I just saw Project SRT-4 on the 57 freeway and once I noticed what it was, I became as excited as a teenage girl at a Justin Timberlake concert. I didn't know whether to look around for my ever-present copy of SCC or wave like a madman.
This all happened in a couple of seconds. By the time I came up with a plan of action, the driver was next to me and had an: 'Oh great, another ricer' look. I had a huge grin on my face as he went by.
Thanks for turning my day around from a bad one to a great one. Seeing one of the cars from my favorite magazine was awesome. Oh, and I love the paint job on Project Impreza V.08 as well.
Oliver Martinez
Anaheim, CA
After intermittent stumbling issues and a broken exhaust were fixed, Senior Editor Hope jumped into the orange brawler and was exposed to its boost-hungry, angry, psssh-ing nature. Giving in fully to the unconfirmed internet reputation of the SRT-4 owner, Hope has recently become prone to wild bursts of lane changing and acceleration. Rumors are now spreading about the SRT-4 that Hope is building at home to P3wN you. -JL
Evo lite
How does Mitsubishi expect the Lancer Ralliart not to hurt Evo sales? Isn't the only difference between the two the lack of S-AWC and a simple chip?
Michael Tung
via e-mail
Pick up a copy of our July 2008 issue for the whole scoop on the new Lancer Ralliart. The turbo, all-wheel drive junior Evo will go head-to-head more with the WRX than with the Evo. It's true that they look similar and share the same basic engine, but the Lancer Ralliart comes without the Evo's twin-scroll turbocharger and upgraded camshafts. It also has a less sophisticated all-wheel drive system, no Brembo brakes, heavier wheels and no forged aluminum suspension arms. Ultimately, it comes down to how much tweaking you want to do and whether you want to retain the factory warranty. The Evo packs enough goodies for the owner who just wants to get in and drive fast. The Ralliart is more up our alley-for the guy who likes to see his car on a set of jackstands, ready to test-fit which Evo parts will work and check out how much are they second-hand. -JL
SCC Needs Your Votes
I want to extend congratulations to whoever in the SCC management decided to participate in the Castrol Top Shop Challenge, as well as the way in which the story is being covered. This type of article is exactly what is needed to draw my attention once again to the mailbox each month, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next issue. One can only read so many features extolling the merits (or beating on the shortcomings) of the apparently never-ending stream of modified cars that have occupied this magazine's pages of late. My only disappointment with the piece on the VQ35 build was that it was not longer and didn't go deeper into the technical concerns regarding the parts that rod ratio and piston side load play in the operation of a high-revving engine.
Not only has SCC done its homework, so have Castrol and Cosworth's advertising people. They got me click onto both their websites to look for more information regarding the Top Shop Challenge-the SCC entry in particular. Thanks for getting me excited about the magazine again.
Daniel Hrnciar
via e-mail
After deciding to go twin-turbo with Project Z, we'd been looking to build a solid, naturally aspirated street VQ35 with Cosworth for some time. The Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge provided just the venue for us to delve into the engine build and see how it stacked up against factory turbo engines built by some other shops. There are more articles to come as we begin to machine the block and go further with the engine. We could use your votes: log on to www.SyntecTopShop.com and place your vote for SCC and Cosworth. The winning engine will only be given away to someone who voted for the winning mag, so register your chance to take home our built VQ35DE. -JL