Prowear NZ Superlap Series Spotlight: the LSM Evo that won the series

Leon Scott has contested Superlap here in New Zealand since its infancy, so there’s no denying he has got a few laps under his belt, and it shows. His Mitsubishi Evo has been under development since those early days, and it’s gone through many variations. Leon has the Evo humming along nicely in its current guise, with enough power when required, but more importantly, it’s reliable.

With over 500kW on tap the Evo has the grunt to do well in Pro Open, and with the newly installed aero package pinched from Scott Kreyl’s Evo, it’s sure to get quicker and quicker.

Leon has been toying with different tyre combinations lately, and has felt at home on the current Hankook TD Z221 semi-slick. Depending on weather conditions, he can either switch to the 265/35R18 set, or the 295/35R18s. As he’s a huge fan of the international time-attack scene, you won’t ever catch Leon running on a full slick tyre, which will put him at an advantage come next year when they’re banned, as the car is well dialled with semi slicks already. 

001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII

Engine

• Model: 4G63T, 2000cc, four-cylinder
• Block: 2300cc 100mm Tomei stroker crankshaft, Manley forged rods, CP Carillo pistons, balance shaft removed, custom sump based on HKS CT230 by Brendan Thomas, ARP rod bolts, ACL race bearings, oil-gallery modification, Group A–spec oil pump
• Head: Cosworth H11 head studs, HKS 1.2mm stopper head gasket, ported head, HKS 272-degree cams, HKS valve springs, HKS retainers, stainless-steel valves, brass valve guides, GReddy cam gears
• Intake: Custom ported and flow-matched intake manifold, 100mm throttle body, Speedflow fittings, K&N four-inch intake, three-inch powder-coated intercooler piping
• Turbo: Holset super HX40R, Sinco turbo manifold
• Wastegate: 50mm TiAL
• BOV: 50mm TiAL
• Fuel: Custom surge tank, 300mm fuel cooler with cooling fan, Speedflow fittings, Bosch 044 feed pump, 255lph pickup pump, HKS fuel rail, 1300cc injectors, Tomei Type S fuel pressure regulator, Speedflow fuel filter
• Ignition: Sparktech coil on plug, NGK plugs
• Exhaust: 3.5-inch front pipe, three-inch straight-through exhaust to side exit (no mufflers)
• Cooling: Evo VI alloy radiator, Samco hoses, twin 12-inch electric fans, Factory oil cooler, second thermostat operates 16-row oil cooler
• ECU: HKS F-CON Pro 3.5
• Other: Innovate 02 wideband, HKS EVC 6 Pro boost control, HKS Attack counter, VSD controller, LED shift indicator, fuel cooler controller, GSS custom catch can, Reflect Gold shielding, texture-coated intake manifold and rocker cover

Driveline

• Gearbox: Albins dog-engagement gearset, revised final drive, high-rise shifter mounts
• Clutch: Exedy triple-plate carbon
• Flywheel: Chromoly
• Diff: Factory
• Other: Factory

Support

• Struts: BC ER series coilovers (external reservoir) 
• Brakes: Evo X Brembo calipers, Project Mu 999 pads, Goodridge stainless braided brake lines, Motul high-temp fluid, 350mm slotted ZNoelli rotors
• Other: Whiteline sway bars, Racefab front lower control arms, Hardrace rear camber arms, Hardrace bushes throughout, Ultra Racing four-point boot brace, Ultra Racing fender support braces, Ultra Racing front and rear strut braces

Shoes

• Wheels: (Set one) 18×10-inch TBC Jet2, (set two) 18×10-inch TBC Jet6
• Tyres: (Set one) 265/35R18 Hankook TD Z221, (set two) 295/35R18 Hankook TD Z221 

Exterior

• Paint: Factory W83 white under livery
• Enhancements: Custom graphics by Moto Mayhem, genuine Voltex type C rear wing, Voltex rear fenders, Voltex side skirts, Voltex carbon-fibre bonnet, Voltex front bumper and canards, Vortex generator, Varis rear diffuser, Varis boot lip, headlight duct, Lexan windows with Naca ducts

Interior

• Seats: Bride head restraint driver seat, Bride passenger seat
• Steering wheel: Suede, NRG boss kit (AYC compatible), 40mm spacer
• Instrumentation: HKS boost gauge, D1-spec oil pressure and oil temperature gauge, Defi voltage gauge
• Other: Full roll cage, carbon-fibre door cards

Performance

• Power: 440kW at the wheels on 27.5psi of boost with 98-octane
• Pukekohe: 1:13.329

Driver profile

• Driver/owner: Leon Scott
• Age: 30 something
• Location: Auckland
• Build time: Eight years
• Length of ownership: Eight years 
• Thanks: I’d like to thank my father for supporting me, my mother for looking out for me, my friends who have helped out along the way, Steffan Boyd, Darryn Clarke, my bro Anton, Soichi Tate at ST Hi-tec, the team at Hyper Drive, Nan from The Bling Company, Ryan at Luxury Sports, Steve Murch at MSE, the boys at Jtune, NZ Motorsport Imports, and everyone else for backing the underdog

This article originally appeared in NZ Performance Car Issue No. 231. You can pick up a print copy or a digital copy of the magazine below: