adult world, such a thing comes with a 2.5-liter, turbocharged four banger good for 230 horsepower and 235 lb.-ft. of torque. There are also lightweight aluminum suspension bits, a quicker steering ratio, 17-inch alloy wheels, and air conditioning. It’s not quite a stripper, but it’s as basic as the WRX gets.

In contrast, the other side of the podium was home to the 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B. This luxo-liner, which will be limited to 500 units with commemorative dash plates, comes with exclusive Brick Red leather, aluminum pedals, Momo steering wheel, and Titanium Silver Metallic paint. Power comes from a 2.5-liter engine with 250 horsepower and 250 lb.-ft. of torque. To top it off, there’s a navigation system, power heated seats, and an MP3 player. Sure sounds like a sweet ride, though a little out of place in the tuner/customizer heaven known as the SEMA show.

By Thom Blackett