Built For The Track But Can Still Haul A Proper Load - Why Do The Japanese Always Get The Really Cool Stuff?
It's too bad wagons never fair too well in the States. We're a far cry from the beater cruiser the Griswold's took to Walley World back in the 80s but these days you better be a fan of European makes or the STI if you want something with four doors and a hatch. Japan's domestic market (shockingly) has an Evolution model wagon and is just one other level of cool that I wish would have made its way over when Mitsubishi decided to sell the damn thing here, but all we got was a standard level Lancer. But the Japanese are probably oblivious to this fact; we know Auto Produce BOSS out of Nagano is, and helped out Hidetaka Degawa, the owner, by putting their tuning skills to work on this cool Evo GT wagon.
With intentions of making this a circuit racer - since Degawa-san is at the track as often as his time and the weather permits - AP BOSS built the car with the best compromise between power and response, hence the selection of the Evo 6 chassis since it has the capability to make good power while retaining factory turbo response, according to Phi Phung of AP BOSS USA. The 4G63 bottom end was stroked to 2.2 liters with a Tomei stroker kit with head porting by Naprec; in all, the set up, along with a JUN Auto valvetrain, is good for a modest 418ps, an engine setup that would not overpower the balance of the car while circuit racing. Of course, Degawa-san went through many sets of brake pads and tested a number of spring settings to find the best combination to match his driving skill and style, settling on Prodrive Japan/Ferodo-DS pads and Swift/Hyperco springs in the end.
Other than the engine and suspension mods, there's nothing out of the ordinary here - but it's the little details that count. Being a wagon, it gets used regularly and at the end of the day, it's still an Evo. Phi adds, "Other than the added weight from the glass and hatch, it handles and reacts like an Evo." And until someone figures out how to carry the Evo drivetrain over to a US model Lancer wagon - or perhaps in some cases, decides they want to spend the money to do such a conversion - we have the upcoming Ralliart Sportback to look forward to. I think any turbocharged wagon from Mitsubishi would be welcomed at this point.
Fast Facts
2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GT Wagon
Owner Hidetaka Degawa
Hometown Nagano-ken, Japan
Daily Grind Nissan tuning specialist
Under The Hood 2.2L 4G63 engine built by Auto Produce BOSS; JUN Auto cam gears, 272 camshafts, valve springs and retainers; blueprinted and balanced Tomei 4G63-22KIT connecting rods, pistons, rings and crankshaft; Tomei blow-off valve; Naprec Hi-Response ported cylinder head and valves; BOSS Super Surge Tank intake manifold, 240LPH fuel pump and Type-II titanium exhaust; Ralliart intake pipe and intercooler piping; SARD air filter and catalytic converter; Car Station Marche Super Flow exhaust manifold; Okada Plasma Direct ignition; NGK Racing sparkplugs and sparkplug wires; Mitsubishi Evo 6 RS turbo
Drivetrain Cusco RS one-way limited slip differential and twin metal clutch
The Power 418 ps at 6400 rpm; 419 lb-ft at 3800 rpm
Power 336ps at 7000rpm; 270lb-ft at 5200 rpm
Stiff Stuff Swift 12kg/mm springs and DG5 shocks (front); Hyperco 12.5kg/mm springs and factory shocks (rear); Cusco rear sway bar and Type OS rear strut bar; Rigid front strut bar; Ralliart engine, transmission and arms bushings; front sway bar adjuster
Rollers 18x8.5 +34 Prodrive GC-06H wheels with 235/40R18 Bridgetstone RE-01R tires (street); 17x9.5 +25 (front)/+35 (rear) ADVAN RS wheels with 255/40R17 Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 tires
Stoppers factory Brembo calipers (front/rear); PFC two-piece aluminum hat rotors (rear); Prodrive Type-3 front brake pads; Ferodo DS rear brake pads
Inside Ralliart Super High Back driver seat; Bride seat rail; MOMO steering wheel ice Blitz oil temp and oil pressure gauges
www ap-boss.com, blitzperformancesales.com, momo.com, more-japan.com (Bride/SARD), napsusa.com (Cusco), tomeiusa.com