The Race Before The Race: the #17 eBay Motors Subaru WRX STI

Race Car LiveryHelmet Wrap
Written by Spec'd Studios

The Race Before The Race was a social-first series from eBay Motors and the McLaren Formula 1 Team, released ahead of the 2025 United States Grand Prix. Two creators, Annie (@itslifeofannie) and Hert, each built a car with parts from eBay Motors, with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown guiding them, then raced them at Circuit of the Americas.

Annie's car was her 2020 Subaru WRX STI, and it needed a race livery on a production deadline. That was our part. This is the whole story, from the stock car to the eBay booth at the Grand Prix.

ServicesCustom LiveryFilm Car Marketing
Vehicle2020 Subaru WRX STI
ProjectThe Race Before The Race, eBay Motors x McLaren F1 Team
Our work#17 race livery + matching helmet
VinylTinybot: Space Gold Neon Yellow, Gloss Pink Jelly Roll
WhereWrapped in Houston, raced at COTA, shown at the 2025 USGP
Driver in a pink and black race suit standing beside a blue Subaru WRX STI with a yellow and pink #17 race livery in a paddock garage
Annie and the #17 Subaru WRX STI in the paddock garage at Circuit of the Americas.

01 · The car

A stock 2020 WRX STI

It started as a blue 2020 Subaru WRX STI with the factory wing and not a sticker on it.

Stock blue 2020 Subaru WRX STI parked in front of a shop
Where it started: a stock blue 2020 WRX STI.
Rear three-quarter view of a stock blue Subaru WRX STI
Big wing, stock blue paint, no livery yet.
Interior and steering wheel of a 2020 Subaru WRX STI
The cabin before any of the race prep.

02 · The build

One week, built off eBay Motors

Annie gave herself one week to turn the STI into a track car with parts bought on eBay Motors: fuel system upgrades, headers and the rest of the bolt-ons, track safety gear and Kumho Ecsta V730 tires, then a tune on the dyno.

The mechanical side was Annie's build. Our part came next.

Blue Subaru WRX STI raised on a two-post lift in a garage
Up on the lift for the build.
Engine bay of a Subaru WRX STI with the hood open
The engine bay before the new parts went in.
Annie posing next to parts boxes in front of the lifted Subaru WRX STI
Boxes of parts for the build, all bought on eBay Motors.
Annie holding fuel pump parts at a workbench in front of the Subaru
Fuel system parts laid out before they go in.
Annie installing exhaust headers under the lifted Subaru WRX STI
New headers going in from underneath.
Underside of a Subaru WRX STI with new stainless exhaust headers installed
Headers in.
Blue Subaru WRX STI strapped to a dyno with the hood open
Onto the dyno for the tune.
Laptop screen showing a dyno graph during the Subaru WRX STI tune
Dyno graph on the tuning laptop.

03 · The livery

Our part: a camera-ready #17 in the final hours

The wrap went on in the last hours before the car left for COTA, with no room for a redo. We sourced the exact colors locally in Tinybot vinyl, Space Gold Neon Yellow and Gloss Pink Jelly Roll, a nod to Subaru's rally history built around Annie's race number, 17, with eBay branding worked into the rear quarters.

We wrapped Annie's racing helmet to match the car, same blue, same neon yellow and pink bolts, eBay across the visor strip, so car and driver read as one on camera. And we worked with the film crew, the production coordinators and the brand partners so the livery fit the story, the shots and the pacing.

Built fast, built right, and ready for camera.

Side view of a blue Subaru WRX STI with a neon yellow and pink #17 race livery and eBay branding
The finished #17 livery in Tinybot vinyl: Space Gold Neon Yellow and Gloss Pink Jelly Roll over the blue.
Front three-quarter view of the Subaru WRX STI in its #17 race livery
Front three-quarter: the 17 runs down both doors.
Rear quarter of the #17 Subaru WRX STI showing the eBay logo in the livery
eBay branding on the rear quarter, built into the graphics.
Profile of the blue Subaru WRX STI wearing the #17 eBay race livery
Camera-ready and out of the shop.
Blue racing helmet with neon yellow and pink bolts and an eBay visor strip, held against the matching #17 Subaru
The helmet, wrapped to match the car. See the helmet build for more.

04 · Race day

Racing at Circuit of the Americas

At COTA the car went through track inspection, then Annie raced it against Hert's Chevrolet SS on the Formula 1 circuit, with the cameras rolling.

Annie in a race suit with her helmet beside the #17 Subaru WRX STI in a paddock garage
Film day at Circuit of the Americas, in the paddock garage.
Annie in a pink and black race suit holding a helmet next to the #17 Subaru
Race suit on, helmet in hand.
Annie leaning on the rear of the #17 Subaru WRX STI with eBay branding in a paddock garage
The eBay branding on camera.
Annie strapped into the driver's seat of the Subaru WRX STI in a race suit
In the driver's seat.
Annie in a race suit holding a helmet on the track at Circuit of the Americas
Out on the circuit at COTA.

05 · Race weekend

On display at the 2025 US Grand Prix

When Formula 1 came to Austin for the United States Grand Prix, the #17 STI was on display at the eBay booth with its matching helmet, right in the middle of the race-weekend crowd.

Two-story eBay booth at the US Grand Prix with a McLaren show car inside
The two-story eBay booth at COTA during race weekend.
Inside the eBay booth at the US Grand Prix with the #17 Subaru on display
Inside the booth, under the eBay sign.
The blue #17 Subaru WRX STI on display under a large eBay sign at the US Grand Prix
The #17 STI on display under the eBay sign.
Racing helmet with a blue, yellow and pink #17 design on display at the eBay booth
The matching #17 helmet on display.
Rear of the #17 Subaru WRX STI with eBay branding on display at the US Grand Prix
The rear quarter and eBay branding on display.
The #17 Subaru WRX STI with a display sign at the eBay booth
The car's display sign at the booth.
Fans lining up outside the eBay booth at the US Grand Prix
Race-weekend crowds lining up at the booth.
Wide view of the #17 Subaru WRX STI at the eBay booth during the US Grand Prix
Front and center at the booth.

06 · For productions

More than the wrap

We work on TV, film and commercial automotive sets. Beyond liveries and picture-car wraps, we can support the film crew on set, provide automotive and lifestyle talent, and handle the vehicle pipeline: shipping, prep, staging and delivery to the location, so the production stays on schedule.

Watch the story

The Race Before The RaceThe official film from eBay, 4:46↗The director's cutDirected by Theo Gibson, on Vimeo↗Subaru STI Track Car seriesAll 17 episodes on @itslifeofannie's TikTok↗The series on YouTube ShortsBuilding A Subaru STI Track Car, ItsLifeofAnnie↗I Built A Car For the F1 Grand Prix!YouTube Short, ItsLifeofAnnie↗

The series, episode by episode (TikTok)

  1. Day 1: can I build a track car in one week?
  2. Day 2 of the build
  3. Fuel systems for track cars
  4. A quick install
  5. First mods
  6. Which headers?
  7. Track safety
  8. All the bolt-ons are on
  9. The dyno numbers
  10. Mounting the Kumho Ecsta V730s
  11. 14 hours left to wrap
  12. The final countdown: 12 hours to wrap
  13. Ready to go to COTA
  14. The week in 60 seconds
  15. Track inspection at COTA
  16. The countdown begins
  17. Race day at COTA

The Race Before The Race: eBay Motors x McLaren Racing, by JOAN. Director: Theo Gibson.

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Work by Spec’d Studios. Shop photos © 2026 Spec’d Studios.

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