I can remember the first time I saw the RPM GSR in action. Lined up next to the 12 second blue WRX wagon that we've already featured in AutoSpeed - it seemed apparent who'd get roasted. But I'm glad I'm not a betting man, 'cos that white-lightning Lancer simply dropped its ass-end to the ground, aimed its headlights heavenward and powered away from the Rex. It shot past me, the streetlights a crazy blurred reflection down the length of its conservative body panels - already numerous car lengths ahead of that pesky WRX. That proved to me beyond a doubt that is one absolutely haul-arse road car.
The next time I heard that hyped 1.8 litre four howling in anger was a few months later - and I was belted into the passenger's seat! Tim had graciously agreed to take me for a spin in the name of journalistic impressions - or that's what I like to call it. Strangely enough, the first thing I noticed about the car was it's rattle-free sophistication - there wasn't a big exhaust resonance or suspension jerk within a country mile. But after the coolant and oil temp crept up, my impressions of the car swung dramatically! We pulled a u-turn, stopped in the middle of our lane, and Tim reached down to activate the anti-lag system. Cough, cough, splutter, blurted the engine as raw fuel passed through the head and ignited in the manifold to bring the turbo up on boost - up to around 10 psi when the blow-off valve's closed off. Then in one swift step, the clutch pedal came up and there was an instant push in the back - the likes of which you normally only see at the drags. And again, those headlight beams lit up the sky... With the boost needle peaked at 15 pounds, Tim reached for another gear and proceeded to wind that one out too - to around 7000 rpm. That's well over 100km/h in barely a blink! With an intersection approaching rapidly, Tim buttoned off and we coasted to the stop sign to mix it up with the rest of the traffic. No-one would've picked that this car had just accelerated to over the tonne in a Lamborgini-rivaling time. . And that's one of the real beauties of this car - it doesn't scream for unwanted attention. There's no multitude of stickers, sonic exhaust, or pretentiousness about it.
Because of this, it suits both Tim (the owner/manager of RPM Performance Centre) and his wife to a T. It can be confidently driven around in traffic, it's subtly different enough to be recognised by enthusiasts at car shows, and it's got the power and handling to rival the very best of 'em at hillclimbs.
The history of the RPM GSR is also pretty special. It was the well-known car owned by Buckley Street Autotech of Sydney, which they'd modified to run a best time of 11.76 (on Elf racing fuel). And when Tim heard the car was up for sale, his intention of building one up from scratch was put to one side - the boys at Buckley Street were giving the GSR away at a must-have price. It worked out well, because Tim had already decided he wanted a Lancer for their "fast kart" handling and excellent feedback. He continued to tell "Plus we've done a couple of APS WRXs now and they're great, but they feel a bit big - like a Commodore".
So having purchased a car that has already proven capable of an 11.76 at 114 mph, not much needed to be done right? Wrong. Tim says the job was really only half done properly - all he got was a good bottom-end. The custom turbo set-up was one of the things that confused all the guys around the traps in Adelaide - it had a monster exhaust housing and a thoroughly ill-matched compressor side. "It was the laggiest thing I'd ever "&%ing driven," recalls Tim, "and it only had a cut-down truck intercooler. You'd fly into a corner and put your foot down, but there'd be no acceleration. After the apex it was still drifting". So obviously, while the car had run a very quick quarter mile time, it needed some major tuning to make it more usable. And after exactly one year and one month, it's all come together.
The bottom end remains virtually the same with Carillo rods and Venolia 8.8:1 pistons (to retain driveability, the same CR as standard). The block's been o-ringed and a set of Hastings chrome rings replace some Total Seal items that were pulling oil down through the guides. And those Venolia slugs sure do rattle around, regardless of their being hot or cold! Another problem that was encountered was that the Venolia gudgeon pins cracked (twice!), so a set of much beefier Evo 3 pins were modified, hardened and slid in.
The inlet side of the head was ported, although Tim says there wasn't much to gain there, as the standard head is quite good to begin with. The stock cams are kept inside. Off the twincam 16 valve head is hung the manhood of this Mitsu - its mandrel stainless steel tubular exhaust manifold (made by John Bailey) and the new turbo. Tim understandably isn't too keen on giving away all its specs, but he says it's a T3/4 hybrid with a 0.60 A/R compressor. A standard type centre bearing is used. It's a much more flexible set-up than before, and boost now at its peak at around 5000 revs. The wastegate, by the way, is merely cracked open at 19 psi...
Intake air, after passing through a large K&N filter and the compressor, gets pushed through a Spearco bar and plate air-to-air intercooler, which was released as an upgrade for the R32 Skyline GT-R. "It's really overkill" says Tim, "intake temperatures are always so close to ambient". And the fact that there's the wide-mouthed Evo-style front bumper to let all the air to the core helps too. The polished mandrel bent pipe leading to the enlarged throttle body also contains a couple of trick-bits. Two Nissan Z18 turbo injectors have been included in the fuel system and are located by injector holders from none other than JD Holden Camira.
These are brought into action by a Microtech MT4 computer at 18 psi, while a Haltech E6A fuel and ignition ECU controls the bulk of the fuel delivery. Wiring up the programmable Haltech system allowed the factory airflow meter to be removed and replaced by a restriction-free MAP sensor, and the computer has also been set to a rev limit of 7750 rpm. However, peak power is achieved at 7000 - so there's no real need to rev it that hard. Tim uses the four standard injectors with a Malpassi rising rate fuel pressure regulator and a Bosch motorsport fuel pump. The refreshment is PULP when the boost is set below 17 psi, while over and above that it's time for some high-octane race-fuel.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the car is its anti-lag function, which if it is to work at its best, requires the blocking off of the competition 1½ inch blow-off valve. Controlled by the afore-mentioned switch mounted low on the dash, the Haltech computer holds the throttle valve open slightly, dumps in more fuel and retards ignition timing. The result are explosions within the exhaust manifold to bring the turbo up to speed - but at the same time, it gives a very rough-running engine. Furthermore, Tim doesn't like to leave the system on for any more than 6 seconds at a time, as the exhaust gas temps absolutely go ballistic. But as we said, up to 10 psi boost can be had for launches and in-between gear changes. The exhaust pipe is what's now become common on Japanese 4WD turbos - it's a 3 inch mandrel system with a hi-flo cat and a Hi-Tec polished rear muffler.
One area that the GSR has taken its beating with a minimum of fuss is the gearbox. It's a VR4 EVO 'box with a taller first gear than stock, and the facility to lock the driveline into FWD only. This wasn't a dead straight conversion though, as Tim says they needed to make a hybrid using parts off the original 'box to make it fit. The only problems in the driveline area have been two broken cast selector forks - which were caused by shifting too quickly. A major advantage of being able to put all drive through the front wheels is that the car can be dyno'd on RPM's in-house 2WD chassis dynomometer. They've seen an impressive 175kW being put through the front wheels on 19 psi boost! In the middle of it all is an effective combination of a 6-button Kevlar clutch that's forced by a 1050 kilogram Japanese pressure plate.
The rubber through which all this torque is channeled is Falken GRB, measuring 205/40 all 'round. And a cool looking set of Hyper Fang 17s - which, when fitted with rubber, j-u-s-t clear the guards. The stockie GSR 14s are still kept in the workshop for when a hill climbing weekend comes around. Clad in semi-slick Falken Azenis, these provide Tim with enough adhesion to cut-loose - the only traction problem is that the car runs open-centre diffs all 'round. The handling department has been sharpened up considerably with Koni adjustable rear dampers, Jumbo lowered springs (about 2 inches) and with some extra castor and camber dialed in. Hawk HP+ carbon/metallic pads were fitted inside the stock calipers, which Tim says give really good pedal straight away, with minimal fade.
On hillclimb competition days, the Lancer is always pushing the pace in its category. The only thing is, those STi WRXs are damn near impossible to beat with their factory LSD and instant throttle response (from their much smaller turbos). But once the road straightens, the Lancer reels them in like a big game fisherman - its outright grunt is way too much for a near-stock STi to contend with...
As Tim says, "it can't go that much faster the way it is", but since he wants to go faster, there are serious plans to sell the GSR and focus on building a dedicated drag car. Oh, and buying another conventional car to fill the void that'll be left by the soon-to-disappear Lancer. Believe me, if I had the money, I'd probably buy this 58,000km ball of excitement for myself. The asking price is only A$32,000 - with the spare set of wheels and tyres thrown in on the deal!
C'mon lucky numbers...
Contact:
RPM Performance Centre
+61 8 8277 2266
