1993 Subaru SVX 25th Anniversary
Pandora
San Antonio, Texas – Member since 2019

Fate smiled upon TMGPS at Radwood Austin, where we parked next to an SVX with a hidden superpower: Subaru never built a manual-transmission SVX from the factory, so Marisa made it happen.

“Texas was not known for having a lot of all-wheel-drive cars running around in 2000,” said Marisa, who knew she wanted an SVX as soon as her college friend bought one. “It looked like a spaceship and a plane combined with a DeLorean.”

That’s not a coincidence. Subaru entrusted the SVX design brief to Giorgetto Giugiaro, responsible for automotive staples such as integrated trip rails and bumpers integrated into the front fascia. Aircraft-style “windows within windows” complete the look — but Marisa knew she had to create a performer to match.

“When I swapped my car, only a few were swapped nationwide,” said Marisa, who did the swap herself over the course of two years. “There were only two manual swap how-to guides, each created and edited about a decade ago by three awesome guys, Tom Johnson, William Huck, and Tom Krynock. The guides were helpful but lacking in some specifics, which is understandable given how different swaps can be once you undertake them.”

With only around six manual-swapped SVXes around the country, it was up to Marisa to source custom parts. She created templates, but didn’t know where to make them — until the SVX owner community stepped up to help.

“I had to customize the pedal assembly, shifter, and shift linkage,” Marisa recalled. “Custom parts included the manual transmission mounting cradle and bracket, a firewall plate for the added clutch master cylinder and a shifter mounting plate merging the automatic and manual mounting designs.”

Pop the hood, and you won’t find a single hint that the stick was sourced from San Antonio instead of Gunma. Marisa did the swap while finishing her engine build, giving her the opportunity to gut the entire engine bay, replace cracked wires and tuck up any excess. The biggest hurdle, she said, was financial: the swap requires a custom driveshaft, which can be an impasse to some. However, as automatic transmission parts become more scarce, Marisa said SVX owners don’t really have a choice.

“The stock automatic transmission is super smooth at shifting and made to cruise for days,” Marisa said. “It’s just near-impossible to rebuild. Some parts are no longer available. Manual swapping is the only alternative.”

Marisa still has yet to sort through her 300-plus swap documentation photos to update the SVX club guides, but in the meantime, she’s eager to help people online with their swap questions. Driving her creation, however, is reserved for special occasions only.

“Being 1 of 301 made and having so much done to it, I don’t daily drive it,” Marisa said. “I bring her out on occasion when the weather is awesome and take her to car meets.”

Self-taught in the art of shifting for herself, Marisa jumped directly into manual transmission ownership. The reward, she said, was worth it.

“With a manual transmission, the SVX feels much more spirited,” Marisa said. “The six-speed manual mated with the EG33 practically drives itself. I have driven an SVX with both five-speed and six-speed transmissions installed and both were noticeably more peppy.”

Subaru’s most elegantly appointed grand tourer has a bright future in the hands of Marisa and her friends in the SVX owner community. For her, the focus is on preservation.

“I’ve modified my SVX with performance and luxury in mind while replacing old parts for, hopefully, an even longer lifespan.”

If you’re an outspoken ally of the manual transmission active in your online owner community, DM @highmileage on Instagram for your chance to be featured in a TMGPS Member Spotlight.