2002 Mitsubishi Lancer - Flash Lancer

“She’s a maniac, maniac on the floor. And she’s dancing like she’s never danced before.” Yeah man, when the Super Street crew gets together, rocking the leotards and leg warmers, it’s dance, dance insanity. “I’m your private dancer, dancing for money.” You know the lyrics. Sing it, Tina; don’t let Ike smack you around. That’s what it’s like with us and cars—we’re maniacs, maniacs, on the street. And we always drive like we’ve never driven before. Know what we’re sayin’? Drive it like you want to steal it, but never will, because you’ll go to jail for that sh*t.

We’re making that entire last paragraph into a bumper sticker, and we hope the first vehicle to wear it will be the Modern Image Mitsubishi Lancer. Why? Because, when you weld by day and are a freaky pole dancer by night, these things happen. The Lancer is a rolling showcase for the car’s tuning possibilities and Modern Image’s distinct flair for style. This is crimped hair when it was cool, baby. It’s a sequined glove fondling the elephant man’s remains.

We’ve saved the best for first: a custom turbo stitched into the Lancer’s engine bay by the pros at Road Race Engineering (RRE). They slipped a second-gen Eclipse TD04-13T turbo a roofie and got it to make nice with the Lancer’s stock 2.0L powerplant. The turbo plays lead to a formidable supporting cast: an RRE front-mount intercooler and piping, a Tial external wastegate, and a GReddy Type S blow-off valve. RRE also played with fuel management, installing an upgraded fuel pump, GReddy E-Manage, and RC Engineering 450cc injectors. A Nitrous Express nitrous kit keeps the boost rocking, not like that weak-ass “I will survive” wedding-singer sh*t—no, we’re talking straight-up growin’ a mustache to the Village People’s “Macho Man.”

So maybe your parents, friends, and neighbors get a little upset when they find you freaking a chair while pouring buckets of water on yourself. That’s ’cuz they’re square, and you’re a dance machine. So is the Mitsu’s fly yellow paint, “’cuz this is thriller, thriller night.” That’s right, now grab your crotch and scream. The DG Motorsports carbon-fiber hood and Rod Millen Racing carbon-fiber wing all complement the car’s true silver dollar: the Evo 7 front fascia.

Are you feeling it? You want some more? How about Sparco Milano seats? How about a suede interior? How about an Evo 7 MOMO steering wheel? Are you dancing like you’ve never danced before? We at Super Street actually have never danced before—we were too “cool” to get dates to the prom. But there’s more: a Profec B-Spec boost controller, a remote switch, a 60mm EGT, and boost gauges—all from GReddy. “Maniac! Maniac! Last night a DJ saved my life!” Can’t…stop…doing…the monkey! All because of super sounds from a super Pioneer entertainment system that includes an A/V head unit and a DVD player. The heart of all this I.C.E. lies in the trunk, where you’ll find the 10-inch subs and the amps all cuddled in a custom fiberglass box. Stick your face right there, breathe in that bass!

“Believe it or not, I’m flying on air. I never thought I could be so free.” That’s what we all said when we first saw this car spread- eagled in the Mitsu booth, back at the ’01 SEMA Show. Man, we wanted to jump really high in the air, pump our fists, yell “Yeah! All right!” and then high-five everybody in the place. That’s just the way it is with this car—when you’re standing next to it or far away from it or seeing it in photographs, it makes you want to sweat. “Never trust a big butt and a smile.” Know what we’re saying? We know you do.

By Jonathan Wong

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