Photography:
Wesley Allison
Each time a major automotive
manufacturer releases a new car to the
market, you can be sure that there will
be more than enough aftermarket
companies just waiting to get their
hands on it to massage, grope, and get
to third base with it. Eventually, the
goal is to pull a Mike Damone and score
a home run. Granted, this rule may not
apply to each and every car that's
released to the general public, but it
does adhere strongly to Mitsubishi's
latest addition to the U.S. market in
its Lancer Evolution VIII, which brings
us to the center of attention for this
month--HKS' tuned Evo VII.
Aside from those really ridiculous pop-locking
TV commercials, the Mitsubishi Evo VII
isn't an VIII--we know that already--and
other than its outward appearance, the
new engine platform remains identical to
its predecessor in the 4G63, with the
exception of a few minor changes that
you probably wouldn't even have thought
of. What this means, however, for
aftermarket companies like HKS, the hard
part is out of the way. This is in
reference to the engine R&D work
that might have been needed had HKS
never laid their hands on any version of
an Evolution prior to the release of the
VIII.
But that's not the case here; HKS has
been dating and shagging the Evolution
series since its freshman year, and
quite frankly, it looks like they're
going to be going steady for a long
time. Didn't you notice the letterman's
jacket? They looked really cute at the
Sadie Hawkins dance last week.
So what does the Evo VIII have to do
with HKS' Evo VII? Well, from what we've
stated before and heard by leaving
microphones on kindergarten playgrounds
and laundromats across the country, this
version of the 4G63 has been virtually
untouched in its design. The
turbocharged, DOHC, four-cylinder
configuration is one of Mitsubishi's
finest creations, yet this time around
it boasts an estimated 271hp and an
equally sufficient 273lb-ft of torque.
It's a hair shy of the Evo VII's but, hey,
don't let that stop you from toying
around with it. Remember, HKS has proven
parts and the car here is a perfect
example.
For the technicians of HKS Japan,
building this Lancer was more than just
a chance to show off its manhood to the
rest of the boys in the locker room--in
fact, its only purpose was to claim
another record on the world famous
Tsukuba Circuit, which was nailed with a
lap time of 56.814 seconds late last
December. Even more remarkable, however,
is the fact that this car has been put
together with parts straight out of the
HKS master goods catalog, though we
can't deny that there will probably be
one or two little custom one-offs that
might not be available to the general
consumer. That's OK though, because you,
too, can build your new Evo VIII to this
caliber, although you'd probably be
hauled off to jail if you try to pull a
lap time of 56 seconds down Main Street,
USA. Let's take a look at the potential
your 4G63 could have...
It should be duly noted that whoever
chooses to buy one of these fine
automobiles should have no qualms about
having power, but wanting even more of
it. As shown here, HKS has done plenty
to the engine, beefing up the bottom end
with a set of forged pistons and H
Design connecting rods. Since
turbochargers are a prime specialty for
HKS, the stock turbine was replaced with
a GT3037S unit and is powerful enough to
help produce about 540ps, max power. The
cylinder head itself hasn't been touched
but has been upgraded with a pair of
prototype camshafts and Alumislide
adjustable cam gears. To lower the
engine compression, a 1.2mm metal head
gasket was sandwiched in between the
block and the cylinder head, like that
oh-so-delicious Gallo salami lunch meat
between two slices of bun. But wait,
there's more.
Evolution
Solution)
