Words: Warren Sare Photos: Jack Morgan
A diamond is something that is formed by pressure over a period of time. OK, so maybe that wouldn’t satisfy Sheldon and the guys from The Big Bang Theory as being scientific enough, but you get where I’m going here as NZPC heads to the South Island to delve into the latest incarnation of GM3OVA — Pete Kearney’s big-power Evo that first graced the pages of this mag back in issue 231. At that time it packed over 500kW, although with quite a wolf in sheep’s clothing vibe going on. We set out to see if this rebuild really is the final incarnation and if it lives up to its name — the final battle before ‘game over’, if you will? What do you do when in excess of 800 ponies is no longer enough to satisfy your need for speed?
Do you just keep throwing dollar after dollar at what you know will eventually end up as a pile of broken scrap in your garage; or do you succumb to the ongoing but gentle pressure from the devil on the shoulder — let’s call him Corey — who has been keeping an eye on what the best over the Tasman have been doing and keeps whispering the words “billet … billet… billet” as the solution to your horsepower addiction and track record of breaking shit? Before we go much further, Pete and Corey were pretty keen to point out they are “average guys working average jobs”; there’s no big secret treasure chest and “we did everything we could ourselves in a bloody cold shed during a Canterbury winter,” as a way of both learning how things worked, and would work, and saving some coin.
That will seem a bit at odds with what you read in the next line, but what you are looking at here is the first billet block Evo in New Zealand. We will make this disclaimer: that is as far as NZPC knows — because it seems someone’s uncle’s cousin’s brother’s mate always has a secret one, but, hey, we haven’t seen it. As this is a question that is generally of interest to people, we have to say: if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford one; you will not be getting any change out of $60K for this kind of engine set-up. Micks Motorsport and its house car, ‘BAGDAD’, are exceptionally well known in Mitsi tuning circles, and it was through a pre-existing relationship that discussions began once Pete moved from “Let’s hope it holds” to “OK, let’s do it once properly and not ever go through this again” over the course of many months and phone calls. Through the wonders of modern technology an order was placed for essentially the same as what Mick has in his own car — something along the lines of “I want 1000hp and reliable as f**k”. It was assembled in Australia and shipped across to New Zealand for installation. Want to test your faith? Try placing the order and paying the amount mentioned above then not installing it for six months and hoping it would start, which is what Pete did. No wonder 527kW isn’t enough; the man certainly has some cojones
We won’t get too far into specs here as the reality is that billet one-piece blocks are such a rarity they generally exist only at the highest levels of competition cars, and much of their value is in the IP, design, and then assembly. GM3OVA is the same spec as the 1044kW car, modelled on being a 4G64 2200cc engine and fitted with a Nitto crank, Manley rods, and CP pistons at 9.5:1 compression. Unusually for these pages, there is only light head work here due to the engine builders’ view that this is a weak point. They instead stick with the view of using the turbo to make the power. How much power you ask. Enough for over 373kW just on run-up (base pressure) and now making 801kW with the aid of a specially built MSE 6868 turbo, which sits on a locally-made Pure FAB manifold. This is a serious motor that drinks a solid diet of E85 while swallowing 54psi of boost. At those kinds of numbers you need control, and there is an EGT per runner on the manifold along with twin 38mm wastegates. As you’d expect, economy isn’t a priority here. Plazmaman comes to the party with an intake manifold while the corn juice is fed to 1000cc primary and 2500cc secondary injectors via a mechanical fuel pump and surge tank. How serious is this engine set-up? Well, we don’t often see dry sump systems in these pages but there won’t be any oil issues here thanks to the Norris Designs dry sump system Pete opted for.
Remember how we mentioned the engine sitting for a while? We asked the boys how scary that was and they told us that on the first start-up the oil filter seal failed and sprayed oil six metres in the air. Imagine for a moment how that would feel when you’d just parted with a house deposit to lock this block in! Fortunately for the boys, the fault was found and things went smoothly as the Link EcU Fury was set up and tuned. The last thing you want to have happen when you’ve invested this much in the engine bay is a missed shift or overrev, so in went a Samsonas five-speed gearbox mated to a Tilton triple plate clutch and custom diff set-up by Evoparts. Pete has recently discovered a passion for Time Attack–style racing and, with the car destined to see more circuit laps, this stout driveline combination is an investment that will prove its worth as 10ths are chased.
The wolf in sheep’s clothing look from when this Evo VII first appeared in these pages is long gone, the subtle look replaced with a menacingly wide Voltex-style Time Attack look that gives the car a kind of ‘I can mess you up’ appearance that more than matches the engine package and the car’s intended purpose. Imagine you’re minding your own business on the straight at Ruapuna or one of Christchurch’s avenues and suddenly the mirror fills with that unmistakable extra width the kit and front bar give; you get an eyeful of heavily vented bonnet, carbon canards, and a glimpse of that big turbo howling away. Be honest, you’d think twice — and by then GM3OVA would be gone anyway. The boys tell us they coated the whole car themselves — in the earlier mentioned freezing-cold shed — so it’s definitely no show paint job, but that’s not so important when it disappears into the distance
A set of semi-slick shod 18×10.5-inch Forum Zeus wheels completes the look, although — as seems to be a pattern with this car — there is constant chat about new tyre combos to try and tame the power on tap; perhaps a set of the M/T-style tyres such as its Aussie sibling wears at Micks Motorsport. With Time Attack set to be a focus, suspension will be on the list for the future as the quest for lap times bites harder and more fine tuning is needed. For now, a set of basic NeoMax-R coilovers is employed with the factory suspension components to get the job done, along with an eight-point cage that has made the car effectively a two-seater. At this point both Pete and Corey say one regret is that the car can only take a single passenger; if they had the time again, allowances would have been made to keep it suited to four people.
A brake upgrade consisting of race compound pads and slotted discs has been used in combination with the decentfrom-factory Brembo callipers, and does an acceptable job of slowing the car from rapidly achieved speeds — for now. Given the car is built to go fast, interior wise everything has been kept functional and basic but still tidy because — let’s be honest — who needs any other soundtrack when you have 1000hp at right-foot disposal and tyres likely crying out for mercy! With ECU technology the way it is, the main feature is the now almost-essential Link dash for whoever is at the controls, to monitor what is going on from the factory Evo VII Recaros. While they aren’t lacking in support, we’d imagine something fixed might find its way in between the seat rails when the serious Time Attack racing begins.
As we conclude our look at Pete’s ride, we think it is pretty clear that this is the moment in the game when you think about it and realise this isn’t anywhere near the end; instead, a few secret levels have been unlocked — almost like a showcase of the further potential in the car. As we say our goodbyes, we hear the boys deep in conversation. We thought we had misheard them, but they clarified, “Oh, a new turbo is on the way and 895kW or even 1000kW might be more fun!” What was that you were saying about finding the limits again, Pete? We don’t think it’s game over at all — more like, ‘insert second disc to continue playing’
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 299
