There seems to be a set template that people follow when it comes to building EVOs. Typically, you'll see them lowered with an exhaust; some will change the wing and the blow-off valve, then they throw some wheels on. Those who attempt to front like they like the stock wheels will even go as far as to paint them and roll up to a meet and stunt the freshly-painted stockies as new rolling stock. To say that some of them lack their own sense of style would be an understatement. If you've been to an EVO meet you'll notice that many of them just seem to blend in with each other.In the tuner world, internationally speaking, there are probably only a handful of EVOs that truly stand-out. In Japan you have the likes of the Sun Auto Cyber EVO and HKS CT230R. The U.K. has Simon Norris and his green chop-top EVO. In the United States however, the ensemble of heavy hitting, top flight Evolutions happen to come from the same spot: AMS Performance. Hailing from the Windy City, AMS has been at the forefront of EVO-tuning for the last couple years. Not only do they have the fastest, record-breaking Evolutions in the United States, they also have a facility that would put a lot of Japanese tuning shops to shame. The beauty of AMS Performance is not just in the cars they produce but the fact that they're completely homegrown and everything is produced in-house at their own facilities. That's right, no outsourcing and no middle-man.
You really don't even have to know anything about EVOs or Mitsubishis at all to know the AMS namesake though. Their shop cars and customer builds have popped up all over the place. What many may not know however is that they have been around since 2001 and had their humble beginnings as a Ford/Merkur turbo modification shop. Needless to say, they found their niche-market with the diamond star brand and have never looked back. Having the world's quickest EVO 8 and the most powerful EVO (1142awhp to be exact) in the world pretty much gives them the bragging rights to do whatever they want.
Touted as "The Blue Demon", the EVO 9 that graces these pages before you may possibly be the culmination of all their years of hard work. It's not the quickest and even at over 600-plus horsepower, it's definitely not the most powerful. It doesn't have to be the best at any one thing. This EVO was built with bigger aspirations; to combine power and style while maintaining true track capabilities. You may even call it "the perfect storm". If the tuner community is the party, this Evolution 9 would be the guy who crashed it and came to stir things up.
"The original goal for this project was to build a true time attack EVO." Rich Karbowiak, Marketing Director at AMS, says. "The owner (who wishes to remain anonymous by the way-don't ask why) wanted a purpose-built track car and basically gave us the reigns to do as we wished. The best part of our job is when the customer gives us the freedom to do our best work. Our guys here at AMS have so much skill and it's unfortunate sometimes when they don't get to display it."
So free reign to do whatever they want means a check with no limits right?
(Laughs) "Well let's just say that there was no expense spared in this build. A lot of the times our customers don't want us to get too wild with their cars. This was definitely NOT the case with this one. The owner wanted a true time attack racecar that was pleasing to the eyes. In the end, not only are the parts great to look at, they're also 100% functional on the track." Rich states confidently.
Before the EVO made its way into the massive facility that is AMS, it spent time with Joe Kern at Custom Fab and Welding in Seymour, IL. There, the chassis was stripped of all its original paint, acid-dipped, and then seam-welded. Kern was then responsible for fabrication of the rollcage and installation of the AP Racing Air Jack system as well as an ATL carbon-fiber fuel cell. Once Kern's services were completed, it was sent off to AMS to make some real power.