2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: In that Sweetspot

No, you have gone a few mods too far. The GSR now looks like a spoiled high school kids riced-out racer.

The car looks good - esp the lowered height/wheel combo. However, I'll take the Z28, I've always like this era of the car the best.

It does more than look like a spoiled high schoolers rice-racer, it IS a spoiled high schoolers rice racer. I wonder how much money has been spent on that car so far (too lazy to check for myself). They probably could have bought something stately for that amount of money.

Kudos for realizing where this project is and not over doing it. Man whats with all this rice hating? yesterday i had a fantastic conversation with a guy that grew up working on all kinds of cars from mustangs to british sports cars. He doesnt hate on the kids that modify the import cars today. We're doing the same thing today that you guys did back in the day. And as for calling this GRS rice your wrong. I dont see a over the top body kit, shopping cart GT wing, pep-boys rims, graphics everywhere, and primered body parts. This car was upgraded with quality parts, by a professional, and done in a tastful maner. To that i say great job. Most of you guys wouldnt even have know this thing was modded just by seeing it on the street. Stop hating and show some love!

I like the EVO much better than the WRX.

As far as the Z28 goes, I'd rather have the same vintage Firebird Formula with the jet fighter nose and scoops. My favorite Camaro/Firebird.

'70 Z28 RS - niiiiice.

Is that Camaro the same year and trim as beat-up Bumblebee in the Transformers movie? Also, I got the BITCHIN CAMARO! reference. :)

Is that Camaro the same year and trim as beat-up Bumblebee in the Transformers movie? Also, I got the BITCHIN CAMARO! reference. :)

felonious, The camaro from the Transformors movie was a later 70's model, amazing how ugly they made them in the same decade.

Evo rice?

Matter of opinion. For the amount of money you put into an evo, nothing can really match the performance. Im guessing including suspension/wheels, they've spend 5-6k on the car.
Its probably running low 4's 0-60 and mid to high 12's in the quarter. Not may cars can keep up.

Theres a lot of good platforms. In my honest opinion, I think the definition of "rice" is played out. Anything someone sees on the car that they dont like, they label as "rice".

In my opinion the 1970-1972 Camaro Rally Sport was probably the most beautiful ponycar ever(with the 1969 Boss 302 and 1970 Challenger T/A being the runners up). That said, I don't think that the GSR looks the slightest bit riced.

I'm almost 45 and I would drive that Evo, as-is, in a heartbeat. It's hard to believe some people see it as "ricey," when it clearly isn't. But to each his or her own.

That 1970 1/2 Z/28 RS looks cool (except for the too-narrow hood stripes), and it's hard to argue with an LT-1. But for that era's F-body, I'm with bankerdanny and the Firebird Formula or a T/A.

"No, you have gone a few mods too far. The GSR now looks like a spoiled high school kids riced-out racer."

Jason, obviously you dont understand or know the true definition of "ride out" is as the Evo above is tastefully modified JDM style. The Evo is clean, uncluttered and all its modifications relate heavily to an immediate and significant increase in its performance.

Being "riced out" is the exact opposite of that as the modifications dont amplify the performance at all and the visual modifications are cluttered and tacky...Fast and Furious style.

In regards to the Camaro, I'm not a muscle car fan but over the years Ive come to respect some of them for what they offered and the way they were styled. I love this generation Camaro as years ago my mother had a 1977 yellow Camaro with tan racing stripes very similar to the one in Transformers although in much much better shape.

Ill take a black over tan 1970 Z28, full suspension upgrade, 18inch polished HRE or Fiske rims and a fully built Chevy 302 (I like revs remember) with a custom twin turbo conversion. =)

So how much money have you put into this car to get it to where it is today?

Its funny, the 2nd Gen Camaro gets very little love in the Camaro community. I will grant that the later models of the era were pretty awful, but the 1970 F-bodies were the best, period. Of course I'm biased, having previously owned a 1970 Olds Cutlass, but I think 1970 is the pinnacle for GM in that era, both in terms of style and performance.

Would love to see a photoshoot of the modified GSR. Judging by some of Edmunds' previous photography, it could lead to some delicious wallpapers!

Perhaps, old man, if you actually drove this car further than is demanded by your eight-mile commute you'd gain some perspective. Of course, this would require actual driving -- and by actual driving I don't mean the kind you get in West L.A.

You remember, like you did back in the olden days? Turning. With actual speed. On actual roads. With actual bumps. Not just to get around a corner, but for the sheer joy of the practice.

I think you might have done this once. But you were younger then. It was back when you would have left the wing on the EVO.

Josh

"No, you have gone a few mods too far. The GSR now looks like a spoiled high school kids riced-out racer."

It has wheels and a wing delete? It's not rice. People use that word too much.

I for one think the GSR is still on the tasteful side of things, and I even thought the wing looked OK. I think the car itself just has a "rice" image associated with it, no matter what you do. My wife isn't into cars much, and into car stereotypes even less, but when I expressed admiration for the new Evo she protested "But it looks so rice!" So it is nothing you guys have done. It is just like the mullet stereotype for that Camaro up there. It may not truly apply, but it is there anyway.

"It sounds good."

Man, I wound up driving next to you yesterday after work, coming from Santa Monica (Yahoo! offices) and up Olympic to Beverly when I lost you.

But before I did, I rolled the window down and heard (and felt!) that engine...that thing freaking growls in the best way.

I sold my WRX because I didn't care to be frowned upon by the general public. People looked at me like an immature kid and I'm nearly 30. I never drove like a maniac or anything, but it didn't matter...

People constantly tried to race me, people yelled at me for speeding in neighborhoods when I wasn't, cops pulled me over constantly to try and get me for something. (nothing ever stuck because the car was legal) Once someone tried to race me and the cop pulls ME over for racing when I was ignoring that idiot.

Live with a car like this daily and I doubt you'll enjoy it. Nothing like being late for work because a cop is itching to give you a ticket... or when you're tired from work and trying to get home, you get pulled over and harassed for nothing. Unlike you, I can't say, "dude, i work for a online car review site!" and be let go like that.

Wait until you're older huyracing. I'm closing in on 40 (god, I can't believe that) and while I do get more looks from the cops than in my other cars, as soon as they get a good look at me they move on by.

As for costs, I'm sure that it is a bit tough since some of the parts were on the car when Edmunds received it. However, I can give you a rough estimate based on my experience (list price):

Intake - $350
Charge pipes - $400
Intercooler - $700
Exhaust - $800-$1000
Cams - $700 + $500 install (not a do it yourself job)
Tune (one, even though they've done several) - $500
Suspension - $3500
Wheels - $2000?

Realistically, for the street you don't need the high dollar wheels/coilovers, and the intake isn't really needed either. Basically, about $4k for the power goodies. Considering you can get a GSR for about $30k or less, sub $35k modded for a low 12 sec car is pretty good.

BTW, I'm taking a slightly different approach. I spent $1000 on a full turbo back exhaust setup. Next is an intercooler and turbo upgrade for about $2k total. With a retune this should net me over 400 whp/400 lbs-ft.

A ricer would be an underpowered car with a really flashy appearance. The EVO and STi are far from ricers. I doubt even a stock Civic can be described as a ricer.

The term is used usually by guys with really slow V8s who feel bad because they lost to a particular car.

"Wait until you're older huyracing. I'm closing in on 40 (god, I can't believe that) and while I do get more looks from the cops than in my other cars, as soon as they get a good look at me they move on by."

Vehicle color is also a major factor. In the past 20 years I've only collected two minor speeding tickets(78 in a 65 and 92 in a 65)- and both times I was driving a bright red car. In contrast my blue gray MS3 never gets a second glance from LEOs- and I've spent more time above 80 in it than any car since my E24 M6. I did have one local cop follow me for a couple of miles, but I think he was trying to decipher the meaning of my vanity plate...;)

"BTW, I'm taking a slightly different approach. I spent $1000 on a full turbo back exhaust setup. Next is an intercooler and turbo upgrade for about $2k total. With a retune this should net me over 400 whp/400 lbs-ft."

Shawn, what car is this the G35C?