The hot side of the turbo feeds an 80mm stainless steel RS*R ExMag downpipe and an RS*R ExMag GT-II exhaust system that features stainless-steel construction, 80mm piping and a 101mm tip. To address fuel enrichment and ignition, a Walbro 255lph fuel pump feeds a Sard fuel rail and 1,000cc Rochester injectors, while a Sard fuel pressure regulator runs interference. The ignition system is also home to an HKS twin power ignition.
An Autronic ECU provides the game plan for fuel introduction and timing advances. Autronic fully guts out a stock EVO ECU and installs its own motherboard and connectors for accessing the ECU. The Autronic-enhanced ECU has all the factory plug-in sites intact and looks like a stock box, but it delivers full access to ignition and fueling tables as well as anti-lag and Autotune features. The Autronic box can be acquired with a baseline tune pre-programmed and ready to roll. Koji Arai at XS Engineering took the ball and ran with it, programming custom maps on XS Engineering's DTS all-wheel-drive dyno. With boost set to 1.6 bar (23 psi), Arai noted that the boost dropped to 1.4 bar during the pulls. All runs were made on C16 fuel. As expected the EVOGreen's response was evident from 3,700 rpm to redline. Max torque of 362 lb-ft was realized at 3,800 rpm and remained steady until it tailed off at 6,300 rpm. Peak horsepower registered at 431. The XS crew was quick to point out that the Cosworth internals and the high-tech head were begging for more boost and, with a serious upgrade, prodigious power in the 600whp range would be attained.
Even with the 4G63's loud and aggressive rumble, this is one ride that you can see coming long before you hear it. The Mitsubishi's vibrant tangerine orange paint scheme and wicked body mods make it stand out. Love it or hate it, this two-door conversion is a first. Eagle's Auto Body & Paint installed the intricate APR Evil-R widebody aero kit and poured on the pearl tangerine paint. The APR kit was delivered with the rear door section attached, since Rigo and Eagle's Auto Body & Paint elected to leave it together and weld up the rear doors. During the coupe's transformation Eagle's Auto Body & Paint also molded an APR front wind splitter, rear diffuser and GTC-300 wing into the mix.
The EVO's hot looks are not an empty promise as the trick coupe is outfitted for fast cornering and spirited straightaway speed. A set of Raceline coilovers from AST By Powerstation absorb road irregularities during the commute and lateral g's during hot lap sessions. The ASTs provide three dampening adjustment points and 12 different rebound settings, the latter made via an externally mounted reservoir. The front reservoirs are located near the firewall under the hood while the rears are at the lower shock base. An APR strut tower brace teams with the stock sway bars to complete the suspension.
The EVO's clutch has always been the car's Achilles' heel so Rigo addressed this with a lightweight Exedy flywheel and an Exedy twin-disc clutch set. A Quaife center differential keeps the gears in sync and puts the pain on the Mitsu's blacked-out rolling stock.
The EVO's outstanding Brembo brakes are hard to improve upon but Rigo added DBA rotors all around, with the front being high-tech two-piece propositions, Goodridge stainless lines and Porterfield pads.
Inside, the cockpit was upgraded with moderate strokes. Classic Soft Trim has accented the OEM seats with orange stitching and embroidery while the rest of the cabin has been tweaked with suede by Roberto's Auto Upholstery in Costa Mesa, CA. Control was enhanced with an Ikeya Formula shifter, Sun Auto Cyberspeed pedals and a Nardi steering wheel. A full array of Auto Meter boost gauges provide detailed communication between the engine and driver.