Rado's team also knew that with time being a priority, quick and efficient power boosters were in order. Nothing would be quicker to install or offer more force than an upgraded fuel delivery system. So in went RC 800cc fuel injectors and an AEM fuel rail. Out went the Mitsu stock fuel pump, and in came a Holley 255 lph forced induction pump. An AEM fuel regulator was brought in to lay down the law like Moses stumbling down the mount, and MSD ignition and spark plug wires help the Bosch spark plugs strike fire to the oozy primordial soup of air and aerated gas in the 4G63's four cylinders.
Like that, the Evo was all set to smoke thedyno at 551 hp at 7,800 rpm. But the the Yahoo! Auto Customs challenge would require more than just putting up pretty numbers on the dyno, as the car would also have to be able to throw down like a wrathful god on the (drag) Strip. To keep itresponsive and driveable, the suspension anddriveline were going to need an overhaul.
The World team determined that the stock transmission would be up to the task, but the axles were replaced with Driveshaft Shop stage 3 items. A twin disc Exedy clutch (carbon and carbon) would help Rado through the gears along with a Quaiffe limited slip differential. Eibach's coilovers wereenlisted for handling, lowering the car 2 inches in the front and 2.25 inches in the rear, and were matched with Eibach's front and rear antiroll bars and a DC Sports front strut brace.
Now, all this might have been good enough for the dyno and the drag strip. But we haven't gotten to the best part yet: the good folks at Yahoo! Auto Customs and NOPI paid for this epic build-up only to give the car away. That's right, you can win this car at the 2006 NOPI Nationals, after it's wandered the wilderness from one NOPI/NDRA event to another for a year on its way to Atlanta. So to spice up the prize the World team kept dressing up the car, fitting a Kaminari body kit and rear wing and custom purple Yahoo! graphics before filling it out with Audiobahn ICE and Auto Meter/AEM gauges.
Both teams finished their race against the clock late on the evening of the third day, just hours before the competition was set to start. The WORLD team took the win on the dyno, edging the MSP/Lucas Oil Evo by about 30 whp. After the dyno shootout the two teams were able to kick back for a couple of hours at the Yahoo! Customs party poolside at the Frontier hotel along the Strip from where, at 3am on the fourth day of our tale, they made a drag run down the Strip in front of thousands of screaming spectators, with Funkmaster Flex flagging the start. Rado got the jump down the 5,000-foot strip and Paul Efantis, the driver for the Lucas Oil car, had to push his car hard to try and catch up, which cost him: Efantis had to finish the run with his wipers flailing to try and clear coolant from a burst head gasket off the windshield. The finish was tight but the WORLD car and Rado took the victory. As the Lucas Oil Evo wheeled around to try and make a second pass it threw a rod straight through the block, ending its night as the kids in the crowd began to scoop up chunks of torched engine to take home as souvenirs.
After three days God had only gotten as far as the earth and the sea and the grasses and fruit trees, with a lot more still to go. After their three days, Chris Rado and his team had finished the whole deal, beginning to end. Our choice for a winner? MacGyver with the tampon grenade, clearly. But we wouldn't say no to taking home the car.
Win The Nopi Edition Evo VIII!!!
Log on to NOPI's Web site and sign up to win the NOPI Edition Yahoo! Customs Evolution VIII, lovingly and painstakingly crafted by the WORLD Racing dream team of Christian Rado, Marc and Eric Kozeluh, Eric Plebani, and Martin Musial. The keys to the Evo and all themassive chick-pulling power that comes with it will be handed away at the 2006 NOPI Nationals.The guys put in $50,000 worth of gear and back-to-back-to-back 24-hour days to scorch the Vegas Strip, and all you have to put in to take the thing home is a valid email address. You haven't gotten this lucky since, well, ever. Just head over to www.nopi.com/2005/evo_sweeps.cfm to read the full rules and sign up.