Ever since I was a youngster, the Mitsubishi Evo has been a dear favourite of mine – particularly the 8 and 9 which were both built on the “CT9A” platform. The Evo 7 was also built on the platform, but we don’t talk about that one. Anyway, my fondness for the car has never faded and I still get a kick out of seeing a tastefully modified one on the street or under the lights at Black Label – which is where I found this spectacular red Evo with matching underglow lighting. It’s all my tuning dreams wrapped up into one perfect package. Not only does it please my inner child, it also satisfies my outer adult like few cars can. Today, you will learn why this CT9A ranks amongst the best machines I’ve ever come across.
As we know, first impressions matter and when it comes to cars, we tend to make impressions based on colour. To be honest, a red car is going to grab me quicker than say a blue car, but in no way does it mean that I hate blue cars. However, if the modifications look shoddy and ruin the overall look of the machine, I will turn away and move on. Not this time though. There’s nothing here that I wouldn’t do to a CT9A if I had the means to do so. The front splitter isn’t ridiculous, the carbon fibre pieces aren’t overbearing and the wing is the right height relative to the roof. This is a serious car that won’t ever be seen as a joke…unlike some of the other wannabes who only add things to their car for show.
The thing I really like about modding culture these days is the focus on overall performance instead of aesthetics. Knowing that these pieces were attached with the driving experience in mind makes me happy because for a while there, people didn’t care. Nowadays, there is a very strong desire to build a car which is both pleasing to look at and pleasing to drive. With many performance cars being relegated to the history books, enthusiasts are more appreciative of the older cars and therefore do more to keep them going. This mindset is put on full display here.
As I’ve said before, the right wheel fitment and stance is such a critical component when modifying a car. If you get it wrong, people immediately notice in the same way they’d notice a bad piece of graphic deisgn. Get it right and everything falls into place. Like the H4UNT Supra I featured a little while ago, the car sits at a perfect height with the perfect tyre profile. The wheels contained within those tyres are a 9-spoke design which I think is made by WedsSport, so you know they’re solid.
Whilst the CT9A chassis failed as a rally car, it’s production counterpart enjoyed much success and has cemented itself as one of the big dogs in the tuner scene. It’s superb versatility gives it a distinct leg up on it’s competition and many people have exploited the package to great effect. In many ways it shows us that when the right minds come together, you can create a legend. For me, this car is an incredible piece of JDM engineering and it won’t ever rub off on me.
DevMacCars 