Mitsu’s Evo IX came from the Okayama factory packing the sufficiently capable 4g63 mill, but sufficiently capable is way beyond our standard of awesome. With a few quick mods, that motor can be tuned to cause rictus smiles in living.

0-60 Assistant Editor Alex set out to generate 400 horsepower at the wheels of his Evo IX, with a few demands: stock-like road manners, quick spool-up, reasonable transient response and V8-like top end. Piece of cake, right? Proving that a mixture of quality parts and extensive research pays dividends, the abused Evo now generates 401 whp, 363 lb-ft, and can spin all four tires in second gear. Mission accomplished.

We don’t just choose anyone to work with, either. Chad Block, owner of CBRD Speedfactory, proved to be a truly invaluable source of knowledge. Through much discussion, Chad got a feel for what we were looking for and came up with the parts list. His shop is also manages to find the medium between classy and badass; it’s so clean you feel guilty not leaving your shoes at the door.

Check out the photos and product descriptions here.

[photography: Alex Bernstein]