Hellishly good looking in it’s cloak of carbon-fibre, this evil looking Time Attack tuned Mitsubishi Evo 8 packs one hell of a punch…
In recent years, Time Attack has become something of a testing ground for modifiers keen to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of their race-ready rides. Moreover, it’s fair to say that major aftermarket tuning part manufacturers and automotive engineering outfits have used the increasingly popular motorsport series as a playground to experiment with engine, chassis and aero configurations as they try to determine what makes for a blisteringly quick car.
Enter Andreas Papageorgiou (known as ‘Andy P’ to his mates). “I’ve been involved in various well-known circuit racing events over the years, and I even spent time competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup and Britcar championships before making the move to Time Attack,” he tells us. Not exactly a stranger to the world of fast cars, then?
Andy’s first experience of timed lap racing came in 2013 when he shipped his much-loved Evo VI to Australia in order to participate in the World Time Attack Challenge. Despite more than its fair share of mechanical failures, the lairy Lancer performed well during the trip, securing its owner fourth-in-class silverware and a record-breaking lap time. This unexpected success was all the encouragement that Andy needed to investigate the possibility of building a seriously potent Evo in which to contest the UK’s own highly regarded Time Attack series.
“I met Johan Drenth, the founder of the transmission company that bears his name, while racing Down Under. He offered to sponsor my efforts to get a purpose-built Time Attack Evo assembled by supplying me with a pair of sequential gearboxes and a Geartronics paddle shift system,” explains Andy. This welcome generosity signalled the beginning of the transformation of a factory-spec Evo VIII into the carbon-clad brute that you see on the pages before you.
Rightly recognising that the quickest way to make a car faster is to lose as much of its weight as possible, Andy invested in a Nastama Cy wide arch carbon-fibre body kit and enlisted the support of Colchester- based carbon composite specialist, Reverie, in his efforts to wrap the guts of his new motor inside a stealth-like cloak made out of the wicked weave. In fact, little of his Evo’s original body remains, with a largely space-framed chassis supporting the heavily modified 4G63 that propels this mega Mitsubishi to the tune of 890whp!
Understandably, Andy is keen to keep the specification of his car’s beating heart under wraps, but he does reveal to us that it was built by performance engine wizard, Nick Kouta, in Cyprus. “The two-litre lump is based around a stock Evo powerplant, but it includes JE pistons, K1 rods, a dry sump oil system, Tomei high-lift camshafts and an uprated valvetrain. Add a huge Garrett turbo, an enlarged intercooler, a Turbosmart wastegate, a custom exhaust system and MoTeC standalone management to the mix, and you can see where Nick has been able to unleash plenty of trapped ponies!” he smiles.
The car’s Drenth gearbox has been joined by a Custom Clutch quad-plate clutch, a lightened flywheel and twin upgraded limited-slip differentials. Further chassis and handling improvements can be seen in the form of Ohlins coilovers, RaceFab subframes, Whiteline anti-roll bars and tidy six-piston anchors that peek out from behind huge twelve-inch wide Enkei eighteens wrapped in Dunlop rubber.
You might think that this trick combination of top-notch nuts and bolts would make Andy’s life at the track a doddle, but he lives near Nick in Cyprus, meaning that he has to ship himself, his car, his stockpile of spare parts and a support team of seven to the UK every time he wants to flex his Evo’s not-insignificant mechanical muscles.
These logistics alone make for an expensive day at the races, let alone the constant flow of cash that Andy continues to plough into ongoing automotive development work. “My team and I have a lot to learn, but there is definitely a significant amount of additional power to be extracted from my car. It is with that in mind that I have named it ‘Black Mamba’ after the deadly, venomous snake famous for its speed and agility when striking at prey!” he grins.
Arriving on UK soil for the first time in March of this year, Andy’s awe-inspiring Evo has experienced mixed fortunes during time spent at some of Blighty’s best-loved racing circuits; the special edition Lancer broke the Time Attack lap record at Brands Hatch, yet the car suffered at the hands of electrical gremlins that quite literally stopped it in its tracks at other venues. Like the pilots of so many participating Time Attack motors, however, Mr P sees his early adventures in the series as a valuable exercise in getting to grips with his new toy while identifying areas of the rice rocket that are ripe for further fettling.
“I’m considering the purchase of a billet engine block in advance of next year’s racing campaign,” he admits. “If things go to plan, I’ll be in charge of a winning car, and I sincerely hope that my anticipated success enables me to compete on the world stage thereafter,” he adds, acknowledging the popularity of Time Attack tournaments across the globe.
Whatever the outcome of his forthcoming efforts at the track, there’s no doubting the fact that Andy and his collaborators have created a Mitsubishi-based monster with just as much ‘show’ as it has ‘go’. Time Attack players beware – 2016 is likely to belong to this savage, carbon-clad colossus!
OWNER: ANDREAS PAPAGEORGIOU
TECH SPEC: MITSUBISHI EVO VIII
TUNING:
Nicks Garage heavily modified 2-litre 4G63 motor, JE Pistons, K1 connecting rods and 88mm crankshaft, ARP fasteners throughout, dry sump oil system, Tomei camshafts and vernier pulleys, HKS intake, Full-Race exhaust manifold, Marios Kofteros custom exhaust system and intercooler, Garrett turbocharger, Turbosmart external wastegate, Vibrant silicone hoses, Magnus Motorsport coil pack, NGK spark plugs, MoTeC M800 ECU with JP Motis custom map, custom fuel system, 2000cc fuel injectors, 3x Bosch 044 fuel pumps, Drenth five-speed sequential gearbox, Custom Clutch quad-plate clutch, lightened flywheel, Cusco front LSD, OS Giken rear LSD, Sheptrans upgraded ACD unit, Driveshaft Shop driveshafts.
CHASSIS:
12×18-inch Enkei rims, Dunlop slicks, custom Ohlins TTX coilovers, RaceFab subframes, Whiteline anti-roll bars, AP Racing six-pot (front) and four-pot (rear) calipers with 356mm (front) and 320mm (rear) J-hook discs, performance pads
EXTERIOR:
Nastama Cy custom carbon-fibre body kit, Time Attack racing livery.
INTERIOR:
Cobra bucket seat, Takata safety harness, Custom Cages heavy duty roll cage, MoTeC C125 digital dash display, Geartronics paddle shift, Sparco fire safety system
WORDS DAN FURR PHOTOS SIMON MISKELLY
