The Blue Streak – 700hp Evolution III (CE9A)
We had finally broken out of the bonds of the traditional ‘boy racer’ mould, and were stepping out in the drag racing scene as a recognisable force; the new generation of drag racers. We had stamped our authority, and said to all and sundry – the old generation – that we were here to stay.
Exciting times lay ahead as records kept falling and falling, and as racers gained experience and laid their hands ori new technology.
Ail through this process a then small-time tuner in Wellington watched closely from a distance, did his study, and then went to work with one goal in mind – to claim the four-cylinder drag racing title.
Don’t believe it. The first time I heard of Andre Simon’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III was on a rainy night, when chatting to a friend in Wellington over the Internet.
“Oh, I’ve got a mate here who’s building a car to be the quickest four-cylinder 4WD in the country!” Now, in this job you tend to take most things people say With a pinch of salt. Every few days or so you’re hit with some bloke (or gal) beating their chest, and proclaiming . their vehicle to be the fastest, or best-looking, or phattest or whatnot. You learn soon to listen, nod, and then take mild interest in the subject at hand, depending on how well informed the source is.
This time round this particular source was very knowledgeable, and reliable, so I listened with mild curiosity. Words such as “700hp”, “NOS” and “MoTeC” were thrown about here and there in the conversation and, well, I nodded as best as I could over an Internet forum, and then bid good night to my friend. He left with one final phrase: “Look out for it at the NZMMC drag day.” In all honesty, I soon forgot about fhis conversation and went about my business.
As fate would have it, I was sitting down to lunch with some friends one weekend when my cell phone beeped. It’s funny how something so simple can shock you (or make you choke on your drink). It read, quite simply: “BLU EVO FRM WGTN RAN 10.8″. The DOCILE legend had begun.
Smash’n'grab
Quite simply this is, to date, the quickest four-cylinder 4WD import in this country. Don’t believe me? Just ask Andre to wave the staggering 9.59 at 239kph (149mph) time slip in front of your face. In such a very hotly contested drag racing bracket, that is really something to be proud of.
However, the road which led to this ground-breaking, record-smashing hit run at the 2003 Charity Drags in Meremere was neither an easy, nor quick road.
A 26-year-old Wellingtonian, and proprietor of Speedtech Motorsport, Andre Simon has come from a very healthy history of building and racing cars.
Coming from a track record of hybrids, including a 4AGZE powered AE82 and a 149kW (200hp) 1.0-litre Charade GTti, he is no stranger to the world of engine building and engine dynamics. As mentioned before, on its maiden run his 1995 Evolution III broke straight into the bad-ass mofo bracket with the 10-second ET.
Secret Squirrel
So let’s get straight to the heart of the matter, and see exactly what makes this mid nine-second Evo tick. The insanely overpowered 2000cc, turbocharged, four-cylinder Mitsubishi 4G63 engine currently spins the dyno to a tune of 509kW at 8200rpm, running at 2.2-bar without the aid of its nitrous oxide system.
Whilst, with good reason, keeping most of his engine specs secret after months and months of R&D (commonly known as breaking stuff, and then upgrading it), Andre was still able to give us a small sneak peek into his insanely quick Evo.
Centred at the heart of this motor is the Garrett GT series turbocharger, hooked up to the HKS external wastegate, all on a custom fabricated Herbert stainless manifold. The custom carbon fibre air intake, moulded around the headlight, not only wows show-goers, but serves its racing purposes due to the high heat resistance and durability the fibre is known for.
The charged air then flows through the custom air-to-air Herbert Fabrication Intercooler, all via three-inch custom alloy plumbing. The almost obligatory blow-off valve duties were given to a Trust Type R unit, known for its ability to handle the extremely high levels of boost that Andre required for this drag weapon.
Topping off the intake system is the (yes, custom fabricated) Performance Metalworks alloy intake manifold, with a bigger-than-yo-momma 80mm throttle body. The remaining exhaust gases are then dumped, straight out from the front bumper, via a 3.5 inch dump pipe.
He’s cracked it
The fuel system was also given the heavy heave-ho, and was replaced with higher spec go-go juice components to be able to keep feeding the motor with the required fuel. The standard fuel tank is replaced with an 18-litre fuel cell mounted in the boot, powered by two 745kW (1000hp) SX Performance fuel pumps. Other SX performance components include the upgraded fuel filter, and the adjustable FPR for tuning purposes.
The fuel lines are all replaced with braided lines to ensure the system keeps up with the much increased flow of fuel to the 720cc and 500cc secondary Trust injectors. With a goal of over 522kW (700hp) at the wheels in mind, the standard engine internals just would not cut init so Andre cracked the motor open, and went straight to work on it.
The following information is based on what Andre has decided to tell us, as any serious engine builder and/or race car driver will always be reluctant to divulge the entire ingredients of the engine internals, since that’s one of the most essential parts (and most of the time, the most expensive and frustrating part!) of any big motor build.
What we can tell you is that the standard 4G63 crankshaft is retained, albeit with a lot of work performed on it – which Andre just lists as “race prepped”. A high volume oil pump and custom Performance Metalworks baffled sump was then installed, to keep up with the much-needed oil flow as the 500-odd kW surges through its veins.
Carrillo connecting rods are then mated to a set of forged JE Pistons, seating them very comfortably in the lining with Total Seal Gapless piston rings. Now we move onto the cylinder head, where the true test of the engine builder comes into play – maximising the flow of air and fuel to produce the ultimate results.
Andre can only tell us that the head is, obviously, a standard Mitsubishi unit, but it has undergone incredibly heavy porting, polishing, port matching, and flow bench testing before being plastered onto the block. Heavy duty valve springs, titanium retainers, and after market valves see to the heavily reinforced valve train.
Capping off the head, there’s a duo of custom ground billet camshafts, dialled in with HKS adjustable cam gears. With this set-up complete, Andre then tuned the motor to perfection with the MoTeC M48 Pro EMS, and Apexi AVC-R electronic boost controller, on the local dynapack.
So what can be scarier than this 500kW-plus at the wheels Evo? The fact that his Nitrous Oxide Systems Pro Race fogger system, with direct port nitrous injection – which is available on demand -is currently not utilised in drag racing.
Aim, fire!
Proving Mitsubishi’s engineering might, the standard Evo III gearbox is still retained, although Andre admits he does not know how long it will last, as he operates on his “break it and upgrade it” build philosophy. A Quarter Master triple plate clutch and fast revving, custom chromoly flywheel has been equipped to send the power to burly Cusco LSDs front, centre and rear, spinning the modified axles.
Andre, however, is still in the testing stage with his drivetrain set-up. Before heading out to the strip at the recent SI Nats, he nervously admitted that he just did not know how they would hold up to his current motor build. Still, he happily jumped into his car, preferring to drive it to its limits, and then fix the weakest point when they reared their ugly head.
JGTC-style 18×7-inch Enkei NT03 alloys provide a stark contrast for this car when it’s sitting idly at a car show, but come time for action this killer blue beast is then equipped with a set of 15 x 8-inch drag wheels, wrapped in a set of 26 x 8 x 15 Hoosier slicks.
On the suspension side, JIC adjustable coil-overs with adjustable platforms and front camber plates are fitted, with Cusco’s rear strut brace and front underbody brace to limit strut and chassis movement whilst the car propels itself out of the hole like a blast of shot from a gun.
Bare-ass
Interior wise… what interior? As you peer through the Lexan windows and lightweight door skins, you’ll notice a very stark lack of any interior gadgetry – a conscious strategy to save weight and go faster down the line.
However, you’ll notice the six-point chromoly NZDRA-spec roll cage (a standard requirement for nine-second Pro Import vehicles) and a small array of Trust/GReddy oil temperature, oil pressure, exhaust temperature, fuel pressure, and boost meters seated in front of the Racetech 4000 seat and Momo steering wheel. The latter are the only two things left that allow this bare space to resemble the interior of a vehicle.
The exterior still retains the aggressive factory Evolution III body kit, albeit with the rear wing replaced by a custom aluminium drag special, sprayed in a metallic blue hue.
Legend
Even though we can’t tell you the full specifications of this wild, yet DOCILE beast, we can tell you this – that all the work, from the motor build to tuning and body/panel work was performed by Andre and friends in his own garage, SpeedTech Motorsports International, based in Lower Hutt, Wellington. The short drag-racing history of Andre’s accomplishment really does paint a colourful story.
Not only is it filled with increased suqcess after success, from his 10-second street-tyred runs to his nine-second Pro Import ETs, it also contains failures. And it’s these failures which really show Andre’s determination to reach his goals, goals he has achieved through hard work, determination, and good ol’ mechanical know-how proved by getting his hands dirty.
Thus I applaud Andre, overall hardworking gentleman and super nice guy, for not only setting an example to all car tuners out there, but for showing that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. He has fulfilled his goal of creating one of the ultimate 0-400m monsters, a car which still retains the ability to draw oohs and ahhs at a static car show.
On top of which, he has stamped his authority as one of the front runners of our ever expanding drag scene. He’s got eight second aspirations for the upcoming year, and a revision of his existing drivetrain set-up, so I’m sure that like us, you will wait with bated breath for the next appearance of this very wild, yet DOCILE machine.
DOCILE 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III
Engine: 4G63 (2.0-litre turbo 4WD), Custom carbon fibre air intake, Garrett GT series turbo charger, HKS external wastegate, Herbert Fabrication Stainless manifold, Custom Performance Metalworks alloy intake manifold, 80mm throttle body, 720cc Trust primary injectors, 550cc Trust secondary injectors, Custom Herbert Fabrication intercooler, three-inch alloy plumbing, Trust Type R blow-off valve, 18-litre fuel cell, twin SX performance 745kW (1000hp) fuel pumps, SX performance fuel filter, SX performance adjustabfe FPR, braided fuel lines, NOS Pro Race fogger, Direct Port Nitrous Injection (currently not used), MoTeC M48 Pro, MSD DIS2 CD ignition system, Apexi AVC-R electronic boost controller, modified factory crankshaft, Carrillo conrdds, JE forged pistons, Total Seal Gapless piston rings, Custom Billet camshafts, HKS adjustable cam gears, standard Evo III head w/heavy porting, polishing, and port matching, after market valves, heavy duty valve springs, titanium retainers, modified high volume oil pump, custom Performance Metalworks baffled sump, 3,5-inch stainless dump pipe
Drivetrain: Factory Evo III gearbox, Quarter Master Triple plate clutch, Custom chromoly flywheel, modified axles, Cusco competition clutch pack LSD (front, centre, rear).
Wheels/Tyres: 18 x 7-inch Enkei NT03 (show), 15 x 8-inch (drag), Falken FK451 215/35/18 (show), Hoosier 26×8x15 drag slicks
Suspension/Brakes: JIC adjustable coil-overs, adjustable spring platforms, front camber plates, rear Cusco strut brace, front Cusco underbody brace, standard rotors, Hawk Carbon Metallic brake pads
Exterior/Interior: Factory Evo III body kit, respray in metallic blue, stripped interior, Momo steering wheel, Racetech 4000 race seat, Trust/GReddy oil temperature, oil pressure, exhaust temperature, fuel pressure gauge and boost gauges, APEXi AVC-R boost controller, six-point chromoly roll cage, lightweight gutted door shells, full Lexan glass ICE: N/A
Performance: 509kW (at wheels) @ 8200rpm w/o NOS, 9.597 @ 239kph (149mph) (244.6kph or 152mph fastest) ET
Andre Thanks:
SpeedTech Motorsport
Alan and Darryn at International
Dynamometers
Jono Climo at Performance Metalworks
Phil Small at MMC NZ NZMMC – NZ Mitsubishi Club Gina, Andrew, Ben D, his ever tolerant parents, and everyone who has supported them
Source: Performance Car