On Tuesday I met up with a local racing friend to spend an afternoon with his heavily modified 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX RS. Brandon started autocrossing in 2008 with his Evolution IX MR SE which is, in plain English, the heaviest Evo IX made. While it was the perfect car to drive every day, it was far too heavy to be competitive in racing.

When he became more competitive, Brandon purchased this 2006 Evo IX RS which is the lightest model made. This is a factory “stripped” version with manual locks, windows, no stereo, no trunk lining, and no sound deadening. Although the RS didn’t outperform the MR out of the box, there was far more room for improvement.

Over the course of a few years, Brandon has turned this factory boy-racer into a serious winning competitor. Brandon recently competed in the Optima Batteries’ “Search for the Ultimate Street Car” in Laguna Seca and won first place at the same event in Gateway Motorsports Park. These achievements have earned Brandon a spot in the invitational at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November. This car is a beast on the track, yet can still be driven on the streets. Brandon frequently cruises with this monster.

In May, Brandon took this track prepped Evo, accompanied by his wife, on a 600 mile cruise put on by a local forum. There is no better testament to “street car” than to put it on a long cruise through the windy Minnesota/Wisconsin back roads and also take home the gold in a national track event.

However, competing is not all that Brandon does. He also takes pride in coaching at local autocross events put on by the guys at RS Motors, who have helped wrench on his car. Look for this 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX RS on MAV TV’s Optima Batteries’ “Search for the Ultimate Street Car” premiering on August 1st!

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Modification list:

Motor

Buschur intake and piping kit

Stock MAF

Buschur Street front mount intercooler

FIC 1000cc injectors

Twin fuel pump setup w/Hobbs switch

Forged pistons/rods/ARP headstuds (motor otherwise stock)

Forced Performance cast exhaust manifold ceramic coated

Tomei exhaust mani heat shield

Modified TME turbo with EF3 wheel

Perrin ceramic coated downpipe

Greddy titatium exhaust

APR carbon radiator cooling cover

CBRD alum radiator with lightweight fan

Mishimoto Evo 6 upper radiator hose

Poly motor mount (passenger side)

AMS front underbody brace with solid front motor mount

Shorei Power Lithium battery (16oz)

AC delete

Drive Train

Modified 5 speed with evo 8 4th gear

Exedy Twin Disc Clutch

Cusco center diff

JDM 12 plate rear diff

AMS Mustasche eliminator

AMS solid alum rear diff mounts

Suspension

Ohlins Flag Series coilovers (18K rear, 15K front)

Perrin PSRS

Whiteline Roll Center Kit

Perrin adjustable rear anti-sway bar with Perrin end links (stock front bar)

Cusco Type CB Front and Rear Strut Bars

Evo RS rear trunk brace (stock for RS)

Wheels/Tires/Fender mods

18×10 Enkie RPF1 ET38

275/35/18 BFG Rivals (200TW)

Trimmed front fenders and modified fender liners

Rear fender lip cut off (no rolling)

Rear Trailing links trimmed for wheel clearance

ARP extended stuts front

20mm alum spacer front (no spacer rear)

Kurt Brown Racing Ceramic hubs/wheel bearings

Brakes

Baer Eradispeed 2 piece rotors

Frozen Rotor slotted replacement rings

Stock Calipers (Brownbo version)

SS brake lines

DTC 70 pads

Custom brake ducting kit 2″

Castrol SRF fluid

Interior

AutoPower bolt in cage

Sparco Evo seats

Schroth Profi II 6 point Harness

Sparco L777 steering wheel

Joes Racing roll cage steering wheel hook

NRG quick release adapter

Defi Link Avanced Control Unit

Defi Water Temp Gauge with warning indicator

Rear seat removed

Trunk gutted

Exterior/Aero

Ciro Race Design rear wing (Richard Jung)

Carbon fiber trunk

Custom aluminum mounting plates for rear wing

Voltex Style front bumer and sideskirts

ARP Evo X front splitter

JDM rear bumper conversion

Joes racing aluminum splitter/wing supports

75 Designs vinyl graphics

Tuning