In many parts of the U.S., a barrier exists. It’s an invisible line that separates two seemingly similar hobbies from one another, a gap rarely breached between trucking enthusiasts and automotive fanatics. Why is this? After all, the underlying ideas are pretty much the same: build a vehicle that you can have fun with, enjoy the process of creating your perfect machine and go beat on it when it’s done. Whether that happens on a street or off-road should be moot, but it isn’t.
On the bright side, we see some crossover, and there are always the people who end up converting from one side to the other and never looking back. Chad Sherwood of Escondido, California, is one of the latter. Having grown up with many friends in the truck scene, Chad began his motoring path the same way. “I used to be really into trucks,” Chad admits. “I had a lifted [Toyota] Tundra and I kind of did the whole high socks, black shorts thing. One of my buddies got a S2000 in high school, and I really liked the look of that, and of course, how quick it was.”
As the gears began to turn in Chad’s mind, he knew he needed to ditch the bro-mobile and find himself a suitable sporty car. After considering the many viable options in the world of fun sport compacts, he decided on the AWD turbo route. “I ended up picking up a EVO VIII in about 2006, and I started modifying that as my first tuner car,” Chad says. “I put a bodykit on and did a lot of heavy suspension work. I got cams and all of that and kind of went all out with that car. I got pulled over all the time by the CHP, which sucked, but I enjoyed the car a lot still.” Sick and tired of Johnny Law always breathing down his neck, Chad made a change in 2008. He traded in the VIII for a X, and this time he has kept the car much more discreet.
Perhaps “discreet” isn’t the word I’m looking for, because a black-on-black EVO isn’t exactly your grandma’s grocery-getter. However, we can imagine it must attract much less attention than a kitted and cammed EVO VIII, and on the streets of California, the less attention you get from the Heat, the better. A sleek exterior package has made Chad’s EVO stand out from the crowd, in the form of a ChargeSpeed front bumper, Do-Luck trunk, Aero side skirts, custom mirrors and tinted taillights. The rear diffuser is another nice touch, something subtle and not immediately noticeable by passersby. On the inside, Chad’s EVO is clean and understated as well. A Sparco steering wheel and NRG quick release are the main pieces of attention, and because he has been a store manager at a well-known electronics store for the last few years, his stereo department is nicely upgraded as well.
On the performance side, Chad has kept his build very modest. “I also own a Lotus, so the EVO is my more practical car,” Chad says. That makes sense to us, but he has still done some good things to help keep his EVO up to par. Rolling on a lovely set of black Advan RS wheels (poked out by custom 20mm spacers), the car looks really mean. A set of Megan Racing coilovers keep the car low and tight, while a simple 3-inch RPM after-cat exhaust system is the only performance upgrade (for now). As we all know, it’s hard to resist the urge to tinker, and Chad is no different when it comes to his EVO’s output.
Chad tells us that he plans to upgrade the motor department next and hopes to make some serious power figures. We can’t blame him, but we hope he manages to keep the car sleek and understated throughout the process. Good luck, Chad — keep us posted!