Subiefest Midwest 2018

Ever since I picked up my WRX, I've been waiting for the opportunity to hit up some of the big Subaru meets like Wicked Big Meet, Subiefest, Boxerfest, etc. Unfortunately, most of these shows take place on the far east/west coasts and aren't practical to attend without making it a vacation. Fortunately, Subaru heard the cheese-fueled cries of midwestern folk and put together the first annual Subiefest Midwest this past weekend! Of course I had to make the trip down to Illinois to see what it was all about.

After getting a bright and early start, I met up with a few local owners from FL4T Society and we hit the road. There were a few stops along the way to regroup and pick up more Subies, but the drive was overall uneventful.

As we got closer to the meet, the number of Subarus on the road increased exponentially. I gave up waving after a while, but the awesomeness of the cars blasting past us didn't let up! Pulling up to the parking lot, I knew immediately I was in the right place; Subies as far as the eye could see!

I had some concerns about being able to find my car later, but I was too busy ogling the cars I'd parked amongst to care. Eventually I made my way to the entrance and picked up my wristband, goodie bag, and t-shirt.

The first featured booth was the STI Subaru hammered down a bobsled run...just because they could. For the uninitiated:

I was impressed with how little damage the car had sustained considering what it'd been through!

Subaru of America was out in full force with examples of all the new models available for eventgoers to walk around and sit in. At this point, I was sweating pretty heavily, so I figured I'd spare the 2019 Ascent's seats and count the cupholders instead.

As I was walking around the cars, a volunteer approached me with a Sharpie and said they were doing a fundraiser for pet charity, and would be making a donation on behalf of every signature their WRX had at the end of the day! I staked out some good real estate on the passenger c-pillar.

And of course took some time to appreciate the Subaru doggos:

Next, I checked out the new Series.Gray WRX and STI they had on display.

I was pleasantly surprised by the color in-person; the pictures I had seen hadn't sold me. It's still much more of a blue-gray than a solid gray, but it's a cool color nonetheless. The exclusive black wheels and badging are pretty sweet too! I tried to get a closer look at the updated 2019 head unit, but couldn't see much from the windows.

As I moved down the line of owner's vehicles on display, I was stoked to recognize a few cars from Instagram!

I'm been a huge fan of @rnziie's Work MCOs, so I took plenty of shots for reference:

@ginnobaby always has a big presence at Illinois meets:

And of course there were countless other awesome cars I wasn't familiar with. This Forester caught my attention with its perfect stance and clean interior:

While this Foz had a 2015+ WRX lower bumper molded into the bodywork:

Subaru Rally Team USA had their cars on display and even took a few lucky folks out for a blast on the autocross course!

There were vendor and Subaru swag booths as well, but I couldn't get a ton of pictures due to the crowds.

Overall it was an awesome show and despite the temperatures, there was a healthy turnout. I can't wait for next year's show! For now, I'll let the rest of the pictures do the talking.