Melissa Pelletier - 2017 Subaru WRX
Story by Adam Gordon
Photography by Melissa Pelletier (@bwroses_wrx)
Melissa Pelletier’s 2017 Subaru WRX is built around contrast. Based in Brossard, Quebec, the 310 whp WRX blends a strict black-and-white visual identity with carbon fiber, rose-themed custom interior work, ADE Creations aero, and a carefully measured performance setup that keeps the focus on presence as much as power.
For Melissa Pelletier, Subaru ownership started early and never really faded. Influenced by her father’s appreciation for sports and luxury cars, her path eventually led her to this 2017 WRX — her third Subaru, and the one that feels most like a personal signature. From the outset, Pelletier committed to a clear visual identity, and every decision since has reinforced it.
What defines the car immediately isn’t horsepower, but presence. A strict black-and-white palette sets the foundation, while carbon fiber layers in texture and contrast. Rose motifs appear throughout, softening the WRX’s sharp angles and pushing the aesthetic toward something intentionally confrontational. It’s not subtle, and it isn’t meant to be. Every visual choice is deliberate, and every surface contributes to the overall effect.
Carbon fiber plays a major role in tying the theme together. RPG, RevelGT, and Subieflow components are spread across the exterior — hood scoop, mirrors, door handles, window trim, and trunk accents — sharpening factory lines without overwhelming them. ADE Creations aero adds structure with a splitter, skirts, and diffuser, while JDM lighting and grille details complete the look.
Inside, the concept becomes immersive. Custom black-and-white rose patterns extend across the headliner, seats, door panels, and trunk, turning the interior into a continuous canvas rather than a collection of parts. Carbon fiber door cards and dash trim echo the exterior, while the JDMuscle steering wheel and Billetworkz controls keep the driver interface purposeful. Braum Racing seats and harnesses anchor the cabin with function to match the car’s visual intensity.
Under the hood, the approach stays measured. A Stage 1+ EcuTek tune, intake upgrades, and carefully selected dress-up components clean up the engine bay without shifting the build’s focus. Every modification was installed by Pelletier herself, with patience and consistency guiding the process.
The result is a WRX that doesn’t chase balance — it embraces contrast. Beauty and aggression, restraint and excess, all colliding by design. War of the Roses isn’t about subtlety. It’s about commitment.
Originally featured in PASMAG Issue #184
Click here to order PASMAG #184 - DOUBLE ISSUE: East Meets West + Audience Choice Awards.
ESSENTIALS
VEHICLE:
2017 Subaru WRX
OWNER:
Melissa Pelletier
LOCATION:
Brossard, Quebec, Canada
HORSEPOWER:
310 whp
CLUB:
Petrol Descendants
SOCIAL:
IG: @bwroses_wrx
ENGINE:
Stage 1+ EcuTek tune + Mishimoto cold air intake + Perrin charge pipe + Perrin engine bay dress-up kit + RPG carbon fiber (strut tower surrounds, battery terminal, and brake vacuum cap) + RevelGT carbon fiber (air intake and fuse box) + Billetworkz B-Series engine bay caps + Subispeed intercooler grille + Dress Up Bolts engine bay kit
EXHAUST:
Remark (resonated midpipe and Stealth Edition axle-back exhaust)
WHEELS / TIRES:
Niche DFSM223 gloss black wheels – 18x8 +30 + Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires – 245/40/18
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION:
BC Racing BR Series Extreme Low coilovers + Ultra Racing front strut brace + Eibach Anti-Roll-Kit sway bars + MOOG adjustable control arms
EXTERIOR:
ADE Creations (custom window vents, front splitter, side skirts, and aggressive rear diffuser) + RPG carbon fiber (headlight eyelids and fuel door) + RevelGT carbon fiber (hood scoop, mirrors, door handles, and window trim) + Subieflow carbon fiber (trunk license panel and trims) + Spec-D Tuning sequential chrome LED taillights + Subispeed single-point duckbill spoiler + Subispeed V-Style roof spoiler + Subie Supply Co. (JDM front grille and JDM fog light bezels) + Billetworkz front plate delete + ProLightz F1 LED light
INTERIOR:
Braum Racing (Elite-X Diamond Edition seats, harness bar, and 4-point harnesses) + RPG carbon fiber (door cards and dashboard center) + JDMuscle custom carbon fiber steering wheel + Carbon fiber steering wheel backing + Billetworkz (custom engraved shift knob and custom handbrake handle) + Custom black-and-white rose upholstery (headliner, sunroof, door jambs, door cards, shift and handbrake boots, rear seat, and trunk) + Carbon fiber interior trim covers + Custom black-and-white stitched floor mats
AUDIO / MOBILE ELECTRONICS:
iDoing 9-inch Apple CarPlay head unit + DS18 (10-inch amplified subwoofer and 6.5-inch waterproof carbon fiber door speakers)
SPONSORS:
Braum Racing + RPG Carbon Fiberglass + JDMuscle USA + Perrin Performance + Nanolex Canada + Sickspeed
PHOTO CREDIT:
Photography by Melissa Pelletier — @bwroses_wrx
