I was first introduced to Cong back in the days of DSM dominance, forums ruling all car communication, and when Cong was still able to do backflips. In his early days he owned a number of cars, but his Eclipse Spyder was his favorite. I may be a little fuzzy on the details, but he owned the car for something like 10-12 years. To say Mitsu’s were in his blood would be an understatement.
Eventually, Cong supplemented the Eclipse with an Evo, a car that I had long dreamed of. But while Cong was being smart and saving his money to afford this realistic “Dream Car”, I was busy buying camera lenses and chicken nuggets. To say that I was a little jealous would be correct. But I was still happy to see a friend with one of the cars that I always wanted.
Early 2010 I was finally in the market for a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. This was a car that I had dreamed of owning ever since they came to the USA in early 2003 but I specifically wanted a 2005 SSL with low miles in wicked white. I found one locally but long story short the dealership was being “difficult” to say the least and I got so angry that I went down to IL and bought a near new 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 out of spite. Fast forward to August 2010 I was involved in a car accident when an underage drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit me totaling a car that I was slowing falling in love with. I take it as a blessing in disguise because my passion has always been Mitsubishi. Luckily for me I found another perfect 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 with the SSL package and in Wicked White which is the only color I would settle for. I have named nearly every single car that I have owned that has meaning to me, so I call her “Nastasia” or STASIA.
The original owner was kind enough to hold onto the car for me until everything from my car accident was settled. Then at the end of February of 2011 a good friend of mine and myself flew out to Cape Cod, MA where I picked up the perfect low miles and nearly stock Evo which is incredibly hard to find these days. It remained fairly stock with basic bolt-ons for the first couple of years I owned it and then the modification bug got me. I’m not 100% sure how I got so infatuated with NeoChrome but from what I remember one night at a party (you know making good adult life choices) I found out a buddy of mine was parting out his Evo. I wanted some parts and he was practically giving them away so I jumped on it. I ended up getting a NeoChrome spark plug cover and NeoChrome oil catch can. I didn’t know much about NeoChrome at the time but I looked it up the next day and realized that these are expensive parts and at the time they were hard to come by. After that it was all downhill and I just started buying all the NeoChrome parts I could find. I did have to slow down a bit because after a while I realized it was kind of a waste as I could be putting that money into performance modifications instead of “show”. Though that is exactly what the car turned into the next few years, my “show car”.
The engine bay is flashy as Cong mentions, but the mods are the tried and true combo that have made the DSM and Evo so famous for being quick with minimal work. The actual work is handled by a 20g turbo mated to a ETS tubular manifold and MAPerformance Comp-Gate40 external wastegate. Exhaust exits through an AMS 3″ Turboback. Induction is through an ETS speed density intake into an OBX front mount intercooler and a combination of Muse and Buschur Racing intercooler piping.
While the block has remained stock, a set of HKS 272 cams have been thrown in to hold the power until redline. Fuel is handled by a set of ID 1000cc injectors fed through a Walbro 255 fuel pump, and spark is handled by a JDC coil on plug setup. A number of other changes have been made to hoses, brackets, and custom machined parts.
The wheels are one of my favorite styles ever, Forged 5-Zigen FN01RC. I owned a set for a short period of time, and when I own my next 1g DSM (We all know its bound to happen) I will get another set. These have been powder-coated Shocker Yellow to supplement the Neo-chrome look throughout. Tires are a set of Hankook Ventus V12 in 255/40/17 size.
The interior is fairly tame compared to all of the neo chrome goodies under the hood. A set of Autometer Sport Comp II gauges, AEM UEGO wideband, and shift knob are all that has been changed inside.
A number of Rexspeed Carbon Fiber parts are showcased on the exterior, including a C-type spoiler, exhaust shield, side spats and vortex generator. One of the highlights for Cong are the OEM Mitsubishi Rain Guards which are fairly rare and the custom “Snacks” machined rally style window vents.
Suspension is a set of JIC MAgic FLT-TAR coilovers, and a full complement of Torque Solutions bushings are spread throughout the underside of the car.
I’m extremely proud of how far this car has come along with little to no outside help except for some close friends. This has been a great show car for me but the past couple of years I’ve wanted to go a different route. I ended up doing more performance related things to the car so I could get back to enjoy driving the car instead of only going to shows here and there. The older I get I find myself losing that passion to work on my own vehicles and this past year has really shown me that. The car sat for a year or so due to needing some work that I was putting off. I finally ended up towing the car down to Geared Up Motorsports in New Lenox, IL to have some things taken care of. I told them the issues with the car and my budget that I needed to stay in. The guys there are honest, do great work, and best of all they listen to your needs and what’s realistic. My car was a bit difficult but after a month of ordering parts and figuring out the issues, they got my car back up and running better than it ever had in the past. I really can’t thank them enough for the work they put into the car and it didn’t break my bank account.
The late fall colors made for a beautiful backdrop. As I sit here mid winter wondering why I still live in this cold state of Wisconsin, these photos remind me just how beautiful it is during the good months.
Most likely my favorite shot from the day. I’m really starting to enjoy the 35mm focal length.
Sadly, I’ve been on the fence lately as to whether or not I should sell it and move onto a new platform. I do love Mitsubishi in general but the car is “outdated” and sometimes I get really tired of always working on it rather than enjoying the car. I always say “everything is for sale for the right price” but I have also turned down that “right price” when it was offered to me a few times. It’s not so much about the money, but the time and effort that you put into something that makes it so hard to let go. I’m lucky to not own anything on the car and really don’t have to get rid of it but it makes it easier to move onto something newer if I didn’t have the Evo. Plus letting someone else take it to the next level and enjoy it would make me happy. All in all, this car has helped me grow over the last decade. So many ups and downs but whatever I decide to do with her in the future I know it will be for the best.
At some point I would still like to own an Evo. Those days are most likely behind me as the prices on clean examples seem to have plateaued. Maybe I will hit the lottery or become some rich photographer and buy one. But until that day happens, I’ll happily settle for shooting super clean examples against awesome backgrounds.
– Andrew
Additional Photos Below
Modifications
2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 SSL
64k original miles
360whp on a Mustang Dyno
Engine/Fuel:
Stock long block
HKS 272 Intake & Exhaust Cams
Kiggly HLA
Shaved Valve Cover & Powder-Coated Shocker Yellow
JDC Coil on Plug w/ NGK BPR7ES
ID1000cc Injectors
Walbro 255 Fuel Pump
STM Fuel Pump Rewire Kit
STM Lightweight Front Crossmember w/ Solid FMM
Solid Passenger & Rear Motor Mounts
Radium Engineering Oil Catch Can
ETS Small Battery Kit
Turbo/Cooling/Tuning:
20G Turbo
ETS Tubular Manifold
MAPerformance Comp-Gate40 External Wastegate & O2 Housing
AMS 3” Turbo-back Exhaust
ETS Speed-density Intake
OMNI 4bar Map Sensor
Stock ECU tuned by Yusuf w/ Flyin-EVO-2ning @ Geared Up Motorsports
Autometer Boost, Oil Temp, & Oil Pressure Gauges AEM Wideband
Mishimoto Half Radiator
Flex-A-Lite Low Profile Fan with Built in Shroud
Custom Green Carbon Fiber Style Upper & Lower Radiator Hoses
OBX Front Mount Intercooler
50mm Tail QR BOV
Muse Motorsports Short Route Upper IC Piping
Buschur Racing Lower IC Piping
Suspension/Wheels/Brakes/Transmission:
JIC Magic FLT-TAR Coilovers
Forged 5Zigen FN01RC 17×9 +35 Powder-Coated Shocker Yellow
5mm Spacers
255/40r17 Hankook Ventus V12 Evo Tires
Muteki SR48 Neo-Chrome Lug Nuts
Stock Brembo & Rotors with Girodisc pads
Grimmspeed Master Brake Cylinder Brace
Buschur Racing Aluminum Solid Diff Mounts
Torque Solutions Solid Drive Shaft Bushings
Torque Solutions Solid Shifter & Base Bushings
ACT HDSS Clutch
ACT Streetlite Flywheel
ACT Monoloc
Radium Engineering Clutch Fork Stop
Flashy Things:
Evo 7 Style Tail Lights
Nokya Hyper Yellow Fog Lights
Rexpeed Carbon Fiber C-Type Trunk Spoiler
Rexpeed Carbon Fiber Exhaust Shield
Rexpeed Carbon Fiber Side Spats
Rexpeed Carbon Fiber Fusebox Cover
Rexpeed Vortex Generator
Doluck Style Front Lip
OEM Window Rain Guards
Clear Timing Cover
Carbon Fiber Hood Struts
Cam Sensor Heat-Shield
Frontline Fabrications CAS Cover
Neo-chrome Blox Weighted Shift Knob
Neo-chrome NRG E-brake Handle
Neo-Chrome Intake Shield
Neo-Chrome Spark Plug Cover
Neo-Chrome Oil Cap
Neo-Chrome Radiator Cooling Plate
Neo-Chrome WeaponR Oil Catch Can
Neo-Chrome Dress Up Bolt Kit
Neo-Chrome Sick Speed Horns
Additional Photos Below
