You have your favorites. We all do. But there's no question that, in the world of Mitsubishi performance, David Buschur's name is one of the most memorable. We're talking about a guy who was modifying Eclipses when you were drawing them on notebook edges in social studies. More importantly, David is a guy who thrives on competition and lives for a challenge.
In 2003, Buschur Racing bought a new EVO VIII and developed a line of parts for the car. But it wasn't until 2004 that tuners everywhere began realizing just how fast and tunable Mitsubishi's rally car was. Sure enough, there was a contingent that proved the rally car as capable in the quarter-mile as it was elsewhere. Nine-second quarter-mile times were proving more possible than ever and Buschur wanted in.
Summoning the help of brother Daniel Buschur, the two soon chose a car-a totaled '03 Evolution VIII. The mangled car immediately went over to Ron Luman at Rapid Auto Body in Lorain, Ohio, to return to factory specification. Despite plans to gut the EVO for racing, the Buschur brothers couldn't hack the car up when they saw the finished product from Rapid Auto Body.
With a full interior and minor lightening, the EVO on its second life ran a 10.1-second quarter-mile right out of the box with Buschur's version of the GT35R kit in place. Seeing how quickly they'd become number two or three in the nation, the brothers upped the ante, in an attempt to steal first place. A GT42R replaced the GT35R, along with an HKS Kansai manifold with an 85mm Infiniti throttle body and a custom header. In 2006, the car ran consistent 9.6-second quarter-miles at about 150 mph. The guys at their competitor AMS were quicker.
Buschur's blood boiled and the heat of competition drove the team to pile in and build a car that could beat AMS at eight-second quarter-mile times. Finally, the preciously rebuilt interior saw its demise and was completely gutted (minus the driver's door, of course-Daniel has to stay cool when he's piloting the car himself). In addition, the car got lexan windows, a RobiSpec carbon-fiber hood and trunk, some A'PEXi N1 suspension and a lightweight brake kit developed by Wilwood and competitor AMS.
Thanks to the crash diet, the EVO was now running 9.1- and 9.2-second quarter-mile times. So was AMS. The race was on and the heat hotter than ever. The two met head-to-head at the 14th annual DSM/EVO Shootout, where most of the day both teams saw runs in the nines. Finally, Daniel slammed through the gears to cross the finish line with a run of 8.95 seconds at 164 mph. You're looking at the world's first eight-second EVO.
We know you want us to tell you what it takes to get an EVO into the eights. We'll do you one better and share Buschur's plan to make it into the sevens. It starts with a comprehensive workover, courtesy of Gary Reese. Front and rear driveshaft loops were built and a Stroud parachute was installed in conjunction with a flat floor in the rear of the car. The factory core was replaced with a lightweight chromoly unit. A 2-gallon fuel cell was installed in the front of the car, so the pump moved up front as well.
On top of that, Gary designed a new center member for the front of the car that runs longitudinally and incorporates an engine and transmission mount as well as a rear differential support bar. Both pieces bolt in and can be used on any EVO, a modification that Buschur says knocks 25 pounds off the car. In this black EVO, the brace helps stabilize the violent action of a Bushwhacker transmission, which is fed power by an Exedy triple-plate clutch.
By now you've seen enough high-horsepower EVO engines to know roughly what it takes to crank out the numbers without going boom. The guys at Buschur used their drop-in JE Pistons/Crower Rods kit in conjunction with their Racing Spec cams, valve springs and retainers inside the engine, along with ARP head studs to hold it all together.
There's no question these guys have done some of their own development work. From the intake to the intercooler to the exhaust, it's all Buschur. At the heart of the horsepower is their FP3065 Turbo Kit, which uses a TiAL 44mm wastegate to evacuate unused exhaust gases. A Buschur Racing manual boost controller tells the wastegate when enough is enough.
Despite the slew of Buschur parts, a few areas got attention from other manufacturers. An AEM EMS with built-in UEGO and five-bar map sensor was put in place to control the engine parameters when the boost kicks in. An Agency Power fuel rail is fitted with giant Precision 1,000cc fuel injectors to keep the mixture in check.
When Daniel fires the car down the quarter-mile, it's the Tein S-tech springs and 18-inch BFGoodrich G-Force T/A Drag Radials that keep it planted. The tires sit on Advan RS wheels (+29 offset, to get that Skyline GT-R look) and measure 245/40R18. That Bushwacker transmission we were telling you about means the torque gets to the wheels with a bang at each shift.
Despite the stripped-out interior, the car has a Pioneer 6400CD head unit, with in-dash DVD player. Maybe Daniel likes to watch Lord of the Rings while he's waiting for the countdown-don't ask us. There's more important stuff in the cockpit as well, like a Raptor Performance Shift Lite, a Stewart Warner boost gauge and a Sparco harness bar.
Although the Buschur brothers' EVO is unquestionably a hard-core drag car, it manages to look cool nonetheless. From the "Evodave" blacked out headlights to the black European "Evolution VIII" badge on the decklid, it's clear they've spent as much attention to detail as they have on banging through the quarter-mile. It's the little touches, like the stubby S2000 antenna and the JDM EVO IX rear bumper that set this car off.
We can't tell you whether or not they'll make it to the sevens, of course. But what we can say is competition is raging and there's nothing that gets the Buschurs going like a good challenge. If we were you, we'd stay tuned to see what happens.
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII
Power Output: 855 Whp
Engine:
Buschur Racing drop-in JE Pistons & Crower rods
Buschur Racing Spec cams
Buschur Racing valve springs & retainers
Buschur Racing 3-inch turbo-back exhaust with two-bullet muffler
Buschur Racing manual boost controller
Buschur Racing mass air pipe and filter
Buschur Racing upper intercooler piping with TiAL BOV
Buschur Racing lower intercooler piping
Buschur Racing Race front-mount intercooler
Buschur Racing Mini Battery Kit
Buschur Racing FP3065 turbo kit with TiAL 44mm wastegate
Buschur Racing ported intake manifold
Buschur Racing modified fuel pump
Precision 1,000cc injectors
AEM EMS with built-in UEGO & five-bar map sensor
Agency Power fuel rail
ARP head studs
GReddy Kevlar timing belt
Agency Power lower motor mount (front)
Ralliart plug wires
Buschur Racing polished exhaust manifold heat shield
Buschur Racing billet spark plug cover
HKS oil cap
HKS radiator cap
Transmission:
Exedy Triple-Plate Cerametallic clutch
Buschur Racing shifter bushings
Bushwacker transmission
Suspension & Brakes:
Buschur Racing rear strut tower bar
A'Pexi N1 Suspension
Wheels & Tires:
18-inch Advan RS in Chrome (+29 Offset with GTR face)
BFGoodrich G-Force T/A Drag Radials (245/40R18)
Interior:
Pioneer 6400CD 6.5-inch Flip-out monitor with DVD player
Stewart Warner 30-0-40 psi boost gauge
Raptor Performance Shift Lite
Greddy Counterweight shift knob
Sparco harness bar
IO Port camera mount
Exterior:
JDM EVO IX rear bumper
Buschur Racing carbon-fiber front lip
APR carbon-fiber mirrors
JDM EVO MR taillights
Vortex generator
European black "Evolution VIII" Rear Badge
EVO VI TME red Mitsubishi rear badge
Evodave blacked out headlights
S2000 short antenna
20 percent Johnson window tint