Code Name : Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag

I was going to come up with some modernized version of “Twas The Night Before Christmas” with some kind underlining car theme, maybe be a bit cheesy and drop in a few Christmas Carol lines here and there throughout the article, but I’m basically a Scrooge/Grinch combo- although I don’t ruin the holiday for others, so there will be no more mentioning of any Christmas related things from here on out, Bah Humbug!
Except the title of the feature because who doesn’t like the movie “Elf”?!

I’ve been keeping up with Fabiene’s build for a while now, when there aren’t that many high horsepower imports in your area you tend to pay attention to them. I clearly remember wanting this Evo to be one of the first features when Ricky and I finalized the idea to get a blog going, and I’m glad we held off a few years and let things fall into place. Even in its old setup years ago the car was putting down 700+ horsepower, and power wasn’t the only thing this Evo 8 GSR had going for it. Its gone through different wheel combinations and slowly gotten to its aggressive appearance it has today with the help of some cosmetic cues from HKS, Rexspeed, and several JDM style replacement parts.

Don’t be mistaken, this car isn’t another “hard parker” by any means – with all that motor work what would be the point if it doesn’t do what it was built for. While it was on its stock motor setup paired with a 7460R Turbo making 460awhp the car made it down the track at 11.7 @ 121mph. For some that would be enough, I mean come on that’s a fairly reasonable time for any street car that is out on the road- but the need for more power set in, and the journey began. Like most Evo owners here in the states know, us Texas folk have one of the most reputable shops right here in our own backyard, JMS Racing and Evo’s go hand in hand – so it only made sense that Fabiene got in contact with the guys over there in San Antonio and started getting things well underway.

Looking over the mod list can be a bit overwhelming, but know that this build – like most- did not happen over night, or over a week, or a month. There is a game of trial and error, there are lessons learned, but there is still fun to be had during the whole process and that is one thing I feel Fabiene never lost sight of. Finishing a car should never become a burden, you should want to build a car up to your standards or however you see fit with no short time frame in mind – because lets face it, often times that is far from the case. While there are some people that can meet insane deadlines to unveil a build at a car show or gathering sometimes only weeks out, and I commend those out there that have done this, more times then not these deadlines can lead to unwanted stress and possibly hating the vehicle during the entire build. Getting this car to where it’s at today has taken some time, gone through meticulous planning, still had a few speed bumps here and there, but the end result will always be worth it. Currently the car is awaiting another tune by the guys over at JMS since a few changes have been made, but the previous best down the 1/4 was a 10.8 @ 132 with its FB Black Turbo setup attached to the MAP performance built block together putting down 607awhp. I can’t wait to see what this coming year has in store for this amazing ride, maybe…just maybe we’ll tag along to the drag strip after the new tune and put up some videos of him making some passes on his new setup.

Ricky and I would like to wish all our readers, owners of this years features, people we’ve met along the way, and the lurkers, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It’s been a fun year for us, even though things started up a bit late this past year (I believe my first feature with my new camera wasn’t til March) we’ve had a decent amount of features and events to shoot. Thank you for allowing us to do this another year and bringing you features from some of our very own here in the RGV. We have one last article coming up to wrap up this year so stay tuned.

Fabiene Castillon’s 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 GSR

(713hp/516tq Dyno Proven on old 6266 Turbo Setup)

Performance :
Displacement: 2.0 Liters
Stroke: 88mm
Compression Ratio: 9:5:1
PTE 6466 Dual Ball Bearing .82 AR V-band Turbo
STM Standard Placement Turbo Kit
Tial 50mm BOV
Tial 44mm MVR Wastegate
AMS 4 Inch Front Mount Intercooler
STM Lower Intercooler Pipe
STM Upper Intercooler Pipe
Crankshaft: Manley
AMS Spec Pistons (Rated at 1000 +HP)
Manley Turbo Tuff I-Beam Rods
ARP Main Stud Kit
AMS Race Balance Shaft Eliminator Kit
High Performance Rod & Main Bearings
Oil Pump & Sprocket
Crank Sprocket & Trigger Plate
Oil Filter Housing
Rear Main Seal and Housing
Water Pump
O-ringed Block Deck
AMS CNC Cylinder Head
Lifters & Rocker Arms
Cosworth M2 Intake/Exhaust Cams
Supertech Valve Seals And Guides
Supertech Dual Titanium Valve Springs and Retainers
Metal Head Gasket
AMS/TMS Head Studs
Gates Timing Belt
AMS VSR Intake Manifold
Boomba Racing 75mm Throttle Body
JMS Custom Walbro 255lph and Walbro 400lph Fuel Pumps
FIC 21050cc Injectors
AEM Fuel Regulator Kit
Boomba Racing Fuel Rail
Grimmspeed ECU Controlled 3 Port Solenoid Boost Controller
Speed Density
JMF Coolant Reservoir Tank
Weapon R Power Steering Tank
JMS Catch Can
Sparktech Non CDI Coils
ETS Upper Radiator Hose
AVID Racing Motor Mounts
STM Speed Density 4 Inch Intake
STM Aluminum Test Pipe
GReddy Full Titanium Exhaust
Torque Solutions Exhaust Mounts
Stock ECU with TEPHRA V7 Map Wwitching
Proefi 5 Bar Map Sensor
STM Oil Cooler Kit
TRANSMISSION
Sheptrans Ultimate Ratio Built 5 Speed Transmission with REM and ISF
JMS Refreshed Transfer Case
HKS 4.11 Final Drive
Torque Solutions Under the Hood Shifter Bushings
Torque Solutions Shifter Bushing Kit
STM Braided Clutch Lines
Torque Solutions Short Shifter Kit
Exedy Triple Carbon Disc Clutch
ACT Monoloc
STM Clutch Fork Stop

Cosmetics :
DO Luck Replica Front Lip
HKS Replica Side Extensions
HKS Carbon Fiber Side Spats
HKS Carbon Fiber Rear Sxtensions
Rexspeed Carbon Fiber Front Air Ducts
Rexspeed Carbon Fiber Mirror Covers
Voltex Carbon Fiber Exhaust Heat Shield
EVO vortex Generator
JDM Rear Bumper
EVO 7 Replica Tail Lights
MOrimoto HID Kit
JDM Yellow Fogs
JDM Amber Turn Signals
VMS Alminum Shorty Antenna
Carbon Fiber Mitsubishi Emblems
EURO Style Evolution Emblem
APR Carbon Fiber Radiator Shroud
Rexspeed Carbon Fiber Fuse Box Cover
Omega 360 Motorsports Custom Rear Crashbeam
MAP Cam Sensor Heatshield
Greddy Radiator Cap
HKS Oil Cap
Mynes Hood Damper
STM Radiator Brackets
evo 9 Spark Plug Cover

Interior :
REXspeed 52mm Dash Triple Gauge Pod
RExspeed 52mm Single Steering Wheel Gauge Pod
Autometer Single A Pillar Gauge Pod
AEM 50 PSI Boost Gauge
AEM Oil Pressure Gauge
AEM AFR Gauge
DEFI Oil Temp Gauge
Prosport Volt Gauge
Apexi Turbo Timer
EVo MR Carbon Fiber Hand Brake
RAlliart 5 Speed Shift Knob
SPARCO Racing Pedals

Rollers :
Rota Grids 18×9.5 +22 and 3mm Spacers in Front
Falken 245/40/18 tires
RAYS Red Lug Nuts, Valve Stem and Caps

Stiff Stuff :
HKS Hypermax Pro Coilovers
TCC Powder Coated Brembo Calipers
DBA Slotted/Drilled Rotors
ARC Rear Strut Bar

Sounds :
Kenwood Double Din
Kenwood Amp
Kenwood Sub

Special Thanks :
JMS RACING for the build, tuning, and all the great advice along the way. Tirado Custom Coatings for all the powder coated work they did, and to my wife…. for not filing for a divorce!

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Photos and Story courtesy of : Bobby Villarreal