Onto the next…

I’ve been a part of the local car scene for a little over 8 years, and in that time frame I moved around the different groups of enthusiasts. I was first thrown into the muscle car group, moved over into the truck group, then finally landed in the import scene around 2005. One thing that I value the most over being a part of this scene is not getting great deals on parts, going out to car shows and events, or even building my car for my own pleasure- although that is most important to me personally, No, the thing I value the most are the friendships I’ve been able to make over the years. It gives me great pleasure to be able to write about one of the guys I was able to meet early on in the local import scene.

Years ago I would attend the local cruise nights with a camcorder in hand, yep those things that use actual tapes- no SD cards or virtual memory hah. This one particular night I caught video of a 3rd gen Mitsubishi Eclipse doing donuts in a parking lot- thinking this was the coolest thing in the world I caught it on camera and talked to the owner for a bit afterwards. Fast forward a good 6 years and Chris has matured in his way of the auto tuning world. One of the builds he had started on was a 2003 Ford SVT Focus (pictured above in its early stage). From a complete exterior change with European styling, custom one off suspension components, and a turbo motor build that would have done the SVT badge proud- unfortunately some big projects end up going unfinished…in this case to make way for a completely different build.

Chris ended up getting his Evo late November and quickly began making changes to the car and since then has still been playing “catch-up” now that he is in unfamiliar territory. Being so involved with his SVT build, he could assist anyone with anything that was related to a focus- now stepping into modding a completely different vehicle takes some getting used to, and a good amount of research. The new project already came with a few go-fast goodies including a Megan Turbo Manifold and a few exhaust components. Shortly after solving a boost leak issue and getting the car to be strong and reliable again Chris and a couple of his friends took a trip to get tuned at JMS in San Antonio. After a few pulls and having them correct a few things the Evo came back to the valley making a little over 300HP to the wheels and was running at its full potential. Couple of weeks after the visit at JMS we visited the local drag strip- for his first time running an awd vehicle at full trim the car was able to pull a 13.00 @ 110mph, and I’m sure with more seat time the numbers will definitely drop. Although he is still planning out more engine mods and searching around for a perfect set of rims and tires to set things off- and we all know a properly executed build takes time and patience.

With a fresh start and a great starting point, I’m looking forward to seeing what changes are made over the next couple of months. There has already been some talk about custom headlights done by Sam over at ZLEDS, and although I don’t personally wanna let the cat out of the bag- this might be the first Evo of its kind to have a set of headlights like this, and that’s just one of the first custom one off mods this Evo will be fitted with. Over the years Ive known Chris I’ve seen him change his ways of modifying a vehicle, but in that time one thing remains the same- he has a knack for sourcing down some of the rarest known parts for the vehicle he is working on. Trends come and go, the scene might change or slowly seem to fizzle out, some projects get finished and some don’t even get to see the road…but in the end we’re left with the people we’ve come to befriend as fellow automotive enthusiasts. And that is probably the best thing I can take from all these past years, hell he’s even one of the first people that pushed me to take my automotive photography seriously and kept pushing me, and for that I wouldn’t be able to thank him enough.

Chris Luna’s 2005 Mitsubishi Evolution MR

300hp/298tq @25psi (Dyno Proven)

Performance :
Tuned by JMS
Stock Evo 8 Turbo
Megan Manifold
MAP Test Pipe
Apexi Downpipe
Apexi Catback
Tuned to 25psi
ARP HEADSTUDS (not installed yet)
E-85 Fuel Conversion ((not installed yet)
HKS 264 Cams (not installed yet)

Cosmetics :
Bodywork by Leo Vasquez of McAllen Tx
Nose Chopped Front Bumper
Wing Refinished (not pictured)
ZLEDs Custom Tail Lights (not pictured)

Interior :
ZLEDs Full LED Interior Retrofit

Rollers :
18×9″ Sparco Racing wheels Plasti-dipped

Stiff Stuff :
BC Racing BR Type Coilovers

Sounds :
OEM

Special Thanks :
JMS, Leo Vasquez for the body work, Joey Diaz for inspiration

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Photos & Story courtesy of : (Bobby Villarreal)