Commuter or competitor? Can any car truly be both? Few purchase commuter cars with the intent to tune for track performance. Often the urge to take the car to the next level and beyond occurs after making the purchase. Streetability is compromised. For former Miami PD officer Terry Awad, he had a basic plan in place when he purchased this 2006 EVO IX RS. Having owned several Mitsubishi EVOs in the past,

Terry was no stranger to the CT9A and its nuances. The plan for this project was for this EVO to be a daily driver, occasional weekend warrior and a demo vehicle for Terry's shop. After Terry established a relationship with Fortune Auto Performance Coilovers, the EVO quickly evolved into a street-class contender in the Redline Time Attack series.

Terry's affinity to circuit driving led to his work with Fortune Auto. Helping the engineers with valuable feedback eventually led to a strong business relationship and a need for a demonstration platform for customers. To start, the stock EVO was fitted with Fortune Auto's 500 series entry-level coilovers. Terry collected track times to showcase the abilities of the suspension. While racing in the Redline Time Attack series, he noticed that the street class contenders were not beyond reach compared to his EVO. This prompted him to make a few upgrades to the EVO to be more competitive in the class.

Street Fighter

The engine went to Atlantic Motorsports, where the Mitsubishi 4G63 mill was fortified with new pistons and rods. The cylinder head was treated to a complete service, including upgrades to the valvetrain and camshafts. To contain the cylinder pressures of higher boost levels, ARP head studs were used to secure the head to the block while a Cometic head gasket provides the seal. For added boost pressure and a jump in horsepower, a Fortune Auto Omega manifold positions a Forced Performance FP Black turbocharger in place of the factory unit. The turbo relies on a custom AMS induction for filtration on the compressor side while a Buschur Racing turbo-back exhaust mounts to the turbine outlet. With larger Denso injectors supplying the fuel, an improved fuel delivery system ensures that the hungry injectors are well supplied. Atlantic Motorsports reflashed the factory ECU to accommodate the larger injectors and the new elevated boost pressure levels of 32 psi.

The final numbers on the DYNOmite AWD?dynamometer showed 509.9 horsepower and 506.3 lb-ft of torque. Compared to the baseline pull of 245 horsepower on this same dyno, the EVO IX generates 108% percent more power over stock.

Turning Rubber

Effectively applying the increased power to the asphalt warranted reinforcement of the driveline and suspension. An ACT Extreme clutch transfers power from the crankshaft to the transmission, while an AMS-modified rear differential splits the power between the Enkei NT03 wheels. To suspend the chassis, the Series 500 coilovers were upgraded with a set of Swift springs while a full complement of Whiteline urethane bushings and sway bars, GT SPEC bars and braces, and a CUSCO front member brace stiffen the chassis and sharpen the handling of the EVO.