A little over a decade ago, the name Cusco used to send shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. Long before I knew about the Japanese car tuning company Cusco, my mind associated the word "Cusco" with the flute-playing new-age music group with the same name. My parents loved the "earthy" and "native" sounds of these musical artists, and every family road trip I endured as a child was accompanied by a Cusco-sourced soundtrack whose gentle sounds had me longing for the harder-rocking tunes of John Tesh. Thankfully, cars like this Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 MR have cleansed the terrible thoughts associated with the name "Cusco" from my mind. Built by Nukabe to both display Japanese tuning firm Cusco's finest wares and kick ass on a race circuit, this Cusco Evo 9 helps me forget that native pan flutes ever existed.
Save for the racing livery and Seibon carbon fiber hood, the exterior of this Evo is very much stock as builder Nukabe opted to focus on improving the car's already stellar power and handling. A fully-built engine-featuring goodies like a Cusco radiator cooling plate and oil catch can, ARP head bolts, GSC 272-duration exhaust cam and AMS front-mountintercooler allows this Evo to reliably run hard all day long. Even better, this car puts down 342 hp on running regular old 93-octane pump gas. Cusco goods, such as the Type RS LSD and twin plate clutch beef up the driveline, and a catalog's worth of Cusco suspension goodies make sure that the car stays planted on the track. It's a shame that this car wasn't around for my childhood; perhaps I could have slipped my parents a Cusco-labeled cassette loaded with the sounds of this Evo 9 MR blasting around the track. Say what you will about listening to a modified exhaust for 700 straight miles, but I'd take the sounds of this Cusco Evo over the sound of a new age pan flute any day.
Faster Facts
'06 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 MR
Owner Nukabe Automotive
Daily Grind Master Distributor for Cusco Japan
Power 342 hp on 93 Octane gas
Under the Hood GSC 272 exhaust; ARP head bolts; DSM 780cc/min fuel injectors; Walbro 255 lph fuel pump; AMS fuel rail, 3" turbo back exhaust w/ test pipe, motor mount set, front-mount intercooler and lower intercooler pipe; K&N Air Filter; Megan Racing O2 housing; Nukabe Radiator Hose kit; Cusco turbo heat shield, radiator cooling plate and oil catch can
Drivetrain RS LSD, Speed Source shift kit, Cusco twin plate clutch kit
Brains AMS custom flash
Stiff Stuff Cusco Zero-2E coilovers w/ E-con, 25mm front sway bar, 23mm 3-way adjustable bar, Type OS 3-point front strut brace w/ BCS, Type CB rear strut brace, power braces (front member, center, front center, front side and rear trunk) and front lower arm tie bar Type II; AMS rear trailing arm bushings
Stoppers Voxa OEM-size sport front brake rotors, Winmax Zelos brake pads, AMS brake duct kit, Voxa D.O.T. stainless steel brake lines
Rollers 18x8.5" Racing Hart CP-S10, 235/40/18 Yokohama A048 rubber
Outside Seibon hood, IPF lighting
Inside Bride Artis III seats, Autometer carbon fiber boost gauge, Cusco 7-pt cage, Takata MPH 4-pt harness
Props Cusco Japan, AMS, Bride (Lot USA), Takata USA, Voxa, Racing Hart (Dazz Motorsports), Yokohama, Seibon, IPF, Tomioka Racing, Speed Source