The cylinder head was the only part of the longblock that received any aftermarket love, getting a set of shiny new HKS 272 camshafts and pretty purple adjustable cam-timing gears. All this combines to help the 2-liter mill pump out a respectable 404-wheel hp and 343 lb-ft of torque on the rollers. Getting that 400-plus wheel hp to the ground is a stock drivetrain, minus the Exedy Twin-plate clutch and B&M short-shifter.
But this isn't Almaguer's first project car, and he says if he's learned one thing, it's that a project car is never finished. In that spirit, he has big plans for the potent Mitsubishi mill later on down the road, including a Buschur 2.3-liter stroker kit, Stage-3 head, and a Shepard's Racing's Stage-3 transmission upgrade. "That is if I can afford to keep the car a little bit longer and keep my wife from throwing me out on the street," he says. We can relate, brother.
While his comes from the factory with a suspension that's better than many high-dollar aftermarket setups, Almauger still wasn't satisfied. Determined to do everything right the first time and cut no corners, he chucked the stock dampers and springs, and in went a set of JIC FLTA2 coilovers, complimented with Cusco anti-roll bars, measuring 23mm up from, and 25mm out back. Additional suspension mods amount to the addition of Cusco front and rear strut-tower braces and Perrin adjustable end links. Almauger says he's tuning the suspension himself-something that's an ongoing process.
One of the few things that Almauger didn't replace outright was the Evo's braking system-a testament to the OEM pieces. Instead of calling on a set of aftermarket calipers and 500-piece rotors, his Mitsu still sports the stock calipers and stock-sized, cross-drilled rotors. Goodridge stainless brake lines and Motul Dot-5 brake fluid round out the brake mods.
Wheel selection can make or break a car. And when you've got as much riding on it as Mr. Almauger, you want to get it right. And he did. Straddling that fine line between function and bling are a set of bronze Volk Racing TE37's, measuring 19x8.5 at all four corners, wrapped in Nitto 555 tires, measuring 235/35/19. Not only does this wheel/donut combo look sweet, it's nice and sticky too. Speaking of donuts and combos, having the "full meal deal" means having the looks to match the power and handling. Almaguer went out of his way to make sure it was a balanced meal...and we're not talking about the four food groups.
A Kaminari body kit, carbon-fiber hood and VIS carbon-fiber trunk lid compliment the tasty Volks nicely, giving the Evo a slightly more sinister look. Not only do the carbon-fiber panels look bitchin' they actually make the car faster by removing extra weight. We're not sure what received a bigger weight reduction though, Almaguer's car or his wallet. Still, pretty sweet, huh?
And speaking of wicked panels, Almaguer's dash is one of the slickest examples of gauge/instrumentation integration we've seen in a while. Molded beautifully into the dash are a Blitz FATT turbo timer and a DEI 556T for passengers to marvel at while blasting down the road.
No show car is complete without a stereo loud enough to be heard from 20 city blocks away, which this car does with style. There are no hacked up and half-covered plywood boxes here. Bay Area Audio Visions in Corpus Christi, Texas, whipped up a delicious TV/Stereo system in the trunk. The killer setup was even featured in the May 2006 issue of Car Audio and Electronics magazine. Need we say more?
When you want to be the center of attention, you better have something special to set you apart. In Almaguer's case, he does... He's got the "Full Meal Deal."