Readers' Rides: Alex's RWD Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III

The Fast and Furious franchise has had a massive impact on car culture. As if that needed confirming, the vast majority of Readers' Rides submissions I receive state that the car was purchased after seeing Paul Walker and friends tearing up the big screen.

And this submission from Alex is no different. After seeing the 2 Fast 2 Furious Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, he knew he had to get one. As a kid he'd always had a special affinity to old Pontiac GTOs, but as he got older the Evo took its place. The more he got to know the company, the more attached to the idea of owning a Mitsu motor he became; "They build very reliable engines...different companies around the world use them in their vehicles."

As soon as he could afford it, Alex picked up a 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III, which had been imported from Japan in 2008. The quirkiness of it being right-hand drive appealed to him, as did the fact he was now the proud owner of an "out of the box rally car."

As soon as he drove it, Alex knew he'd picked the right car; "Mitsubishi made the first-gen Evos to be raw. My Evo gives me the pure 'man and machine' sensation where it is all about your own control; no electronic aids at all."

Despite immediately falling in love, Alex couldn't resist the urge to get his hands dirty, stripping it out to give it that race car look. Then the original steelies were ditched in favour of a set of Konig alloys picked up for $100. The quick cosmetic improvements continued, painting the bootlid and roof rack black to offset the silver bodywork.

After a couple of month's daily driving, the 22-year-old Evo began to show signs of its age, so it was taken out of commission for the serious work to begin. With the help of a fellow Evo owner, Alex set about converting his car to a rear-wheel drive setup.

"I came across a build on evo123.net about a widebody hill climb car. The thing that caught my eye was that he decided to go rear-wheel drive. He did this because he wanted something different, and going RWD on our Evos only entails removing the front axles and welding the centre diff, which in itself is an hour long job."

Not content with owning a unique Evo, Alex set about taking his car to the next level. In July 2012 he picked up a mint GSR Evo 1 shell, which appealed to him due to the fact it had been recently restored and featured some extra bits like electric windows and folding mirrors. "I started working on her day and night throughout the winter months, outside in -10celsius weather." Once the engine was back in place, the brakes, suspension, driveline and interior followed.

The deadline for completion was the H20 International event in Ocean City, Maryland. With just one week to go, everything was running smoothly; "Good idle, the right amount of fuel at WOT and a whole lot of tyre burning fun was in order!" With nearly 300bhp coarsing through the rear wheels, it was time to show what a donut monster this Evo had become.

A compulsive tinkerer, Alex is unsurprisingly hoping to continue his Evo's evolution. "I will be building a straight three-inch exhaust, installing some Momo 5Star 15x7 Wheels and a retune for the exhaust and antilag. During my schooling I plan to build my engine to a respectable, quick-spooling 500bhp running a hybrid 25g/16g turbo with a few other things as well."

Having spent $25,000 on a 22-year-old car, many non-petrolheads would think Alex is wasting his cash, but for him, it's been worth every penny. "Evo is my pride and joy, it’s that one thing on this planet that will always be there to put a smile on my face, and it does so every time I see it."

Here are a few of the parts Alex has fitted:

Engine: Intake/Exhaust/Valve Cover Gaskets Kevlar Gates Racing Timing Belt/Balance BeltTransmission:ACT 6Puck Sprung Disc ACT Lightweight Flywheel ACT Clutch Bearing ACT 2100 Pressure PlateExhaust/Turbo:OEM 16g Forced Performance Ported 8cm/32mm Exhaust Housing Custom three-inch O2 Housing with 55mm Screamer Pipe 1.2Bar(17psi) Actuator Forced Performance Exhaust Manifold Three-inch Downpipe 3.5-inch Cat Back 4.5-inch HKS HiPower MufflerIntake:9x4-inch K&N Filter 4-inch Forced Performance Cast Aluminum Intake 3x12x24-inch Intercooler 2.5-inch PipingBraking:Racing 4.1 Dot Fluid Cusco Master Cylinder Brace Carbotech XP10 Pads (Front), Ferredo DS2500 Pads (Rear) 294mm Slotted & Dimpled Rotors (Front), 276mm Two-Piece Drilled Rotors (Rear) OBP Hydraulic Handbrake Wilwood Dynalite Calipers 4 Pot Front/2 Pot RearSuspension/Steering:D2 Coilovers DD Racing Rear Control Arms Poly Super Pro Bushings Two-Point Door Bars Lower Four- Point H-brace

If you want your car featured on Readers' Rides, email darren.cassey@carthrottle.com with a pic and a few words explaining why you love it so much. If we like it, we'll feature it!