Thanks to the JGTC GT300-class Cusco Subaru Advan Impreza, most people think of Subies when they see the distinctive black paint with fiery Cusco side decals. But the guys at Bozz Performance of Union City, Calif., knew they needed to have something different up their sleeves. To Kenric Wong, president of Bozz Performance, it's not that Subaru sucks and boxer engines with pink badges should burn, it's just that something a little different can go a long way.
When it came time to build a new showcase vehicle, Wong decided to assemble a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII for superlap competition, known as time attack in America. As one of only two authorized Cusco distributors in the United States, Bozz Performance knew it made perfect sense to showcase Cusco's product line on its EVO VIII. Thus the Mitsubishi, arch nemesis of Subarus worldwide, received its own day spa treatment to the Cusco graphic scheme.
There's no denying the Subaru WRX STi and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII are superfast and superbad. These two voracious car killers offer thrills and speeds that sometimes aren't legal on city streets. But once tires touch track tarmac, all bets are off between the rally twins. Faster than any car with five seats and a trunk should be, these two really only compete against each other.
But is the EVO VIII the king so far? With tuning by Bozz Performance and steering duties handled by ever-present time attack pilot Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada, this Lancer blasted off the fastest non-JGTC lap time at the GT Live weekend event. To put this into perspective, the Bozz EVO was slower than the million-dollar baby GT300 M-Tec NSX by only a little more than three seconds, faster than Signal Auto's color-changing R34 Skyline GT-R, faster than Sparco's EVO VIII and faster than XS Engineering's R34 Skyline GT-R. Outrageously fast, and this Lancer is still a street car using many off-the-shelf parts.
The keys to bargain-basement low lap times are suspension, all-wheel drive and engine tuning. Mitsubishi's 4G63 turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been a serious player for years and it has been developed to incredible levels. Bozz Performance made use of HKS' GT3037S turbine kit, which fits a HKS GT ball-bearing center cartridge turbocharger, downpipe and tubular exhaust manifold in place of the stock pieces. Blasting out of the HKS downpipe, exhaust gases exit into a lightweight Trial titanium exhaust system with no catalytic converters hampering flow. On the cold side, air enters through an AEM V2 intake pipe fit with an HKS Super Mega Flow intake filter and fills an HKS GT front-mount intercooler-post-compression of course.
The popular HKS camshafts are buried behind a Bozz Speed valve cover, specified to be 272 degrees at 10.8mm lift on the intake side, and 272 degrees at 10.2mm lift on the exhaust side. The only backup engine modifications are an HKS fuel pump and iridium spark plugs, Sun Auto Hyper voltage system and Sard 700cc injectors. No surge tank fueling system, no dry sump oiling. Bozz Performance just kept it simple. Tuned with AEM cam gears and a HKS F-Con V-Pro, this time attacker puts down 475 wheel hp on a Dyno Dynamics four-wheel unit running 2.2bar on C16 fuel. On the streets of Union City, though, you can find the Bozz Performance employees making very quick runs down to the movie theater pushing 1.4bar on plain-old California 91 octane.