Mitsubishi may be on the brink of irrelevance in the United States, but years ago it built some of the most desirable performance cars Japan had to offer. Now one guy has taken an Evo IX wagon with JDM specs and turned it into one of the most elaborate builds we’ve ever seen on the platform.
We’re missing a lot of cool JDM stuff here in the US and the Lancer Evo IX Wagon was just one of those cars. Somehow Jeff Steelflex has a 2005 model and he has taken what was already a desirable car and turned it into a 917 horsepower (683 kW) monster that blurs the line between practical and ridiculous.
Under the hood is a 2.2-litre Manley four-cylinder turbocharged engine, mated to a five-speed sequential transmission. It sends power to all four wheels and that’s a good thing because since we can hear it pulling up and rolling through its gears in the video below, it clearly needs all the traction it can get.
The attention to detail throughout the build is evident as Jeff walks us through details like the Whiteline lower suspension, custom tubular subframe and DSS carbon fiber driveshaft. The turbocharger itself is completely custom made, as are all the titanium pipes that go from the intake through the intercooler system.
The interior is simple but modernized. Many original parts such as the steering wheel and dashboard are still in stock. At the same time, a fully digital meter cluster and enhanced stereo with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay make every ride more enjoyable. A keyboard in the center console controls functions such as seat heating, air conditioning, cruise control and more. Recaro Sportster seats with Carobtics carbon fiber backs complete the look in style and comfort.
The entire build took Steelflex about three years after he bought the car in 2019. At the time, it was fully stock, so what you see and hear here requires a full strip and rebuild to create and then manage the flow with no outages.