Let’s face it, you’re reading this so you can make your car go faster, brake harder and handle with laser accuracy. Well that and you want it to turn heads on the street, attract ladies and embarrass chachis driving leased exotics. If that is your mission, you have a choice; start from the ground up with a lowly commuter car like a Civic or lay down the royal flush with a factory rocket like this. Blessed with good looks and unreal performance, the Evo MR destroys almost everything right out of the box.
The Evo MR is fast, scary fast and even with mild tweaks the one you see here really moves. Owner Danny Sarmiento of Queens, NY purchased this vehicle brand new back in late 2004 and as he grew tired of its looks and performance, continued to modify it. What he ended up with is a car that cost double the sticker price but will rival supercars out there costing $6-figures on the track.
The work commenced in the engine bay where Mitsubishi deployed their last generation of the potent 4G63. The legendary turbo-4 has been known to pump out over 1000whp and has been proven in competition the world over. The head was removed, ported and polished and filled with HKS 272 cams, and HKS metal headgasket and strengthened ARP studs. The intercooler piping was replaced with all RalliArt gear and vented with an HKS V1 BOV. The oxides head out an RS*R downpipe with an electronic cut out where one pipe heads to atmosphere the other heads to a Fujitsubo SS cat-back.
With an ECU re-flash and the addition of an HKS EVC V boost controller, the car makes some decent power over stock. Netting a total 360whp, the daily driver now had a broader powerband with a flat torque curve. The bump in power meant that the stock clutch had to go and an OS Giken twin plate found its way into the bell-housing to harness it.
To get attention in NYC, you have to have a unique style in the fashion capital of North America. The look of this Evo features all of the right JDM parts but has an understated East Coast style going on too. Up front is a GP Sports front bumper with a JDM Evo IX rear end and INGs sideskirts. Voltex pitched in with a carbon fiber vented hood, rear diffuser and a 1500mm carbon fiber wing sitting atop a RalliArt trunk. Plenty of JDM Evo stuff also adorns the car including MR headlights and taillights, badging, wind deflectors, stubby antenna and sidemarkers.
With the power and appearance sorted it was time to move on to the footwork. A set of Tanabe Sustec Pro Seven coilovers were fitted with the TEAS electronic in-cabin controller. Any body-roll left in the factory setup was left banished with the introduction of Beatrush front and rear sway bars. The OE Brembos benefited from Hawk HP+ pads gripping DBA slotted rotors for improved fade-resistance. Finally the wheel and tire package reduced rotating mass and provided plenty more contact patch for the Evo to work its magic. A set of Advan RS 18x9-inch finished in gunmetal are found on all four corners. Four Toyo R888 R-compounds are found on all four corners measuring 255/35R18 for some sure-footed grip.
Since this is a daily driver, Sarmiento spend a lot of time on the inside of the Evo to make it livable. A pair of BRIDE Zeta III seats in hyper black are only one component of the BRIDE items inside the cabin. The rears seats have been reupholstered to match the fronts in addition to the: boost, arms rests, door cards, floor mats and even the visors. For safety a Cusco 6-point cage has been bolted in with Takata harnesses. The steering inputs are made via a Nardi Deep corn wheel with a Works Bell quick-release while gears are banged with an ARC titanium shift knob. The engine vitals are relayed with a battery of Defi 60mm BF gauges including: oil pressure, water temperature, EGT and boost all connected with a Control Unit II and VSD heads-up display.
As for audio, Sarmiento went with some of the best but a modest amount of it. A pair of JL Audio W3V3 12-inch subs tucked in a custom fiberglass and BRIDE fabric wrapped enclosure are driven by a JL Audio 500.1 mono amplifier. The JL Audio component speakers found in stock locations pushed by a 4-channel JL Audio 300.4. All speaker wire, fusing and power leads are provided by JL Audio for noise-free audio.
Blessed with everything a tuner could ask for in a car, this car is the total package. Plus it makes sense for an Aerospace professional like Sarmiento to have a 4-door sedan. And because he rolls in the Northeast, the AWD capabilities of the car will pull through anything the climate throws at it.
Photography by Somiya Siva
ESSENTIALS
Owner: Danny Sarmiento
Location: Queens, NY
Vehicle: 2005 Mitsubishi Evolution IX
Power: 360whp
Engine: Mitsubishi 2.0L 4G63 inline-4
ENGINE
- Samco limited edition coolant hoses
- Cusco Heat Shield
- Helix o2 housing
- RSR SS downpipe with cat-delete with custom electronic cut-out
- Fujitsubo SS catback exhaust
- HKS RS reloaded intake (custom powder coated candy red)
- Cusco catch can
- Ralliart rad cap
- Arc oil cap
- Ralliart Intercooler pipes (custom powder coated candy red)
- HKS V1 BOV
- Ralliart rad cooling panel (custom powder coated candy red)
- HKS 272 IN/EX camshafts
- HKS EVC V limited edition
- Taylor Battery relocation trunk kit
- Garage HRS clear cam cover
- Garage HRS rad coolant Inlet
- Garage HRS dipstick holder
- Gallery Fresh Bolt kit
- Ralliart Socks
- TODA timing belt
- TODA balancer belt
- ARP headstuds
PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS
- Defi VSD heads up display
- Defi control unit
- Defi BF Amber boost
- Defi BF Ext temp.
- Defi BF water temp.
- Defi BF oil pressure
- Blitz turbo timer
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
- Tanabe Sustec Pro Sevens with TEAS
- Beatrush front and rear strut bar (custom powder coated candy red)
WHEELS / TIRES
- Advan RS wheels w/ GTR faces - 18×9 +29
- Toyo R888 tires - 255/35/18
- Titek Red open end lugs
- Enkei Red valve stems
BRAKES
- DBA 4000 series rotors (slotted)
- Hawk HP + brake pad
- ACT HD clutch with HD flywheel
- SS clutch line Super blue
- ATE brake fluid
EXTERIOR
- JDM GP sports (Chocket) front bumper
- Ings+1 hybrid side skirt
- JDM Evo 9 rear bumper
- Voltex rear CF diffuser
- Voltex Cf Hood
- Voltex 1500mm carbon fiber wing
- Ralliart carbon fiber trunk
- JDM MR headlights
- JDM MR taillights
- JDM MR badge
- JDM OEM door wind deflectors
- JDM Evo VII antenna
- 8000K HID + Yellow 3000k HID fog lights
- GT spec Ralliart style carbn fiber mirrors
- JDM OEM Amber Side Marker
- Carbon fiber J panels
INTERIOR
- ARC Ti shift knob
- Bride Zeta III type L in Hyper Black
- Bride tunings pads
- Bride shift boot and arm rest
- Bride door panels
- Bride back seat redone in Bride Hyper Black (entire seats)
- Bride Headliner
- Bride floor Mats
- Bride Visors
- Cusco 6 pt roll cage (custom powder coated candy red)
- Nardi Deep Corn Steering Wheel with Works bell Quick release, Works bell Hub
- Takata harness long version (2)
- Takata Harness Gel Pads
- Ralliart shift control
- LED cluster, HVAC, clock
AUDIO / MULTIMEDIA
- Pioneer Z3 Orbital Double Din unit/ JL Audio speakers (f/r), subwoofers, amplifiers
- JL Audio W3V3 12" subwoofers (2)
- JL Audio 500V2 1 amplifier
- JL Audio 300V4 2 amplifier
- JL Audio battery Harness
- 5 Farad Cap
- Custom fiberglass trunk audio setup
- Custom wrap In Bride material
PHOTO GALLERY
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