The legendary 4G63T 2-liter turbocharged engine powered Mitsubishi’s all-conquering AWD monster, the Lancer Evolution, for the better part of two decades. Both the iron-block engine and the chassis underwent incremental changes through the first nine generations of this flagship gravel spitter, but no radical alterations were made in large part because of the homologation requirements associated with keeping the EVO WRC legal. But then, after withdrawing from WRC competition, this evolutionary approach was dropped in favor of a complete redesign for the Evolution X, including a totally new powerplant—the aluminum-block 4B11T—and a more mature look and driving experience.
At first, the revolutionary redo for the Evolution X was a source of outrage among the EVO faithful, but it didn’t take long for enthusiasts and tuner shops to sink their teeth into the X and start to realize just what an amazing machine it really is. Ryan Gates was one of those early adopters, having owned an Evolution IX that he was taking to the track regularly and planned to build into a serious time attack machine. But then, when the new EVO came out last year, something about it captivated his imagination enough that he quickly sold his IX on a local EVO forum and bought the shiny new Octane Blue Pearl X you see here.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Ryan grew up racing motocross and karts. But at the ripe old age of 19, he suffered yet another motocross injury and decided it was time to find a motorsport that was easier on the body but would still fulfill his go-fast needs. That’s when he picked up an EVO IX, which was replaced just one year later with this X. According to Ryan, “Without knowing anyone in the industry, I planned to see how I would do racing at some of the larger events around the U.S. and hope for the best. I set out to compete in the Super Lap Battles, NASA TT Midwest series and the Redline time attack series.”
As it turns out, Ryan did know somebody in the industry, having bumped into Martin Musial from AMS Performance at a track event at Road America. In the EVO world, that’s the equivalent of bumping into Tiger Woods at the driving range. Having seen just how awesome AMS’s time attack EVO was, Ryan knew he wanted to work with them when it came time to build his X into the track car of his dreams. “My original plan for the car was mild—just a few bolt-ons and some coilovers. Needless to say, that kind of changed.”
Initially, Ryan did stay the course, having AMS install one of its intakes along with its larger front-mount intercooler and piping, a titanium exhaust system and a set of KW coilovers. Ryan also upgraded to a complete set of two-piece Girodisc rotors, AMS braided brake lines and custom front brake ducts to ensure consistent braking during the extreme conditions found on the racetrack. He ran the car like this at a few events and did quite well, but he found himself wanting more power. Back to AMS for some ECU tuning, where Chris Black worked his tuning magic and bumped horsepower by more than 100 ponies at the wheels for a total of 355 whp and 365 wtq. “Once I had the ECU tuned, the car remained that way for the rest of the ’08 season [from mid-May on] and I was winning all the Midwest NASA events and setting track records, scored some podiums at Redline events in Street class and qualified for the Super Lap Battle finals at the Road Atlanta event where I also set the Street class track record.”