How many times have you heard someone who has started off with a new ride saying, "I'm going to leave this one stock, don't really want the hassle of doing another project," and just two weeks later, it becomes, "time for some new wheels." Then it's repainted, a bigger turbo bolted on and to top it off, a whopping sample of giggle gas. Before you know it, they're asking if you know someone who can fabricate a flux capacitor in. These sort of random projects never go smoothly - without a great plan there's far less chance of a great result. But Dave Stock knew exactly what he wanted out of the Mitsubishi Evo you see here, and it wasn't an easy task, he wanted it to be the world's fastest late-model Evo.
Dave did the right thing, and took the black beast to New Zealand's Lancer master, Andre Simon of Speedtech Motorsport, who had already built a world-record-breaking Evo III, called DOCILE. If you're going to learn some lessons from the School of Evo, Andre's the man to teach you. "The biggest mistake we see - and it isn't just limited to Evos - is people getting started on a project without any real game plan as to what they're trying to achieve," says Andre. "This normally results in a bunch of mismatched parts that don't work well together, and a car that doesn't perform the way it should."
Project DS9 - as this Lancer is known - most certainly does perform the way it should. We saw the dyno ping up to 1001 horsepower on a recent power run, and its most fruitful sprint down the quarter took US-based AMS' world record 8.42@168.7mph pass, and trimmed it down, resulting in a lightning 8.349@169.72mph, with a 60-foot time of just 1.26 seconds. Damn.
"The Evo is such a great basis for a performance build, which is why they are so popular. The basic engine can handle some pretty impressive power gains, and the drivetrain doesn't fall apart when you start turning the power up," Andre says. "A number of cars have run deep into the 10-second bracket with a stock bottom end, so really, turbo upgrades are the place to focus your efforts."
Enter a monster Garret GT45 ball bearing turbo charger; this stroked 2.2 Evo has no problem making power - custom plenum, dual fuel pumps and eight 1000cc injectors with Motec's M400 ECU calling the shots - but it's the setup that has proved key.
Putting over a thousand ponies to the ground is an art, and by employing some clever tricks, the DS9 was a challenging build but an inarguably successful one. "We set out with the intention of making 1000 at-the-wheels horsepower," explains owner Dave, "which is exactly what we managed. There was a bit of a learning curve finding the strengths and weaknesses of the car, but everything has been pretty straightforward so far."
Andre and Dave found the factory transfer cases to be the weak point of the whole equation, but fitting a 'ghost shifter' system proved a very worthwhile mod. "The Evos are pretty easy to take to the strip and run decent times," explains Andre. "Due to the AWD, often the traction is an issue, and we find a lot of customers struggle to get the cars to launch without bogging badly. The key to getting around this is a good launch control system to build up some boost while staging, and a clutch that the driver can slip a little bit to get the car moving." A four-speed STM-built PPG dog box teamed with a triple-plate Quarter Master clutch and an Ikeya sequential shifter with Andre's genius air shifter did the trick. It is driven by a cabin-mounted C02 boost that also pops the chute - once off the line, gear changes are made flat by pushing buttons on the steering wheel. While Dave has described this is as "like playing PlayStation" the G-forces from 1000hp heading down a strip in 8 seconds is pretty frickin' hard to replicate from the comfort of the sofa. Dave says it has definitely helped. "The inclusion of the ghost shifter early in the season has been a huge help. While it doesn't necessarily make the car faster, it has helped with driver confidence and consistency."
Trimming weight was also high on the agenda; along with fiberglass wings and Lexan windows, 65 lbs were dropped with the Wilwood brake upgrade and ditching the factory doors for fiberglass versions lost another 150 lbs.
Andre says the learning curve that put DOCILE over the line at 8.23@179.5mph helped DS9 and others achieve excellent results. "We were lucky with DS9 that we could apply everything we had learned during the build of our EVO III," he says. "We achieved what we wanted to achieve, and learnt from the mistakes we made on DOCILE. Project DS9 has really performed faultlessly, and there is nothing I would change. It has also allowed Dave to creep up on the times rather than jumping from a 12-13 second street car into an 8-second-capable car. It has let him grow with the car and get his head around everything."
AMS is apparently planning on rolling out their former record holder to reclaim the glory - but with Dave, Andre and the talented group that put the DS9 over the line already planning their next move, it could be a tough fight. After a season running on 24.5 x 8'' slicks due to New Zealand's Sport Mod class regulations, the car will be back with wider 26'' tires and a change to methanol fuel meaning a far more potent combo.
"We expect to be able to push around 1200hp [at the wheels] at 50-plus psi boost," says Andre. "Dave has suggested that he wants to compete for the world's fastest Evo outright, which means we need to aim for 7-second slips. While there is a world of difference between an 8.34 and a 7.9, we are putting everything into this project."