2008 Evolution X GSR - Japan's Fastest EVO

An astounding run at Tsukuba Circuit has given Varis' EVO X the title of quickest Evolution X in Japan.

Anyone who has an ounce of interest in the JDM world will know how important Tsukuba Circuit is to the Japanese. The little track nestled in the deep Ibarkai-ken countryside has become the Mecca of time attack over the years, the place where reputations are made or broken. Performance-oriented tuning in Japan is big business, and there's no better way to show off your products and your capabilities than to build a successful sub-minute time attack machine.

Tsukuba offers a true challenge to every type of car, be it naturally aspirated, turbocharged, 2WD or 4WD. Balance is key, a juggling act between top-end power for the long back straight and combining a responsive engine with a chassis that has plenty of grip through the technical corners. Amateurs eagerly follow the various Rev Speed and Option events, so for tuning shops and companies alike, it's the best form of advertising-a tough one at that-as there are no excuses and empty claims, everything is judged on the time the car records around the 1.3-mile circuit.

So when respected aero kit maker Varis decided to build a dedicated time attack EVO X, the company knew it had to do things right, which is precisely why it teamed up with Lancer-specialist Garage G-Force and the suspension masters at Sunbeam. Last time top Japanese names like these combined forces, the Tomei/Cusco/Voltex Impreza was born, and we all know how successful that car has performed.

Breaking the one-minute barrier at Tsukuba is a big deal for any modified car, but when you're shooting for a 55-second lap, you know you're playing with the big boys. The CZ4A has come a long way in the last three years since its launch, the 4B11 has proved to be more than capable of handling serious amounts of power, and the Varis EVO X is currently the fastest new-gen EVO in Japan. The 57.963-second lap is the time it set back in December at the Super Lap Battle, with Nobuteru Taniguchi behind the wheel. What makes this time special, however, is that unlike a lot of other cars that participate in the Open Class, the Varis EVO is still road registered and driven to and from events under its own power.

This was done intentionally in order to allow owners to relate to the modifications that have been carried out-after all, what's the point of fitting something so extreme you can't sell it to your own customers. Every part G-Force has installed is out of its catalog, starting with a strengthened bottom end, which includes a billet crank, lightweight connecting rods and oversized Tomei forged pistons. These components raise the displacement to 2,234cc (87x94mm bore and stroke). Lots of time went into polishing and porting the head to guarantee optimal flow, which matches the increased duration and lift of the G-Force camshafts quite well.

Supplying the forced induction is the HKS GT3240 turbo, mounted to an HKS manifold and kept in check by the GT type II external wastegate. Gases are dumped through the front pipe into a 90mm titanium exhaust, both made by G-Force. The intercooler and piping are by HKS, while the intake side of things is taken care by a Colt Speed carbon-fiber airbox, which is designed to scoop air from the grille area creating a ram-air effect.

G-Force gave a lot of attention to the fuel supply, kicking things off in the tank with a pair of 255-lph fuel pumps. From the G-Force collector tank fuel travels under the car via braided lines and into the Sard fuel delivery rail. Massive Sard 1,000-cc/min injectors are governed by a G-Force engine management unit. Inside the stock manual transmission is a twin plate Exedy clutch while Ralliart mechanical front and rear LSDs were fitted to cope with the massive 570 hp and 477 ft-lbs of torque.

By Dino Dalle Carbonare

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