Evo X Makes Impromptu Appearance at Local Evo Meet

It's just a matter of time before the highly anticipated Evo X starts trickling onto the streets. Click above for a photo gallery (shot unfortunately on a grainy camera phone) of an Evo X MR showing up at a local car meet.

$40k for as much electronics as the starship Enterprise is fine by me, but I'm wondering when the Evo X RS is showing up.

616rwhp from Dodge Viper SRT10 With Just 2 Mods

With all the current obsession over numbers as the empirical measurement of automotive performance, how's 616rwhp sound? With just two mods?

As show in the video above, the snake charmers (yes, worst pun ever) over at Hennessey (the viper tuners, not the booze distillery) managed to get 616rwhp out of a 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 with just a set of headers and catback exhaust. Some say this setup has been good for multiple 10 second passes at over 135mph!

12 piston Big Brake Kit on BMW 3 Series

My350z member Diesel350 posts some snaps of what appears to be a BMW 335 on the show car circuit sporting some massive chromed (or perhaps its polished) Rotora calipers. We're wondering how well these would hold up in a real world test - like racing a downhill braking specialist in a R34 GTR down the hills of Mount Akina... oh wait.. wrong cartoon.

Auto Forum Hall of Shame - E38 M7 Spied

Bimmerforums member Vinny Fins has taken pictures of the elusive E38 M7. Note the badging, huge chrome 20s, and faux fender vents.

Unbelievable - $48k for a Honda Civic?

MrMTB over at Evolutionm reports on spotting the new limited (apparently VERY limited) edition Mugen Civic SI at the local Honda dealership. In addition to the exclusive blue paint, Mugen suspension, wheels, badging, and seats, the car comes with a sticker price of $48,000 after dealer "market adjustment".

Sure, it looks and handles the part. Yes the local honda-boy battallion will worship the ground you walk on and inundate you with questions. But would you really want to drop almost fifty large on what is essentially an economy sedan with a slew of bolt-ons? For another $20k you could find yourself in a 2009 Nissan GTR.

2009 Nissan GTR Test Drive up on Edmunds

Josh Jacquot over at Edmunds Inside Line managed to get his paws on a privately owned JDM GTR. We're unaware that the fabled Nissan has even begun shipping, but we guess they hold journalists in high regard in Japan.

With launch control, the 3800lb beast hits 60mph from a dead stop in 3.3 seconds. The quarter mile is blizted in 11.6 seconds at 120mph.

For reference, the Porsche 911 matches the quarter mile but at 118mph. The Chevrolet Corvette z06 will do 12 flat at almost 122 mph. Bottom line - don't race one off the line. Based on those trap speeds, the GTR should just barely pull on a 911 from highway speeds - the Z06 should slowly walk away from both.

A 60-0 distance of 104ft and a slalom speed of 72.9mph round out the numbers.

10 Easy Tricks to Passing Smog

Check out this piece I wrote for Quazen (Triond network) on passing smog. If the deadline is getting close you might want to check this out.

Oftentimes people fail by a small margin - my tips will usually be enough to get your car to barely squeak by - but hey, passing is passing.

New R35 Nissan GTR Dynoed - It's Potent!

Nagtroc user Chuck H (thats National GTR Owners Club to you) has posted what may be the worlds first GTR dyno in private hands. Using a dynapack dynamometer, the new GTR put down 482hp and 428 ft/lbs at the hubs. (Figure maybe -5% for a measurement at the wheels - 460hp?).

For reference, C6 Z06 vettes have been known to put down 550hp to the WHEELS. This is consistent with the 10mph trap speed difference between the GTR and the Z06 (with the Z06 being faster).

Conventional wisdom dictates that the turbocharged vehicle will be more amenable to aftermarket upgrades - however this does not appear to be the case with the GTR. Rumor has it that an overly strict onboard computer will narc on you to the dealer when it detects "oddities". Furthermore, turbos that are integrated with the exhaust manifold make it difficult and not very cost effective to upgrade.

Evo X Pricing Details

Evolutionm user Steve@toplevelauto has posted some useful pricing details for the upcoming (and highly anticipated) Evo X.

1. The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will come to the U.S. in two trimlines: The GSR & the MR.
A. The GSR will only be available in a 5 speed manual gearbox.
B. The GSR will come in one of two ways: Base A00 package and a 'sight, sound & wing' A04 package.
a. The GSR will be available in 5 colors:
i. Wicked White
ii. Cool Silver
iii. Rally Red
iv. Graphite Gray
v. A GSR-only Octane Blue (which replaces Electric Blue and is not as metallic)

b. The A00 package GSR will come with halogen headlamps and the MSRP is priced at $35,000~
c. The A04 'SSW' package will add on HIDs, a 650 Rockford sound system and the rear wing spoiler. No detail on cost.
C. The MR will only be available in a TC-SST transmission.
D. The MR will come in one of two ways: Base A13 package and an 'luxury' A12 package.
a. The MR will be available in 5 colors:
i. Wicked White
ii. Cool Silver
iii. Rally Red
iv. Graphite Gray
v. An MR-only Phantom Black (which replaces Tarmac Black and has gold metallic flake in it)
b. The A13 package MR will come with HIDs, color coded trimmings and upgraded wheels, suspension and rear wing & starts at $40,000~
c. The A12 'luxury' package will include a 30GB HDD MMCS Navigation system, FAST key, bluetooth, cruise control, climate control, etc...

Modified Evo X Picture Thread

Oh, the possibilities. There's a great thread forming over at Evolutionm showcasing pictures of modded X's found in the wild.

What Won't They Put a 2JZ in? Nissan 350z with 2JZ Swap

With the used supra market ever appreciating, you will find enterprising individuals such as Martin XAT from the Fresh Alloy forums stuffing the JDM uber-mill into a wide variety of chassis that can shoulder such august output.

When swapping 2JZs, the same formula is often applied:

• leave the block alone
• go big, single turbo
• bolt on an exhaust you can fit large household pets inside

$8K for an Evo!?!

GVR4799 on Evolutionm.net has scored the deal of the decade by picking up this relatively unmolested (as far as we can tell) 2003 Evolution with 50k miles for the princely sum of $8250. Yeah it had a couple of minor things that needed attention, but dayaaaamn what a fine beater!

For reference, here are your options if you have a penchant for new cars and flip burgers for a living:

Chevrolet Aveo: $10,300
Ford Focus: $14,000
Honda Fit: $13,900

2nd Highest HP BMW E46 M3 Turbo

Remarkably executed, this Active Autowerke E46 M3 Turbo is currently putting down a mind numbing 709hp to the wheels on 109 octane.

Just about any backyard tuner can weld together a manifold, slap on a hairdryer and call it a day. It takes real engineering, however, to come up with a setup this clean - looking as if it rolled off the showroom floor this way.

Click on the picture for more details, dynocharts, and a video.

Bone Stock Z06 runs 10.9 .. on Stock Run Flat Tires!

Jamie Furman on corvetteforum.com is officially (more or less) the fastest stock C6 Z06 on the planet. With the help of a sticky track, he managed to rip off a 10.98@129mph at MIR. Looking at the trapspeed, those curiously strong ponies (all 505 of them) are looking mighty suspicious.

If this is consistently reproducible (and we surmise that it will be), good old American iron will be giving european and japanese imported supercars a run for the money as this is a good half a second to full second faster than any documented run from a 911 turbo and a full second faster than "predicted" ETs for the up and coming Nissan GTR.

After hearing rumours that Nissan is limited GTR production to 1500 units a year (which some may predict will drive the car to 100k+ after dealer markup), the Z06 is looking to be the better bang for the buck.

What does everyone think? (Leave a comment below)

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It's 1/4 mile day - BMW 335i Runs 12.399@116.8mph

E90 ecu wizard Shiv from Vishnu tuning takes a mildly modded 335i to the dragstrip and the results are impressive. With upgraded intake, exhaust, ecu, race gas, and drag radials the bavarian dragmeister was able to lay down a 12.399@116mph. Pretty impressive for just a few bolt ons. This is a testament to how much power is left on the table when an OEM turbocharges out of the box.

New Subaru STi: 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.3

The folks at Edmunds: Inside line have been interacting with the new STi in close quarters and the results are in: Subie still has it. All the new handling technowizardry aside (yes it still dances with the best of them), the new STi is fast. The 2.5L turbocharged boxer motor now features variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust side, churning out 305hp. 4.8 seconds and low 13s is pretty much on par with the previous STi, but slalom speeds nearly 4mph faster indicate Fuji Heavy Industries did not merely slap an extra 5hp on the car and call it a day.

Things aren't looking good for Mitsubishi, who's new Evo X runs a 14.0 1/4 mile at 99mph while getting schooled by it's predecessor, the Evo IX.

Sorry.. I've been.. Busy

More steamy fresh trouble, coming soon!