Thirsty For Blood | Leslie's Mitsubishi Evo

A lot of us work hard everyday to make a living. So despite the constant responsibilities, we love to reward ourselves with something once in a while for all the sweat we poured. While some may prefer vacation getaways or a well furnished home, some people like to reward themselves with hobby project. That was how this project Evo came to be.

While going through social media, I noticed my good friend Ah Kit from Cruise Power Car Services in Sri Petaling posting up a project car that he just finished working on. Just like his own personal car that we featured in early 2016, this CT9A was dressed up in full Voltex aero parts. If that's not eye-catching enough, this CT9A is painted in a very brilliant shade of red. Probably one of the purest you will see on any car. So knowing the level of work Ah Kit can do to any Evo, this particular one would be a special treat to check out.

For the proud owner of this Evo, Leslie who is an art director by profession states that this is purely his project car. Despite not making any major issues, he hasn't really had a chance to drive this car often due to his nature of work. Understandably, he managed to keep the car in immaculate condition. Unlike many cars that spend most of it's time hibernating, this Evo has no problem starting up anytime.

 When it comes to his interest of cars, Leslie have always considered himself an Evo guy. He started liking Evos ever since his school days when the Evo 4 CN9A debuted. He met Ah Kit around a decade ago when he owned an Evo 6. It was only shortly after that, he decided to let the Evo 6 go for this Evo 7 CT9A. Not long after that, he started to slowly build his dream Evo. For the first three years of ownership, he was sending his car to Boostzone Motorsports in Johor Bahru. But due to the factor of distance, he decided to give the job of taking car of his car to Ah Kit in Kuala Lumpur.

 After all these years of having the CT9A, Leslie made sure no detail is spared on his car. The stock seats were replaced with a pair of Bride Cuga semi bucket seats with matching Bride print wrapped on the rear seats. He also got himself a Ralliart meter cluster and gear knob. Just to bring things up another level, he also have a Cusco 6-point bolt-on roll cage installed. It some how gives the feeling that you are in a proper race car. Love it or hate it, having a roll cage installed on your street car does sound very cool.

 

Of course with all the visible accessories, the motor of this Evo also came with the hardware to match. The 4G63 motor is fully built with Tomei internals including pistons, crankshaft and camshafts. The turbocharger on the motor is an APEX'i RX6 turbine that is paired with an APEX'i external wastegate and screamer pipe. Even though the motor still not completely tuned, the baseline map on the engine management system was able to pump out around 400 horsepower at 1.4 bars of boost. The car is still currently waiting for its next dyno session for further fine tuning.

After getting a chance to see and even drive this car briefly, I am very eager to see this car at its full potential. It is like a blade of a master swordsman that hasn't been sharpened yet. Of course with Ah Kit's know-how and Leslie's vision, I am confident that this Evo can meet it's full potential and possibly be one of the best street tuned cars in Kuala Lumpur. But for Leslie, it is not about being the fastest or to impress others but it is purely for his pleasure to be able to own and build up his ideal Evo.

TUNING MENU
Owner: Leslie Ewe
Model: 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution CT9A
Location: Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

ENGINE:
2.0L 4G63 Inline-4,
Tomei 2.3 liter Stroker Kit,
Tomei 270 Procams,
Tomei Valve Springs,
Tomei Head Gasket,
Tomei Cam Pulleys,
XSPower Intercooler,
APEX'i RX6 TCW76 P18 Turbo,
APEX'i External Wastegate with Dump Pipe,
Trust Greddy PE Ti-R Exhaust,
Dual Oil Cooler,
SARD Fuel Rail,
Greddy Type R Blow Off Valve,
Carbing Intake Box,
HKS Fcon V Pro ECU,

DRIVETRAIN:
5-speed manual,
HKS LA Single Plate Clutch,

SUSPENSION, CHASSIS AND BRAKES:
Tein Monoflex Coilovers,
Cusco 6-Point Bolt-On Roll Cage,
Cusco Anti Roll Bar,
Cusco Strut Bar,
Endless Brakes (all round),
Slotted Brake Rotors,

WHEELS AND TIRES:
AME TM-02 18 x 11jj Offset +10 (all round),
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 265/35/18 (all round),

EXTERIOR:
Voltex Circuit Aerokit,
Voltex Carbon Hood,
Voltex Type 5V Wing,
Varis B-Pillar Trim,
Ganador Carbon WIng Mirrors,
Pure Red Body Paint,

INTERIOR:
Bride Cuga Semi Bucket Seats,
Bride Rear Seat Trim,
Ralliart Meter Cluster,
Ralliart Gear Knob,
Defi Gauges,
Greddy Profec-B Spec-2 Boost Controller,
APEX'i Turbo Timer,

 SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Cruise Power Car Services, Kuala Lumpur.

BONUS IMAGES

Battle Stripes | Jovi's Track Ready Evo

The first impression usually becomes the initial judgment we have for any person. But if one is smart enough, they know very well that an exterior is never proportionate to what comes from inside. For this context, seeing a ride that looks like a race car with crazy aero and a full body livery, we expect for that machine to perform very well on track. It is always a pleasant surprise if it did. But if it was a disappointment, it becomes a case of “all face, no trousers”.

But realistically, how often do we find a car out on the streets that possesses a loud exterior with a very capable level of performance? In fact, it is usually either one or the other. But while I was in Singapore, I find that those who build and modify their cars usually will make sure their pride and joy becomes the complete package. Since getting a car in Singapore is already as difficult as it is, it makes perfect sense why a car owner and enthusiast in Singapore will make sure their rides are built up completely.

Sometime around Christmas in 2015, I met up and joined the guys from LHB Motorsports on a little drive around the island. That was the point in time where I really got a chance to be knee deep in Singapore’s street scene from the abundance of properly built rides to the island rounding sessions held after dark. That’s when I got to know Jovi and his red and white Mitsubishi Evo 9. Unlike Jovi’s calm persona, his Evo has one of the loudest exteriors I have ever seen, and that was meant in a good way.

Jovi started becoming fascinated with Evos about five to six years ago. There was no questioning why so. The Evo which is known to fast and fierce looking also had a huge potential when it comes to making power. This was the exact reason why it made sense for Jovi to have the Evo. Of course, this wasn’t his first project car prior to the CT9A. Jovi started by building up a Honda Civic EK followed by a Civic FD then an Evo 10.

It wasn’t until a bit over three years ago when Jovi finally settled with his current ride after the CZ4A. Luckily, when Jovi purchased the CT9A, it already came with a C-West aerokit on the exterior. But the 4G63 underwent a full rebuild at LHB in order for the motor to utilize its potential to make the amount of power that he wanted. So the whole motor was ripped apart and rebuilt from the ground up.

At the moment, the 4G63 was built with a 2.3 liter bottom end and Tomei 290 degree cams and valvetrain on the top. They also replaced the stock turbine with a 25G hybrid turbine from Owen Developments to feed the boost to the built motor. The turbine is bolted on to a HKS turbo manifold and downpipe. To make sure the setup is running in order, a Syvecs engine management system is plugged in and tuned so that the 4G63 motor is running at optimal performance.

But of course, all those power upgrades will make no sense if the car can’t put its power down to the asphalt. For that job, the Evo runs on a set of 265/45/18 Yokohama Advan AD08R tires. It also has a set of Nitron Racing NTR R3 fully adjustable coilovers to provide the perfect dampening both on track and on the streets. With all these extensive modifications done to this Evo, the car was able to make a lap time of 2 minutes 25 seconds that was clocked by Aloy, the person who runs LHB Motorsports on the Sepang International Circuit.

With a lap time at 2 minutes 25 seconds on Sepang which is definitely an achievement to be proud of, it’s incredible to see the same car being driven almost every night out on the Singapore streets. In fact, an Evo like this is well worth the battle stripes that it wears proudly. A perfect example of the ‘give finish’ attitude that Jovi and his crew mentions time and time again. But for him, this is still an ongoing journey since he is already thinking of what to do next on the Evo. That future might still be unknown but I do know that this Evo holds much more than a simple first impression.

TUNING MENU
Owner: Jovi Chin
Model: 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution RS CT9A
Location: Ang Mo Kio, Singapore

ENGINE:
2.0L 4G63 Inline-4,
LHB Custom 2.3L Stroker Kit,
Tomei 290-degrees camshaft,
Tomei Valvetrain,
LHB Custom Camshaft Degree,
Owen Developements 25G Turbocharger,
HKS Turbo Manifold,
HKS Turbo Outlet,
HKS Turbo Downpipe,
Apex'i Exhaust,
Magnus Intake Manifold,
Q45 Throttle Body,
Okada Quad Pack Coil,
PW 1000cc Injectors,
HKS Fuel Rail,
Tomei Fuel Regulator,
ARC Radiator,
HKS Intercooler,
HKS Twin Oil cooler kit,
Dash Surge Tank,
Bosch Fuel Pump,
Syvecs ECU,

DRIVETRAIN:
5 speed manual,
OS Giken STR Twinplate Clutch,

SUSPENSION, CHASSIS AND BRAKES:
Nitron Racing NTR R3 Coilovers,
Under Carriage Bushing & PillowBall from LHB,
Carbing Strut Bars,
Endless Racing 6 Pot Front/4 Pot Rear Brake Kit,
Endless CC-Rg Brake Pads,

WHEELS AND TIRES:
Gramlights 57D 18 x 9.5 (all round),
Yokohama Advan AD08R 265/45/18 (all round),

EXTERIOR:
C-West Wide Aerokit,
C-West N1 Front Bumper,
C-West Super Aero Front Bonnet,
C-West Super Aero Trunk,
Voltex SPL Carbon Fibre Twin Canards,
Voltex Type 5V GT-Wing,
Voltex Carbon Fiber Exhaust Protector,
Ganador Side Mirrors,

INTERIOR:
Defi Gauge Full Set,
Bride ZETA III Bucket Seats,
Varis Carbon Fiber Gauge Holders,
HKS EVC Boost Controller,
Momo Mod 08 steering wheel,
Flamebeater fire extinguisher,

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
LHB Motorsports, Singapore.

BONUS IMAGES