‘Rice rockets’ and their fans
EVO AND SUBARU: CARS BUILT TO GO FAST THROUGH ALL SORTS OF CONDITIONS
Both are purpose-built designs which Japanese companies used to great effect on rally circuit.
Brendan Seery
The exhaust pipe on Greg Ferreira’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 4 looks like it came from a cross-country oil pipeline … and it makes a big noise to emphasise the point. Behind him, the tailpipe on the Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type R belonging to Christo Brits is not much smaller, but it makes a totally different sound – an offbeat rumbling burble which morphs into a roar at high revs.
We feel as though we are sitting slap in the middle of one of the Fast and Furious movies where these classic Japanese-made supercars for the people played starring roles. These are what the Americans refer to as “rice rockets” … and no serious petrolhead in the US would dare disrespect them because they are not V8 “muscle cars”.
Nazey Loonat’s 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 looks menacing in its all-black livery and the small size of the car belies the 200kW punch that its turbo 2.0 litre motor and allwheel-drive promises. Next to the Mitsubishi, Gareth Schroder’s immaculate Subaru Impreza WRX STi looks more flashy with its sparkling blue paintwork, huge boot wing and gold alloy wheels. It also packs around 200kW and allwheel-drive.
None of these cars are for shy and retiring people – and, almost uniformly, they have been misunderstood by “ordinary people”, who believe they’re “boy racers” with lots of garish bits and pieces stuck on to improve the posing value. Nothing, though, could be further from the truth. Both the Subaru and Mitsubishi were purpose-built designs – based on existing four-door sedan designs – which the Japanese companies used to great effect in the World Rally Championship (WRC), wresting a bunch of drivers and manufacturers
titles away from the powerful European car makers.
These cars were built to go fast through all sorts of conditions, from tar to snow and ice to slush, sand and mud. Both used four-cylinder turbopetrol motors – the Evos an inline one and the Subarus a less conventional, horizontally opposed “boxer” design. Both cars use an all-wheel-drive system, which gives great traction and road holding and the sort of predictable handling you need in the tough world of rallying.
They’ve both developed a cult following among fans who appreciate the engineering, the capability and the history of the cars. Both are so close to each other in terms of performance, they were once deadly rivals, although these days the fans and owners of each brand have huge respecte for their opposite numbers.
Gareth’s been crazy about the STI since he was a laaitie and saw the rally versions dominating the World Championship. He’s a fan of the 2.0 litre “Blobeye” version, which was superceded in late 2005 by a 2.5 litre version.
Both use four-cylinder turbopetrol motors.
“The 2.0 litre is bulletproof and is also the fastest one, so the tests say,” he adds.
He has tried to keep his car standard – a sensible move considering many of the STi’s in South Africa have been modified. “In my opinion, they tend to lose value if you modify them,” he says.
Christo’s 1999 WRX STI Type R is one of the quickest standard ones made – because it was the lightest of all Imprezas based on the WRC rally cars made for the road. It had 206kW on tap with a DCCD short ratio gearbox standard – and he has also left it untouched. The car has less than 70 000km on the clock and looks new. “I drive it on weekends mainly. It is fantastic to drive and it really is a classic,” he adds.
Nazey can almost pick and choose what fast car he wants because he runs a business which focuses on organising races and events for modified cars.
“These cars – the Evos – are becoming more popular because some of the others, like the Nissan GTRs (which can be imported from Japan on permits, as long as the authorities regard them as collectors’ items) are becoming so expensive. Evos are still quite inexpensive and there’s not a lot of difference in performance.”
What appeals to Nazey is the all-wheel-drive system in the Evo: “It’s very safe and easy to drive, even though it has all that power.”
Greg apologises for his Evo 4, which he says is “a bit rough”. He has another Evo 4, which he has just had rebuilt and is being completed, which is why it’s not here. His daily driver is a BMW X5, but Greg loves to let his hair down occasionally over a weekend in an Evo: “These Evos are unique. If you love cars and love driving, then it doesn’t get much better,” he says.
Evos are still quite inexpensive and there’s not a lot of difference in performance.
Nazey Loonat Race SA founder In my opinion, they tend to lose value if you modify them
Gareth Schroder