WORKS Introduces Exciting New Line of Tuning and Performance Products for U.S. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Enthusiasts
evolutionm.net is proud to announce WORKS as our newest sponsor. WORKS are a new tuning shop dedicated to the Lancer Evolution.
Mitsubishi announced, on January 2, 2003 at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, that the Lancer Evo was arriving on U.S. shores after a conspicuous absence from this market spanning over 10 years. Automobile enthusiasts with even the most debilitating of New Year’s hangovers rejoiced. The forbidden fruit from the Far East was finally, and without any doubt, confirmed to be on its way. This announcement, with no lack of fanfare, immediately set into motion an amazing chain of events. Enthusiasts began working overtime hours and eating a steady diet of Ramen noodles in preparation to becoming an Evo owner. Dealers began putting names on lengthy waiting lists. SCCA and NHRA groups began readying themselves to see the Evo onslaught at rally crosses, autocrosses, drag races and track days. PlayStations were dusted off for some last minute Gran Turismo refresher courses and Best Motoring and Options videos from Japan found themselves in short supply on the shelves of tuner shops and import booksellers across the country.
So with the Evo finally here, after so many years of anticipation, can it ever live up to the hype? According to the president of WORKS, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” After all, the U.S. debut of the Evo brings the fastest, stiffest, best handling, shortest stopping Evo in the model’s history. Far from a new uncharted model, by way of its WRC history and lengthy presence in other markets, the Evo has developed into a top caliber machine by the time U.S. enthusiasts first slide into the Recaro seats, adjust the mirrors for the first time, look sheepishly at the intercooler spray button, and bring to life the fabulous 4G63 engine with a twist of the ignition key. With 271 horsepower at the crank and 273 foot pounds of torque, the Evo will not disappoint. Yes, it has been worth the agonizing wait.
And for many, the long journey will have come to its end. They will cherish the Evo for what it is, and what it has finally become after all these years, and they will be content. But there are others…
With every car, the Evo being no exception, there are the “others” – the lunatic fringe. These are the tuners. These are the modders. They are the racers. They are the fanatics. This group of ultra-enthusiasts want their Evos to be that much better than any other Evo prowling the streets. They want their Evo to lap a road course quicker, blitz a faster quarter mile, spank the Porsche Turbos at the local autocross and raise hell like no stock Evo could. They want to be able to see another Evo on the commute to work, and have the satisfaction of knowing, even while waving or nodding with a smile to the other driver, that their car is a bit special. A bit, well, non-stock. An Evo, and then some…
This rabid group of enthusiasts is the premise behind WORKS, a U.S. tuning company headed up by a group of automotive engineers and fabricators with tuning experience stretching back to the humble beginnings of the import tuning craze in the late ‘80s. The tuners at WORKS, based out of San Francisco, California, have been modding ECUs, designing intake and exhaust systems, and tweaking suspensions as far back as the introduction of the first Evolution model, way back in 1992. WORKS understands that while the stock Evo presents a fantastic package right off of the showroom floor, Mitsubishi needed to make certain compromises that would have the lunatic fringe up in arms: the Japanese car manufacturer’s collective “gentlemen’s agreement” to limit horsepower, cost cutting measures by Mitsubishi’s accountants to keep the price point of the new car affordable, and the obligatory de-tuning margin for error used to account for owners who fail to fill up with premium fuel or keeping the car properly tuned. The dedicated Evo enthusiasts cringe at these considerations and realize that with a bit of tuning and tweaking, the stock Evo could be so much more – a blank canvas on which to paint their dreams.
Launching in 2003, WORKS began its R&D and manufacturing process for developing cutting edge tuning products for the U.S. Evolution. Having followed the development of tuning parts in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., WORKS is aware of what the manufacturers of performance parts, both big and small, have done for the prior seven generations of the Evo. What sets WORKS apart is the commitment to continue pushing the envelope and taking the Evo one-step higher. By using state-of-the-art technology, including sophisticated CAD and 3-D modeling programs together with extensive street, track and dyno testing, WORKS is able to ensure that its products for the Evo represent the ultimate performance value for savvy customers who know quality when they see it. While the engineers at large Japanese tuning housings ready their product lines to offer “off the shelf” consumer level products to the average street enthusiast, WORKS realizes that the true enthusiasts, the type of person who has waited this long for the Evo, is looking for something more than a run-of-the-mill product line expanded from last year’s offerings for Civics and Integras. WORKS is here for the Evo and looks at each car as an expression of that owner’s goal to live life without compromises. You’ve waited long enough and WORKS is here to ensure that your Evo will have been worth the wait.
WORKS can be found online at:
http://www.worksrally.com/
New!!! Visit the WORKS message board to discuss future performance products for the Evo. Since they in-house design their products, they want as much feedback as possible:
Click here to visit the WORKS Message Board
