During the seventies, Hiroyuki Hasegawa, and his partner Mr. Kitagawa decided to start an aftermarket tuning company. Together with a capital infusion from Sigma Automotive Co. they started tuning engines and producing high performance parts. (Hence the name “HKS”). Aside from their popular turbocharger kits, mufflers and high end coilover’s, HKS is also well known for their electronic products like standalone ECU’s turbo timers and electronic boost controllers.

In today’s tuning scene its no secret that performance plus electronics equals more power. Case in point here is this tuned EVO-X that showcases how much additional horses can be attained by simply using electronic products from HKS. More particularly the HKS F-Con V-Pro, which is a stand-alone, fully programmable ECU. While this can be considered as a major mod due to its hefty cost and the fact that it has to be dyno-tuned. Keep in mind that this is still a bolt-on part with no internal mods required. According to HKS, “the HKS F-CON V Pro is a feature-loaded standalone engine management system that connects as easily as a “piggy-back” fuel and timing controller”. While it may sound simple enough, but what it really does is introduce a whole new ignition and fueling map based on the mods made. As such, the engine will be more responsive to throttle inputs and raise torque curves at the bottom to mid-rpm levels.

So just how much additional horses did it come up with? Thanks to Tommy Teng of DTM/Autotechnika who did the ECU tweaking on his Dynapack dyno, this EVO-X now pumps out an impressive 344whp (250whp stock baseline) and a gut-pulling 339 ft/lbs of torque. Another advantage to having a stand-alone ECU like this HKS unit is that it allows the tuner to dial-in a whole new set of parameters should additional engine mods are to be done in the future like aftermarket performance cams, injectors, pistons and stuff.

On the outside, its hard not to notice the aggressive looking, time-attack inspired body kit. This is from the popular bespoke body kit maker in Japan called Varis.

To be used for their own time attack EVO-X, Varis developed a special lightweight series of carbon body parts to help not only give a more purposeful look to the exterior but also generate higher levels of front and rear down force. The end result is a multi-piece body kit, which consists of the hood, front fenders, front & rear bumpers and side skirts. Aside from serving its aesthetic purpose, it also enables the car to shed a lot of unwanted weight. Now no tuned car would be complete without bits of carbon fiber and this one has it in the form of canards and the requisite rear wing. The 19-inch black colored CE28 wheels from Volk Racing also lends a lot of character to the overall look and stance of the car. Sticky Yokohama Advan sport tires keep it firmly planted on the road. Footwork is achieved through a set of TEIN Flex coil over with EDFC while Brembo calipers and discs provide stopping power. Combining attainable high horsepower levels with serious tuner aesthetic stuff is quite the norm for today’s tuner car. Thanks to companies like HKS and Varis, EVO owners can get the best Japanese technology straight onto their cars.

Engine: HKS racing Suction Filter Reloaded, HKS blow off valve, HKS Hi-Power Twin Exhaust, HKS F-Con V-Pro Electronic Management System, HKS CAMP 2 HKS EVC 6 Boost Controller
Suspension: Tein Flex Coilovers with EDFC
Interior: Recaro SR bucket seats, Momo steering wheel
Exterior: Varis '09 Version body kit, Varis carbon fiber rear wing
Wheels: Volk Racing CE28N Wheels (19-inch), Advan Sport tires (275/30ZR19)

[Show as slideshow]

The Honda Civic is a very popular compact tuner car due to the abundance of performance and aesthetics goodies owners can buy for their cars. The most popular variant is the hatchback brought about by the release of the Type-R version, which boasts of an engine capable of 185ps out of a mere 1.6-liters. The hatch is even more sought after in the country because it was never released locally, and only a handful of units were imported through unofficial sources.

Dondie Mallari, was a die-hard Honda Civic Type-R fan, with no CTRs ever released in LHD, he had to resort to a JDM RHD (right-hand drive) unit for his project car. Mallari opted for the JDM theme for this project, which clearly shows inside and out starting with the Championship White paintjob. The front and rear end is clad with Airwalker aerodynamic FRP bumpers, grill and engine bonnet. The aerodynamic look is finished off with a pair of Spoon Sports aero side mirrors. The car rolls on Limited Edition Volk Racing TE-37s in Millenium Blue wrapped with Yokohama Advan Neova performance tires.

In the heart of the engine compartment is a naturally aspirated B16B Type-R engine bolted with a generous amount of bolt-on parts from Spoon, notably a stainless 4-2-1 exhaust manifold. An ARC intake chamber fed by a K&N filter handles intake duties, while a Fujitsubo exhaust system bolted to the end of the exhaust manifold finished off by a Spoon N1 Muffler.

The stiff stuff is handled by Spoon Sports Dampers with kg/mm coils complemented by a complete array of Spoon front and rear strut tower bars and lower arm bars, and finished off by Omnipower rear lower control arms. Braking duties are handled by front and rear Project µ slotted rotors and Integra Type-R calipers with Tanabe brake pads.

Inside the car, a pair of Recaro SR-3 seats with Sparco racing safety belts, Momo Fighter steering wheel, Spoon Sports Titanium Shift Knob and an assortment of EK9 parts can be found. An Apex-I V-AFC II sits in the middle of the dashboard for minor tuning and digital instrumentation.

This is one white hot hatch you’ll definitely see rolling in the streets and present in club meets and shows.

Engine: B16B Type R Engine, ARC Intake Chamber, K&N Air Filter, Spoon Sports 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, Fujitsubo midsection exhaust piping, Spoon Sports N1 rear muffler, Spoon Sports Racing Thermoswitch, Spoon Sports Racing Thermostat, Spoon Sports Yellow Valve Cover, Spoon Sports Engine Torque Damper, Spoon Sports Aluminum Oil Cap, Spoon Sports High Pressure Radiator Cap, Pivot Raizin Volt Stabilizer, NGK Hi-Tension Ignition Wires, Greddy Air Diversion Plate, CUSCO Oil Cooler, CUSCO Oil Catch Tank
Suspension: Spoon Sports dampers, Spoon Sports Front and Rear Upper Strut Bars, Spoon Sports front and rear lower arm bars, Omnipower Aluminum Rear lower control arm, kg/mm Lowering Springs, Project Μ Slotted front brake rotors, Tanabe Street type brake pads
Interior: Civic Type-R Instrument Panel, Momo Fighter steering wheel with Mugen horn button, Recaro SR-3 front seats, Sparco Seatbelts, Sparco Sport Pedals, 5Zigen Formula Footplate, Pivot Shift Lamp, Spoon Sports Titanium Shift Knob
Exterior: Air Walker front aero bumper, Air Walker FRP aero hood, Air Walker rear aero bumper, Air Walker aero front grill, Spoon Sports decals, Spoon Sports aero side mirrors
Wheels: 15 x 7.0 Volk Racing TE-37 Limited Edition Millenium Blue Wheels, 195/55R15 Yokohama Advan AD-07 tires

[Show as slideshow]

12►

The Porsche GT3 is the road going homologation of what is arguably Porsche’s most successful racecar. It is designed to be the perfect racecar for the street, combining decent road-going civility with excellent trackday dynamics.

This particular GT3 is of the body type 997, the newest body for Porsche’s Carrera line of sports cars. Unlike most Porsches seen on the streets though, this car has been extensively modified to extract even more performance.

The heart of the GT3 lies in its 3.6 liter dry sump flat-six engine producing 415hp with the ability to rev till 8000+ rpm. Extracting more power from this normally aspirated and highly strung engine is no simple task. This particular example has a fabspeed intake and a custom exhaust system fitted. The custom exhaust maximizes airflow out of the engine, but it also gives a more important benefit than simply extra horsepower, it is lighter by 40 lbs as compared to the stock exhaust. In a car that weights just close to 3,200 lbs and with the engine at the back, a 40lb. reduction is a big one.

There are also some aesthetic modifications that may not be immediately obvious, carbon mirrors, carbon rear wing, Rennline mats and pedals. The car rides on ultra exclusive 19 inch Volk Racing TE-37 wheels. The wheels and tires used now are lighter than the stock ones by 60lbs. This reduction in unsprung weight translates to quicker acceleration and better braking.

The result is a car that can easily do more than 300km/h as has been proven several times. Project Mu brake pads help to make sure that the car will stop when needed.

This particular 997 GT3 epitomizes the racing legacy of Porsche. By throwing in additional modifications to make the car quicker, stop faster, and handle better, the result is a car that’s, for lack of better words, bad ass. And let’s not forget how ferocious it looks…

Engine: 3.6-liter Porsche factory tuned flat-six engine, Fabspeed Intake, Custom Lightweight Exhaust System
Suspension: Project Mμ Brake Pads
Interior: Carbon Fiber GT-3 Seats, GT-3 Clubsport Package, Rennline Sport Pedals, Rennline Floor Mats
Exterior: Carbon Fiber Wing, Carbon Fiber Side Mirrors
Wheels: 19 x 8.5 Volk Racing TE37 for Porsche front and 19 x 12 rear Wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 235/35/R19 front and 305/30/R19 rear tires

[Show as slideshow]

12►