Alex Dedote is not an unfamiliar name on the import scene in the Tri State Area, a long time loyal member of the Subrau Queens Crew, and a 99 year old MySpace veteran with 111 friends, with 100 of them being hot chicks. Deep within his Filipino gangster look, Alex is the real Mr. Nice Guy, one of the most polite people on my speed dial.


Come to think of it, I have known him for quite a while. I first met Alex at the Formula Drift opener at Wall Speedway in New Jersey back in April. It was a cold spring morning; his clean 2002 Impreza WRX was a standout among the show cars. It came as no surprise to me when he was awarded with the Best Subaru trophy at the end of the event, and no surprise to him when I called him up for a photoshoot with his GDB WRX.


Getting him to say “yes” to the photoshoot was the easy part, tracking him down and actually going to shoot was… however, almost impossible! As the busier the show season got, Alex was busy traveling and representing SQC, hitting almost every single show. But he promised the day would come with a few surprises. Finally we met up a week before the final round of Formula Drift. This is the feature story that features almost the whole Formula D season in the making.


Alex admitted to spending a great amount of time reading IMPREZA and HyperRev magazines searching for super rare items in order to keep his car a standout on the car show circuit. His 2002 Impreza WRX is dressed in sexy gloss black. Dipped in JDM trim from the GOLD ADVAN RG rims wrapped in 225/40/18 Pirelli rubber, touched up with blue anodized RAYS lugs and front + rear Rotora big brake kits. The rims are now pronounced to be extinct, that is… discontinued. The body that equipped with the JDM STi body kit is so well maintained you can see your own reflection on the exterior in every angle, even on the VIS carbon fiber hood.


I saw some of the great finds he picked while on his recent trip to Japan, including Tommy Kaira carbon fiber side diffusers, which are not yet available in the US, Tommy Kaira titanium shift knob, Zero Sports cluster, Works Bell short hub and removable steering wheel kit, and MOMO deep dish suede steering wheel. I was impressed as from afar his car looks very clean, almost plain. However, upon close inspection, you can see his incredible attention to detail.


The photoshoot was on one of the hottest days of the summer. Part of it was because of the sun, but most of it was because I was not just shooting one black Subrau, but two! I was eager to meet with him as he picked up a great new mod, a matching car. Apparently, his good friend originally owned the black 1998 Impreza 2.5 RS, the great GC8, which was his inspiration to buy his WRX.


"I always loved my buddy JP's RS. It handled great, especially in the winter. We would go on snowboarding trips and drive right through blizzards, no problem. I initially wanted to buy one in 2000, but he told me to wait until 2002 as the WRX was going to be released. After about a year of research on the car I was finally ready to buy one and picked up a black one to match his. It's funny because as I went through the different modded versions of my WRX, he would get the previous parts from the GOLD OZ rims to the Sparco seats." As his friend planned to trade in his RS towards a new truck, Alex jumped in and purchased the car as a daily driver. "Gotta keep the car in the family".


I kind of laughed upon meeting with Alex. As I rolled up there were two Subarus: both black on gold rims. It was like deja’vu with a twist. A true Subaru fanatic, he mentioned it was his dream to own both cars (a GC8 and GDB) and there they were. I was a little skeptical about driving his RS to the shooting area, but I was impressed with the handling with the minor mods he installed from the Kartboy short shifter, MOMO steering wheel, SYMS front and rear strut bars, 5Zigen springs, and WRX rear sway bar.


Alex apparently drives the car as an all season daily commuter to Manhattan from Rockland County. His favorite story to tell is: Every weekday morning, he drifts the GC8 along a big bang turn on the way to work as the sun rises. I was like, “NO WAY Alex!” But much to my surprise he proceeded to slide around the industrial park we were at for some great cornering shots shredding his Yokohama tires to pieces. As they always say seeing is believing.


When it became time to take some close up pics of the cars, I began to notice his continued penchant for rare JDM items on the 2002 WRX. Some of the big standouts under the hood included an ARC top mount intercooler, ARC induction box, Prova carbon fiber intake funnel, Prova hood struts, Zero Sports intake pipe and radiator panel, and various BLITZ items including a blow off valve, oil and radiator caps. It was trick to see the EDFC units atop his TEIN FLEX coilovers at each end of his CUSCO front strut bar. His engine bay would make a great JDM salad.


Just before sunset, I was eager to get some rolling shots of his WRX on the highway. After seeing it parked for so many shows, I was curious to see his car in motion. A quick press of the Zero Sports push button ignition was all it took to get that signature Subaru growl push through his CUSCO downpipe through his Kakimoto exhaust. Previously dyno tuned by Jermaine and Nathan of TurboXS fame, his car is ready to go. After a quick check of his Greddy gauges, some adjustments on his Blitz SBC-id electronic boost controller, and after extending his JDM STi power folding mirrors at the touch of another button, we were off. Again, Alex tore off through the industrial park in complete confidence of his car's handling after he installed an STi 6pc rear lateral link set, CUSCO rear sway bar, and a Whiteline Anti-Lift kit.

After a few runs, we took some time to eat and have a quick interview. Alex spoke about his love and hate for his cars. As any car enthusiast it's always a sacrifice to keep up an expensive hobby. He seemed almost content with the present condition of his cars, but we all know things can never be left alone. Some future plans included an upgraded stereo system, some interior changes, as well as some tire changes for some future track days. It was a mission to finally get together with this guy. However, it was great to meet a true Subaru fanatic, keeping his dream alive of owning two JDM cars; one for show and one for a daily driver.