The key to this was Alec from MSV Race Developments. He's a freakin' Jedi when it comes to creative, testosterone-driven engineering. A full jig was taken off the rear end of an Evo V, and by relocating the mounting points Alec was able to bolt the new frame in place. It sounds simple, but so does the term "chick", and look what complicated pieces of work they can be.
The suspension is a reasonably straightfor-ward affair, though-Evo V shocks with JRS springs giving about 50 mm of drop. Some judicious wielding of engineering's greatest tool-the gas axe-was required to chop out the rear wheel well to fit an Evo limited slip diff into the mix. Borrowed from an Evo VII RS model, it fits into the parts bin drivetrain perfectly, along with an Evo VII gearbox, Evo VIII flywheel, shortened Evo V drive shafts and Evo VII axles. The tasty Brembo Evo V brake setup comes minus ABS, but with the lighter weight of the smaller Mirage, a big stomp on the middle pedal and you're picking broken teeth off the dashboard. Much to our good fortune we were able to pop the mighty mite Mirage onto a truck scale during the shoot and it weighed in at a feathery 1,180kg (2,600lbs). Compare that to a stock Evo V at 1,360kg (3,000lbs).
Under the bonnet is a Mitsubishi Mecca, thanks to the two-liter turbocharged Evolution V engine. The factory hairdryer is gone, and in its place is a Turbonetics T3/4 hybrid. The induction charge is chilled with a custom intercooler, and while the factory intake manifold remains, there's a K&N air filter inside an MSV cold air box to keep the flow velocity constant and cold.
Fuel from a Walbro 255lph pump feeds the factory injectors, and occasionally heads to the TiAL external gate, spitting fire from the screamer pipe when excess boost needs somewhere to go. Braided clutch lines, turbo oil feeds and shiny MSV overflow bottles complete the under-hood bling.
If paying by the hour, it's not recommended to get a custom body kit like Chris's weapon custom-made for your toy. A wallet-wasting 250 hours were poured into getting the knock-up kit looking the business. More keen than stupid, Chris did the work himself-modifying and re-fitting the modified Evo 6.5 front bumper, widened guards, skirts and rear bumper
So what's Chris planning on doing with all this killer kit? The plan involves an interior tart-up, some stroppy HKS cams and a swap of the factory ECU in favor of the excellent A'PEXi Power FC. The stylish white Mirage took six months of hard work, big invoices and late nights, and the results speak for themselves. But you can't help wonder about something-couldn't he just stick a 350 in it?