For only Ksh 310,000, Luqmaan Nahid Hasham, popularly known as Lookie, got himself a 2002 Subaru Forester SF5 that was in poor condition restored it into a sleek, eye-catching car. He collaborated with Waigera to publish the restoration timeline of this car on his YouTube channel.
Restoration Process
The restoration process involved extensive bodywork, as they had to replace damaged pillars, remove previous paint, and fix damaged A-pillars and body panels. After that, they applied the iconic Subaru 02C World Rally Blue color. The stock spoiler that was originally on the car was also replaced with a properly fibreglass-moulded spoiler that looks the same as the STI version of the car. The new spoiler features centrally placed brake lights, giving the car a fully OEM SF5 STI rear finish.
The restoration of this 2002 Subaru Forester took about two months to be completed, and some of the upgrades done include restoring the intercooler, adding a custom exhaust, and detailing the headlights to give the car an aggressive and clean look. The headlights were tinted inside to give them a dark appearance, and projector LED lights were added.
Interior Transformation
Coming to its interior, the car underwent a full transformation process, including adding custom upholstery for the dashboard, seats, and door cards. They matched the interior with the exterior using blue stitching. The seats were done by Azad Cushioners, better known as Azad Automobile Trimming Ltd.
The interior features blue-and-black racing-style seats with yellow Subaru World Rally Team embroidery that is situated below an integrated harness pass-through slot, and there is blue circular stitching at the seat backrests and headrest ends. The back seats are standard but were restored to feature the same upholstery colour as the front seats.
The door panel plastic parts were repainted, while the parts that had Alcantara finishing featured blue stitching so that they could match the seats. The dashboard was restored from its junk appearance to a factory-like one. The roofing was also reworked, and it was painted completely black, doing away with the original grey colour.
Exterior Modifications
The exterior paint job and body panel fitting were done by Rupal Racing, a popular Kenyan performance workshop and drag racing business based in Nairobi’s Industrial Area. Motor Atrep Ltd restored the intercooler, which was completely worn out.
Not forgetting the rims, they finished them in a golden colour. The windshield was finished in gold chameleon tint, while the windows got a fully blacked-out tint that gave this 2002 Subaru Forester SF5 a more aesthetic look than before.
Why Lookie Chose Blue
Lookie’s decision to paint this Subaru blue was inspired by his childhood dream of owning a blue-coloured Forester, and he made sure it happened, although he has listed it for sale at an asking price of Ksh 1,300,000. Total modifications, including miscellaneous expenses, took around Ksh 310,000, and the buying price of the 2002 Subaru Forester SF5 before modification was Ksh 310,000.
