Project EVO VIII RS-T (Tarmac Edition)

Customizing, tuning, personalizing - whatever you want to call it, it's the art of taking a vehicle that looks and performs like every other and changing it to reflect your own personal tastes and needs. Nowhere is this activity more prevalent than in Southern California, and here at the LA Auto Show, we're no different. So, for the seventh year in a row, we've modified a car of our own with the help of our Kentia Hall aftermarket exhibitors.


2004 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII RS

For 2005, Mitsubishi was kind enough to provide us with a brand-spankin' new Lancer Evolution VIII RS for us to play with. The Evo is Mitsubishi's 271hp, turbocharged, all-wheel-drive rally homologation special, and the RS takes the motorsports theme one step further by eliminating such annoyances as air conditioning, power windows/mirrors, radio, sound insulation, and rear wing, among other things. But what you do get is an even lighter and faster Evo - and a perfect canvas for a bit of personalization.


Star Shield Armor Protection Film Is Nearly Invisible


APR Racing Wing & Auto Indulgence Graphics Are Hard to Miss

The first thing anyone sees of a vehicle is its exterior, and we immediately went to work to protect and enhance the Evo's appearance with the addition of Star Shield Armor's(1) magic paint protection film, as well as APR Racing(2) carbon fiber rear wing and side mirrors and vinyl graphics from Auto Indulgence(3).


The Right Wheels & Tires Make A Huge Difference

Competing the new look are bronze 18-inch Volk Racing(4) forged aluminum wheels wrapped in Nitto Tire's(5) latest NT555 performance rubber from the rolling stock experts at Wheel Warehouse(6).


Suspension Upgrades Improve Looks & Performance

To give our Evo an aggressive stance (with performance to match), we next tackled the suspension, where the PSR(7)-installed Vogtland(8) performance springs and Tokico(9) dampers work in harmony with a Hotchkis Tuning(10) rear anti-roll bar. And helping our Evo make the most of its factory-installed Brembo brakes is a set of Hawk Performance(11) brake pads.


ARC Intake & Espelir Exhaust Are Felt & Heard

Now that we had addressed turning and stopping, we unleashed a few more horses under the lightweight vented hood with the addition of an ARC(12) aluminum airbox and Espelir(13) stainless steel exhaust and down-pipe, installed by Eurasian Autosport(14) - no strangers to rally car performance. Adding some racing bling-bling are ARC's titanium radiator and manifold covers.


Alpine's IVA-D300 WithClever Pulse-Touch™ Technology

Attention now turned to the interior, which was as devoid of electronics from the factory as a car can get. Alpine and Al & Ed's Autosound went to work on crafting a comprehensive audio/video system that was appropriate for a lightweight canyon-carver like the RS. From it's flip up touch-screen monitor, DVD player, XM Satellite Radio and iPod interface, to its PlayStation 2, speaker array and powerful amplifiers, the system represents the cutting edge in mobile entertainment. However, much of the weight of the system can be disconnected from the Monster Cable wiring and removed from the car for those moments where performance driving is the sole priority. Monitoring of all this performance is a Locator Solutions Autobug GPS tracking system, and keeping the driver in command is a Racetech performance driving seat.


The Finished Product Turns Heads Everywhere It Goes

It's no easy task improving on the performance of a car as good as the Evo, and it just goes to show the diversity of today's aftermarket. From show to go, there's something for every car and driver.
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Info was Provided by 2005 LA Auto Show
Index:
(1) http://www.starshieldarmor.com/home/home.php
(2) http://www.aprperformance.com/
(3) http://www.autoi.com/
(4) http://www.mackinindustries.com/rays_volkracing.html
(5) http://www.nittotire.com/
(6) http://www.wheelwarehouse.com/
(7) http://www.psrperformance.com/
(8) http://www.vogtland.com/
(9) http://www.tokicogasshocks.com/
(10) http://www.hotchkistuning.com/
(11) http://www.hawkperformance.com/
(12) http://www.mackinindustries.com/arc.html
(13) http://www.mackinindustries.com/espelir.html
(14) http://www.eurasianautosport.com/