Much Like The Celtics And The Lakers, the chicken and the egg, or the much-maligned battle between good and evil, the race to win Best of Class in the all-wheel-drive market between the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi Evolution is as scalding as a turbo heat shield insulator. It makes Hagler-Hearns look as anemic as a game of Guitar Hero, with both cars one-upping each other-year after year-in power, aesthetics, and drivability. It's a war with a yet-to-be-determined winner, often coming down to personal taste, and at times, the flip of a coin with the deadpanned sedateness of Anton Chigurh.
Thankfully, personal taste is the one characteristic that tuners absolutely do not lack-albeit sometimes they should-and with that, it temporarily solves the issue of which all-wheel-drive car is actually better. In this case, it's the Mitsubishi Evolution because Third Jarlego of Ewa, Hawaii, says so and is willing to race you for it. His full-dress '06 Evolution IX MR is a testament to the malleability of Mitsubishi's flagship car. Its willingness to be crafted in any way possible is also evidenced by its countless worshipers at car shows nationwide. Third (his actual name) has been in love with the EVO since it first came into production in 1992.
"I wanted an EVO ever since I was 16 years old living in the Philippines," explained Third, "I bought my first EVO in 2003. I eventually sold it and bought this MR Limited Edition. I also have two more at home-another '06 EVO IX GSR and an '05 EVO VIII." Third, who currently resides in Hawaii, makes his living in the print business, which is apparently good enough to own three EVOs, one being sweet enough to feature a deep list of rare JDM parts.
Diving into why the Lancer Evolution IX MR is so special: It's the last version featuring the CT9A platform, which is pretty much the EVO we've all grown to love, recently replaced by the EVO X, which comes with dramatic changes in body and style. The IX MR model was the top-end for the Lancer family in terms of performance, with a six-speed manual tranny, Bilstein shocks, a rooftop vortex generator, BBS forged wheels, foglights, HID xenon headlights, a zero-lift kit, an accessory gauge package, and an aluminum roof. If it were a basketball player, it would be LeBron James on HGH.
That's why Third decided to make this IX MR the car he'd devote all his time to. With only a year of modification time, he managed to make his MR even more major than it already was; the only way to do that successfully harkens to the gods of JDM, otherwise known as the parts we all wish we could afford.
The first considerable change came from Voltex, a name that tuners should be familiar with if they happen to be avid readers of Japanese tuner mags and big fans of body kits. The Voltex Suzuka Racing kit for the EVO IX features an impressive front bumper with single canards and aerodynamically functional side skirts. Third coupled the body kit with a C-West GT dry carbon hood and a Voltex rear under tray. He topped off the Japanese flavor with a JDM OEM rear bumper and rear wing. All of which is stitched together by the awesome Graphite Gray paint by Tech-One Customs.
He followed up with a set of 18-inch Volk TE-37 wheels with a Mag-Blue finish. The wheels are 9.5 inches wide on all four corners and blanketed by gooey Toyo T1-R tires. Though he doesn't track the EVO, it should be ready for any sharp turn that it encounters, especially with a well-done suspension system that combines the innovation of HKS and the experience of Cusco. Working the damper department is a set of HKS Hipermax II coilovers, lowering the EVO a full 11/2 inches. Cusco works the antiroll division with 25mm front and rear stabilizer bars and rear strut brace. To make sure his EVO doesn't flex under stress, Third also added Cusco arm bars, power braces, and a rear trunk brace. The EVO's ride is so stiff, it makes John McCain's arms look like a gymnasts.