Sparco USA's 2003 Evolution VIII, which was built through a joint effort with A'PEX Integration in Orange, Calif., isn't new to the pages of SCC. It won first place in our Time Attack Challenge's AWD Limited Class (placing third overall) and participated in our EVO Challenge. Since all that, however, Sparco USA's Scott Gladstone, the man who holds the pink slip, has made some changes, the biggest of which is a whole new graphics scheme.
The EVO is now wrapped entirely in blue-on-white vinyl (it was once white-on-blue paint) in a Sparco-oriented theme, masterfully applied by Modern Image in Huntington Beach, Calif. Yeah, it's all vinyl, every inch. We pity the fool who's going to have to peel all that shit off.
Underneath all that sticky stuff is a Gialla front bumper, an All American Racing hood and AAR trunk lid formed from pre-preg carbon fiber. Carbon-fiber accents were also applied to the spartan EVO engine bay, like the timing belt and spark plug covers. The front lip is accented by an "unobtainium" carbon-fiber splitter, and the rear by a carbon-fiber exhaust shield and rear underbody diffuser.
Beneath the hood, the 4G63 engine was fitted with an array of A'PEXi parts, including both off-the-shelf products and custom A'PEXi R&D upgrades that may or may not filter down to the average consumer. The block remains unchanged, but the head was fitted with custom-ground A'PEXi cams and Crower springs and retainers before being screwed down onto a 1mm A'PEXi head gasket using ARP head studs.
An A'PEXi Power intake and custom induction box direct air to a modified A'PEXi RX6-series ball-bearing turbocharger bolted to a tubular stainless-steel exhaust manifold. The turbo is regulated on either side by an A'PEXi race-spec external wastegate and race-spec blow-off valve. Custom aluminum plumbing expedites the compressed charge through an A'PEXi GT-R intercooler and up through a Tomei throttle body and Magnus intake manifold. The remainder of the exhaust system is comprised of an 80mm A'PEXi downpipe and A'PEXi GT-spec exhaust, while other details include a GT-spec radiator and oil cooler, Samco hoses, AEM cam gears and an X-Static race battery.
A top-secret A'PEXi R&D fuel system provides the necessary juice to keep the bigger turbo happy, which includes a custom surge tank, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, Bosch fuel pump, 700cc injectors and an array of Earl's lines and fittings. Engine parameters are monitored by A'PEXi's Power FC and Power FC Commander, while boost is controlled with the company's AVC-R unit. Along the drivetrain, the stock front diff was chucked in favor of a Ralliart EVO V limited slip modified to interface with the EVO's center differential. An ATS flywheel and triple-plate carbon clutch, along with a stainless-steel clutch line and polyurethane shifter bushings for the gearbox, set the animal in motion.
Suspension and chassis mods consist of a quartet of A'PEXi N1 Pro Competition coil-overs, Progress anti-roll bars front and rear, a Cusco titanium strut tower brace and lower front brace, and a Cusco trunk brace in back. The brakes are Brembo's impressive WRC tarmac-edition binders. The front assemblies consist of monster 14-inch cross-drilled and slotted rotors and eight-piston, billet monoblock calipers that house no less than four brake pads each. The rears comprise 13-inch cross-drilled and slotted rotors and four-piston clamps. Performance Friction pads provide the bite and Goodridge stainless lines and Motul fluid provide the push. All this serious race-bred hardware is shoehorned into modest-sized 17x8.5-inch Volk Racing Gram Lights wearing Yokohama Advan A032R tires and a 35mm offset.
Open the door and you'll find an interior that's been enhanced with the same attention to detail as every other area on the car. The front seats are carbon-fiber backed, fully reclineable buckets reportedly identical to the O.E. seats Sparco manufactures for the Ferrari Enzo. As far as we know, they're the only pair in the world not installed in a car wearing a prancing stallion badge. The back seats and door panels have been upholstered to match in expensive leather and Alcantara.
The A'PEXi engine management units have been installed in custom-molded and color- matched housings in the center console and dash. Safety equipment includes a masterfully crafted eight-point Design Craft roll cage that ties into the rear shock towers, as well as four-point competition Sparco harnesses strapped to the Enzo seats. Details include an array of A'PEXi system meters, a Ralliart gauge cluster, a Sparco Flash 5 wheel with quick-release hub, Sparco shift knob and Sparco carbon-fiber pedals.
Is this the ultimate street car? It could be. The car proved fast and durable in our EVO Orgy shootout back in June, plus it features impeccable fit and finish and enough eye candy to keep the show buffs gawking. This one will be hard to beat.
2003 MItsubishi Evolution VIIIEngineEngine Code: 4G63Type: Four cylinder, iron block and head, turbocharged and intercooledInternal Modifications: A'PEXi cams, Crower springs and retainers, A'PEXi 1mm head gasket, ARP head studsExternal Modifications: A'PEXi intake and induction box, A'PEXi exhaust manifold, A'PEXi RX6-series ball-bearing turbo, A'PEXi race-spec external wastegate and blow-off valve, A'PEXi 80mm downpipe, A'PEXi GT-spec exhaust, A'PEXi GT-spec radiator, oil cooler, Samco radiator hoses, Tomei throttle body, Magnus intake manifold, AEM cam gears, Earl's fittings and lines, X-Static race batteryEngine Management Modifications: A'PEXi Power FC, A'PEXi Super AVC-R, A'PEXi adjustable fuel pressure regulator, 700cc injectors, custom surge tank, Bosch fuel pump
DrivetrainLayout: Transverse front engine, all-wheel driveDrivetrain Modifications: Ralliart EVO V front differential, ATS triple-plate clutch, polyurethane shifter bushings
Suspension Front: A'PEXi N1 coil-overs, Progress anti-roll bar, Cusco titanium strut tower bar, Cusco under braceRear: A'PEXi N1 coil-overs, Progress anti-roll bar, Cusco trunk brace
BrakesFront: 14-in. Brembo rotors, eight-piston Brembo calipers, Goodridge lines, Performance Friction padsRear: 13-in. Brembo rotors, four-piston Brembo calipers, Goodridge lines, Performance Friction pads
ExteriorWheels: 17x8.5-in. Volk Racing Gram Light 57F, 35mm offsetTires: 255/40R-17 Yokohama Advan A032RBody: Gialla front bumper, A'PEXi carbon-fiber wing, All American Racing carbon-fiber hood and trunk lid, one-off carbon-fiber front splitter, custom carbon-fiber rear diffuser, Modern Image vinyl wrap
InteriorDesign Craft eight-point roll cage, Sparco carbon-fiber seats, custom leather and Alcantara upholstery, four-point harnesses, Sparco Flash 5 steering wheel, Sparco shift knob, Sparco carbon-fiber pedals, SL-C3 LED shift indicator, Pioneer head unit, A'PEXi system meters (water temp, oil temp, EGT, boost), Ralliart gauge cluster