One Wicked Evo This Way Comes!!

I first met my buddy EJ at work some 10 years ago. We were working at the same company but did not know each other well at the time. One day I was putting in a call to buy brake pads for my upcoming track event and he apparently overheard some of the conversation and came over afterwards to ask me what that was all about. He was amazed that a regular guy like me did that kind of crazy stuff and risked his car and life at the track. We ended up trading cars for a day and I think driving my E46 325i corrupted him. Shortly thereafter, EJ got rid of his slammed Honda Accord and got a real car: a beautiful brand spanking new Blue-by-You Evo VIII!

In between runs at Watkins Glen

Now we swapped roles and I was smitten by his car. Going from a 184-hp grocery-getter to a 300-hp monster with that turbo kick was a wake-up call for me. The first time we went out for a test-drive, I ended up flying by everyone around us before I knew it. What a beast the Evo was right out of the box!

The mods would not be complete without the OneHotLap sticker!

EJ's Evo has been slowly but steadily built since 2004 and at one point, it was down to just the bare chassis with parts of the car shipped out to 4 or 5 different continents for tuning. Somehow, it all magically came back together in one incredible machine putting out 400+ whp that tears up the track and everything else in the advanced run group at track events.



Here's a list of the mods in the Evo:

Engine/Drivetrain:
Perrin intake, CBRD BBK Full turbo, Swain Tech White Lightning-coated JM Fab EVO Twin Scroll Exhaust Manifold, CBRD ECU custom flash, HKS 272 cams, ported + Swain Tech White Lightning-coated OEM intake manifold, MIL.SPEC 65mm throttle body, AMS IC, AMS LICP, Samco IC hoses, ETS UICP, Cajun Powers's t-bolt clamp kit, Evo IX OEM dump valve, Hallman Pro manual boost controller,

400+ whp out of a 2.0L motor, are you kidding me?!

SSAC O2 housing (Jet Hot 2000 coated), Perrin 3 inch Downpipe (Jet Hot 2000 coated), Perrin High-flow cat, Fujitsubo RA-01 exhaust, TRE Transfer Case Rebuild w/ Ralliart LSD, ACT HDSS clutch kit, ACT Street Lite flywheel, TRE Stage 2 Transmission, TRE Rear Diff mod, AMS cam-side, trans-side, and front motor mount urethane bushings, solid driveshaft carrier bearing support bushings, Power Enterprise Super Strong balance belt and timing belt, Power Enterprise Super V accessory belt, Greddy 1.3 bar radiator cap, Gates Racing Coolant Hoses, Racing Brake Front 2-Piece Rotors, Technafit Steel Braided Brake Lines, Racing Brake +14mm front lug studs and rear studs, AMS Brake Duct Kit, and an AMS Small Battery Kit.

Carbon fiber: when every ounce of weight counts

Here's an in-car video from EJ's Evo running in a convoy with 2 MRs at Lime Rock Park:


... and another in-car cam at Calabogie:

Suspension:
Cusco Titanium Front Strut Tower Brace, Beatrush Rear Strut Tower Brace, Perrin PSRS Front Lower Control Arm bushings, WORKS Urethane Bushing Kit (Front Anti-sway Bar, Front Lower Control Arm, Rear Bump Steer, Rear Upper Control Arm, Rear Lower Control Arm Forward + Rearward, Rear Trailing Arm), Whiteline Rollcenter Adjustment kit, WORKS/Öhlins Stage III DFV Coilovers w/ Swift springs (12KF / 14KR), WORKS camber plates. WORKS Racing Program Rear Pillow Ball Mounts, Perrin Rear Sway Bar Endlinks, Perrin Rear Anti-sway Bar Stout Mounts, Perrin Front Lower Control Arm Brace, AMS Moustache Bar Eliminator Kit, and AMS lightweight Front Crossmember.

Wheels/Tires:
Winter: 17inch ASA wheels w/ Bridgestone Blizzak LM22 235/45R17
Summer: 17inch OEM Enkeis w/ Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec 245/40R17
Track: 17inch OEM Enkeis w/ Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec 245/40R17
Autocross: (F) 18x10 Enkei RP03, (R) 18x9.5 Enkei RPF1 w/ Kumho V710 285/30R18
You counted right: that's four full sets. You've got to hope EJ's wife doesn't read One Hot Lap!

Interior/Exterior:
Rennessy Fabrication custom Carbon Fiber Sunroof plug, APR Carbon Fiber Front Splitter, Mitsubishi MR Rear Vortex Generator, Rexpeed Gurney Flap, Rennessy Fabrication 6 point roll cage, Racetech 4009W seats & mounts w/ Buddy Club Racing Seat Sliders, Schroth Profi II 6 point harnesses, Beatrush Rear Bulkhead Panel, XPEL Headlight / Sideview Mirror Film, Black/White Gauge Overlay package, Defi 60mm Boost/EGT/Oil Pressure gauges, Defi Dashboard Gauge Pod, Defi Link II Control Unit, OEM Carbon Fiber E-Brake Handle, AMS Shift Knob, and OEM Blue Pedal Kit.

Coffee tables look great in carbon fiber!

Badges of honor

This may be the only place where cops and Cannonball can co-exist!

You've got to hope this only happens in the pits!

A cage thick enough to protect an elephant!

Very cool gauges!

Somehow, brake ducts, dead bugs, and carbon fiber splitters go together so well!

Priceless:
"Boost Gets You Laid" decal.

Note: so far, there's been no empirical evidence to confirm the above...

One Final Thought
It's not every day that you come upon a daily driver with mods that take 4 pages to describe. Or get 200+ HP out of each liter. EJ's Evo is a unique specimen that would live in a museum if it weren't intended for track use. I know I'd much rather see it at the track.