You hear the same old lines being rattled off time after time. "Yeah, well, I wasn't planning on going ahead with the monster turbo," and "it was only because I had to go for a full re-build," and - of course - then there's the all-time favourite, "things just went out of control". These are the excuses that we - car freaks - often spout whenever someone challenges our logic in spending inordinate amounts of time and effort on our rides. Rob Iloski is a perfect of example of someone that's gone out and done a whole truckload of stuff to his car - without ever having the initial intent. As often happens, this particular off-the-tracks venture was triggered by a major mechanical mishap...
Three years ago - after Rob bought a "stock as a rock" red Lancer GSR - he couldn't resist the urge to improve upon a couple of sorely lacking areas. This involved ditching the factory 14s in favour of some 17 inch Leganzos, plus slipping in a complimentary set of King "super low" springs. Now we all know that the 1.8 turbo GSR is a quick little ship - but the simple and easy approach to more power (more boost!) proved too much of a temptation for Rob to ignore. Especially when - at the time - Rob worked on boosted road scorchers all day at ProMaz. The rest, shall we say, is textbook for a GSR...
"I was street racing one night with the boost fully up and then the engine started to make a funny clunking noise. It turns out it had bent one of the rods..."
Ahh, the ol' bent con-rod trick - GSR style.
Rob was then faced with two options - either slap a 2-litre 4G63 import motor under the lid, or pull the stockie motor apart and fix the damage. The latter was Rob's choice, coz he always liked the 1.8's eagerness to rev - he didn't want to drive behind a slow revving stump puller! Anyhow, once the motor was stripped, it was obvious why the rod had decided to bend outa shape; "they look like match sticks!" says Rob. At that moment, any ideas of refitting standard rods were quickly dismissed, and - before he knew which way was up - the engine was shaking down for a full hi-po rebuild at Southern Cross Race Engines. One thing led to another - Carillo rods, a heat-treated and stress-relieved crank, a line-bored, O-ringed and 40-thou-over block, competition bearings and forged (secret spec) 7.0:1 pistons. On top of the standard head gasket then went the factory DOHC, 16 valve head - slightly ported and with heavier valve springs.
While waiting for the rods to arrive, Rob set to work on his own fabricated exhaust manifold, made from 2-inch steam piping. Melbourne's ATS were the ones that designed the hybrid T04 turbocharger and with it went a 42mm Turbonetics external wastegate. Plenty of gas flow with this pairing! Compressed K&N filtered air is then channelled through a 2-inch mandrel pipe into the entry of a gigantic Indy bar-and-plate intercooler (which Rob also constructed himself). A 2½ inch pipe accepts the airflow out of the core and takes it to a modified 65mm swallow body. A TurboSmart Type 3 blow-off valve vents the excess pressure whenever Rob snaps the throttle shut after a burst.
As you may or may not know, the Lancer GSR has a painful lack of space around the turbo dump area. The only way around this is to do what Rob's done - install a RalliArt remote oil filter adapter. This let him run a porky 3¼ inch pipe up to the turbine and a 3 inch system from there back. Muffling is delivered by a 14-inch long hotdog (get your mouth around that!) and a polished MagnaFlow rear box.
Of course, you wouldn't bother running engine hardware like this with just a standard Mitsubishi management system. Rob bumped up the GSR's IQ with a programmable MoTeC M48 system, which uses a sole MAP load input. Comprehensive mapping has not yet been completed - just a basic "street tune" to get it running safely. Fuelling is delivered through Bosch 363 injectors in the standard injector location, plus another set of GSR injectors on the underside of the manifold. These will be used to squirt methanol once more tuning development is done and boost pressure exceeds 25 psi. A Malpassi rising rate regulator, two GSR pumps supplying a surge tank and a 800hp Bosch 044 main pump round out the juice circulation system. Interestingly, the GSR retains a 100% stock driveline - the only exceptions being a lightened flywheel, a 4-puck solid centre brass clutch and a 2400lb pressure plate. It's holding up fine - despite plenty of abuse! (We can't help but wonder if the GSR gearbox is stronger than a Subaru WRX's!)
Rob then took a left turn off the highway of conventionality when it came time to look at the interior. Instead of going for the usual pick of Recaros or whatever, he selected an OE pair of front pews outa Holden VS Senator (which feature massage and heating functions!). These were trimmed in Rob's choice of black/grey leather, and then the Lancer's rear seat (which was later fully reshaped and bolstered) and door trims also followed suit. Other splashings of extravagance include an OBA steering wheel (to replace the GSR's plastic-fantastic item), an aluminium knob, fire extinguisher and A-pillar mounted Autometer oil pressure and boost gauges.
Now Rob's a bit of a music lover, so he decided to turn the cabin into something of a stadium. Clarion is the name on every bit of gear to be found - the flip-out TV, the CD stacker/tuner, the 6-inch front splits, the rear 6x9s, the 4x50 and 4x100W amps and - of course - those dual 12-inch subs in the Perspex rear box. It's all pure competition gear, focussed predominantly on sound quality rather than SPLs. Still, it's no whimp - having pumped out an official 134db... almost enough to push the glass out of their runners! Notice that the only part of the entertainment system that isn't Clarion is a product made by Sony - a PlayStation 2, which hides in the glovebox and interfaces with the Clarion screen!
Take a g-o-o-d look at our photos of this GSR. See the stock red paint? See the pathetic 14-inch rims and Mitsubishi's lame-arse attempt at a body kit? No, neither can we. Rob's gone all-out on the body worx, starting off a full Evolution 3 kit (including an Evo 3-style fibreglass bonnet). Notice that the Evo 3 front bar is usually bolted on - it does, however, come off to allow maximum intercooler airflow at drag events like the one where we photographed the car. Rob's previously fitted 17s, were also discarded for a more contemporary looking set of 17 x 7 Bronx rims encrusted in 215/40 Falken GRBs. These fill the guards out a little more thanks to some extra lowering of those "super low" King springs. She's probably now about 3½ inches lower than a stock GSR. Uh-oh, look out for that speed hump!
Once the body sculptures had been completed, it was time to make the GSR sparkle. Really sparkle. Not keen on spending big on a paint job that went unnoticed, Rob took the car to a mate (Zoron) at Alkon Vehicle Enhancements and got him to layer on what must be one of the most wicked out-of-the-tin colours - PPG Harlequin. And what would the RRP of such a spray job on your car be worth, you're wondering? A cool 10 grand. In Rob's case, however, this extravagant paint job was classed as a need - not a want. After all, it would be dumb to develop a GSR such as this only to spay it in some bodgie ol' shade of brown...
Ahh, the expensive situations we work ourselves into!
Today, Rob has branched out from Melbourne's ProMaz and is starting up his own car mod business - CREATD Motorsports (the same as the plates, in case you didn't notice). Certainly, having a car like this cruising (and, occasionally, blasting) through the streets won't do his business profile any harm. The only problem is, he needs to find more opportunities to actually drive the car. Yes, this GSR is driven on the street - but nowhere near as much as he'd like. Understandably, his main concerns are the Police and the EPA. Still - as we said - it does get driven on the street. Even Rob's Dad takes his other half out for the odd tootle - always returning to say "once you get that thing over 5000 rpm..." - well, you can imagine the rest!
And how well does it go? Well, the GSR made its quarter mile debut at Adelaide's recent Four, Six and Rotary Shoot-Out with only 1200km under the belt of the new motor. Still running a basic "street map" and only 15 psi boost (and the weight of that sound system!), the Lancer leapt off the line to power to a 12.7 at 107 mph - not mind-numbing, but definitely quick considering the limited tuning. As Rob says, once it's tuned properly, he'll look at maybe running some racing fuel, removing the cat converter and pumping the boost to 30 psi! What times it would run then is anyone's guess. Fast, obviously!
For now, though, it can't be too bad for Rob cruising around in a kit'd, rim'd, paint'd, slam'd, leather'd and thoroughly audio'd Lancer. It must be especially enjoyable driving such a car with 12-second performance and knowing that there's a heap left in it.
Damn! The things that are forced upon us...
Contacts:
CREATD Motorsports
0403 303 312
(Southern Cross Race Engines can be contacted through Rob - on the above mobile number)
ProMaz
+61 3 9462 3727
Alkon Vehicle Enhancement
+61 3 9308 8686
Rob also calls a big thanks to his Mum and Dad, and his brother for all of their assistance.
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