:bombtrack: The CSF Mitsubishi EVO X

The CSF Evo X was never in the cards. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever build an Evo. Like most everyone else, I’ve been a fan of Evo’s for a long time. But I never really had the burning desire to own one myself… if that makes any sense. So to have one at all is a little crazy. And to have one built at this level – is totally nuts!

Here’s the backstory:

I was at GMG at the end of November in 2016… just after SEMA. I was dropping off my Porsche 996tt for it’s yearly maintenance. And being that I’m good friends with the guys who work over there, I was walking around the shop with the Allan Ward (the GM), looking at some of the cars stye had in house. In the back of the race car building, was this damaged Evo X roller sitting on top of rack. I was perplexed on why GMG, a motorsports and high-end Euro company, had this Evo X there in the first place, amongst a sea of Porsches, R8’s, McLarens, etc.

Turns out the car belonged to one of their customers, Barry Zigler (owner of Swisher Sweets). He had the desire to race an Evo X, so they obliged. He raced it in the Pirelli World Challenge… and crashed it at the Long Beach Grand Prix. They bought another shell straight from Mitsubishi Motorsports to build the car up again, but by that time, Barry had moved on & decided that he wanted to race something else.

Get Baited

So for 3 years – this car sat in the back of GMG, with about 3 warehouse-bins full or race car parts, OEM parts, and spares… all sitting there. They had recently cleaned it up a bit… hoping that somebody would notice it and get baited. Well it worked… because that someone was me! I made a deal with the owner, James Safronas, to take everything. That was more his deal, than mine lol. I couldn’t just take what I wanted… it was all or nothing, as James wanted everything to do with this car gone!

He Said $25k.

I said $20k.

I told him I needed to go to the PRI show & handle some business… and that I would think about it. I called my good friend, Alex from Sheepey Built, and told him the deal. He said it was a no-brainer at that price, and told me to go pick the thing up! He said that if I did, he’d help me build something “epic”. So I came home from PRI about 10 days later to pick up my Porsche, and the deal was done. We met in the middle at $22,500… for everything.

A crashed Pirelli World Challenge car with the cage already in it + high end race car parts + all the spares. Since I travel to Toronto quite often for work, Alex from Sheepey Built told me to go meet Marco from Magnus Motorsports. “Work your magic & get him to jump on board with this project and let’s get some of his components for this build”, he said.

So that’s how Marco got involved with the project haha. And it turns out – we’ve become good friends in the process.

SEMA

With the goal of presenting the car at SEMA 2017, I wanted to work with my SoCal industry friends. I needed to work with people I could trust to get the car done in time. People who understood not just the trends & high-quality work… but the real meat & bones of the aftermarket industry, its deadlines, and the importance of a trade show like SEMA. These companies, are regarded as the best in the business in their area of expertise: Rywire, LTMW, Sheepey Built, MotoIQ, ASC Speed Metal, etc.

My goal for this build was to showcase the sum of what the best companies from SoCal could make – working together. Every company focusing on their own area of expertise, and being handed a blank canvas to showcase their work.

Logistically, the project became super-challenging for everyone involved. It really pushed everyone to the max… especially with the SEMA deadline as a critical component. I think it’s been one of the most challenging projects all the partners have ever been involved with, especially since not many of us actually work with Evo’s on a regular basis. It was challenging no doubt. But it’s also an extraordinary adrenaline/energy rush that a lot of us in the industry thrive on.

In the end, I think it’s been such a rewarding experience, and we’ve strengthened our friendships over the build. That’s something that I’m very proud. The cars will come and go, whether they’re Evos, Hondas, Porsches, or whatever… as will the trends. But the teamwork, friendships, camaraderie, and overall pulling-together really embodies what this tuning culture is all about!

CSF EVO X

Car Builders:

MotoIQ Garage / Sheepey Built / Rywire / LTMW / CSF Cooling

Engine

ATI super damper
Ralliart motor mounts
Garrett by Honeywell Gen2 GTX 3582R reverse rotation & 1.01A/AR Turbocharger
Turbosmart Dual wastegates
Turbosmart Blow-off valve
CSF 27x6x4.5 vertical-flow intercooler fabricated by Sheepey Built
Hydraflow clamps by Burns Stainless
CSF x Rywire Tucked universal radiator (Large Size)
CSF bar/plate engine oil cooler
Turbo kit fabrication by Sheepey Built
Sheepey Built stainless schedule 40 turbo manifold with custom Ticon Titanium up-pipes and up-tubes
Mangnus Motorsports Race Intake Manifold
Magnus Motorsports Bosch 82mm Drive By Wire Throttle Body
Magnus Motorsports fuel rail
Peterson Dry-sump oil system by Magnus Motorsports
Motorsports grade custom plumbing by Rywire using XRP HS-79 PTFE hose and XRP fittings
KTN Thermodynamics intake manifold spacer
Custom carbon fiber fuel bladder with Bosch fuel pumps
Nuke fuel pressure regulator
Injector Dynamics 1700X
Blueprinted GMG engine built for Pirelli World Challenge GTS class
Radium Engineering fuel pulse damper
Chasing J’s custom CSF titanium coil plate with titanium hardware (valve cover)
Downstar hardware

Engine Build

Tuned for reliable 750HP

4P Racing Head – EvoX CNC ported head on new core

Manley Crank – 94mm stroker crank

Carrillo Rods – Performance rods and bolts

Cosworth head studs

Cosworth head gaskets – 1.3mm head gasket

ARP Studs – Main studs

Kelford cams

Industrial Coroplast – belly pan material

ShepTrans – Performance transfer case service

AEM Electronics – Crank case pressure sensor

WPC – block, pistons, crank and cams

King Bearings – Main crank

King Bearings – Connecting rods

JE Pistons – Custom 10:1 pistons, pins, rings

Drivetrain

SPEC lightweight flywheel
TWM Performance all-metal performance short shifter
Tilton clutch kit

Suspension

JRZ 2-way coilover suspension
Whiteline high performance tierod ends
AKMotorsports:

– Front Tubular Subframe (1 pcs)

– Rear Tubular Subframe (1 pcs)

– Front Aluminium Arms (2 pcs)

– Front Outrigger Arms (2 pcs)

– Front ARB Links (2 pcs)

– Front Arms Antiroll Bracket (2 pcs)

– Rear Triangle Wishbones (2 pcs)

– Rear Short Wishbones (2 pcs)

– Rear Long Wishbones (2 pcs)

– Rear Bent Wishbones (2 pcs)

– Rear ARB Links (2 pcs)

Developed based on 3D scan
Full CAD designed and FEA tested
Manufactured from T45 tubbing, milled parts from C45 metal and plates form S355 steel Tubing bent and cut on CNC
Front arms manufactured from 7075 billet aluminum, anodized
Tig Welded with special weld wire for T45
Bearings / rod-ends – same as used in original Rally Art MML R4 kit

Fabricated strut towers with custom caster/camber plates

Exterior

Varis LED Taillights
Custom Rotiform LAS-R 3-piece wheel
Jun x Craftsquare carbon fiber side mirrors – finished with Chasing J’s titanium hardware
Front, rear, and side Lexan windows
Downstar hardware
Paint & Body by LTMW
Custom molded Streetfigher LA widebody kit by LTMW
Widebody design & rendering by Jon Sibal, Inc.

Brakes

Front & Rear 4-pot StopTech trophy kit
Custom Rywire brake lines
StopTech Aero rotors
StopTech 660race brake fluid
Wilwood break adjustable proportioning valve

Electronics

Syvecs S8 ECU
HP Electronik PDM
Custom Race-spec by Rywire
Aim Sports MXS Strada 5’ color display dash

Interior

Downstar hardware
Custom ASC Speedmetal interior paneling – custom powder coating by Embee Performance
Custom ASC Speedmetal door panels and door pulls – upholstered in black alcantara by Rogelio’s upholstery
Sparco RevII seats custom upholstered in black alcantara with red stitching by Rogelio’s upholstery
Sparco steering wheel custom upholstered in black alcantara with red stitching by Rogelio’s upholstery – finished with Chasing J’s titanium steering wheels hardware
Sparco window net
Sparco shift knob
Sparco harnesses
Custom FIA spec rollcage by GMG
Shaved engine bay and interior paint by LTMW (BMW Alpine white)
Chasing J’s custom CSF titanium coil plate with titanium hardware (valve cover)

Tuning

Custom Syvecs tuning by Wayne Potts of International Speed Consulting & Jon Drenas of 5150 Racing

Thank You…

– Ryan Basseri from Rywire Motorsports electronic for going through this journey with me

– Alex Soto and Charlie Turbos from Sheepey Built for building the most gangster Evo X engine

– Long Tran and the whole crew from LTMW for making magic happen before Sema 2017

– Martin Gonzales, Howard and the whole crew from MotoIQ Garage for building a proper race car

– Wayne Potts from ISC Tuning / Svyecs for flying out and to do final tuning and consulting on the build in order to get the true potential out of this project

– Jon Drenas and the rest of the team at 5150 Racing for last minute race prep & Evo X expert advice

– Stan Chen & Dionne Mascuna from Toyo Tires

– Brian Henderson and Jason Whipple from Rotiform

– Ken Cruz & Christian from CSF for helping manage the build

– Roger from Rogelio’s Upholstery

– Dominic Le from Chasing J’s & Mitsubishi

– Frank from Downstar

– Marco from Magnus motorsports for the million phone calls and keeping me calm

– Alan Viado from Sparco

– GMG Motosports for making me a deal on the car I couldn’t pass up

– Alex & DK at Rhino Customs HB for making sure the car is always detailed to the

– Jon Sibal for the bodykit design and Streetfighter LA for making the kit come to reality.