Getting to know the man behind TRIIPN
Here at Street Cover we are constantly searching for awesome rides to feature. We search high and low & near and far. Today we present to you Stephen’s bagged Mitsubishi Evo 8. A ride we have been observing closely for quite some time now and although he has already sold the car, I believe a proper send off is in order! After countless attempts to shoot it, I was able to come up with enough shots to make this feature worthwhile.
First off, what can I say about Stephen.. He’s a genuinely nice guy and a true car enthusiast. After knowing him for such a long time, I know he strives for perfection when it comes to modifying his car. Countless defect notices have not stopped him from doing what he loves and his bagged Evo is a reflection of this. Now traditionally we normally do the write up ourselves, but this time I wanted to pick Stephen’s brain about his car and more importantly.. his story. I hope you guys enjoy it.
What got you into cars and why the Evo?
I was into cars at a young age through my uncles who were both into modifying cars. Then my group of friends, all through school were also into cars.. So cars have always been a passion of mine. I was sold on an Evo after going for a drive in a friends Evo 8 a while back and fell in love with both the looks and the performance of the car. So ever since then my goal was to get one as soon as I got off my P’s.
Tell me about Acquired Taste, how did that come about?
So the boys and I all had modified cars for ages and always said we should start a car club. So we tried to think of names for ages but never ended up coming up with anything or doing anything about it. We used to attend meets all the time together but still didn’t have an official club. So eventually we randomly came up with the name Acquired Taste and ended up going ahead with it and starting the crew.
How did you come up with the plate TRIIPN?
Hahahaha f*ck, I gotta keep it PG lol.
Why did you go for bags?
So the reason why I opted for bags was because I was over having to pull my front bar on and off the car to get in and out of my driveway at home.. and also I just wanted more low hahahaha..
What made you pick the CCW’s?
As for CCW’s, I loved the look of them as soon as they were released and I also wanted something different and something that hadn’t been done yet in Australia.
We all know the hooning laws here are ridiculous, and I know this hasn’t stopped you from modifying your car, was there ever a thought about giving it up? And what your thoughts on these laws?
The hooning laws are hard to avoid and really do make it hard for anyone who is into modifying cars, and would sometimes stop you from driving to certain places etc. But at the end of the day it’s a passion and it still wouldn’t stop me from modifying the car the way I wanted it to look and perform.
What would be your advice for people getting into the modification scene?
I guess my only advice I’d give is to modify the car the way you want the car to be. You’re always gonna have people hating and telling you what to do. But at the end of the day, you have to modify your car the way you dreamed of it looking in your head.
What will be your next modification? If not, what is your next car?
Well, next car is a MK7 Golf R. Time for a change. I’ve owned the Evo for 5 years and I feel like I’ve achieved what I wanted to do with it, so it’s time for a new project.
Very nice, will you be modifying this one as well?
Yeah no doubt Hahahaha.
Okay one last question before we conclude. If you had a chance to start over with your Evo.. Would you do it the same way? Or would you take a different route?
Nah, the final stage of the car was how I really wanted it to be, and it was the look I was the happiest with. Like when I first bought the car I had different views on it and I’ve played around with different setups throughout the years, but I was happiest with this final setup. My to do list was finally completed on the car when I sold it, so I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.
Thanks for your time Stephen. We wish you all the best with the new car, and we look forward to what you come up with next.
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8
Engine
Walbro 550hp in-tank fuel pump
1000cc Delphi injectors
Eboost street boost controller
50mm Tial Q BOV
Invidia dump pipe
Trust front pipe
Tomioka 100cell high flow cat
3inch stainless steel cat-back
K&N pod filter enclosed in carbon box
Hotside pipe
MAP EF2 Turbo
Kelford 272 cams
Head studs
Valve springs
Retainers
Tuned on e85 making 293kw atw on 28psi
Drivetrain
Exedy sports HD clutch
Brakes & Suspension
Airrex struts
Airrex digital air management system
Aftermarket adjustable tie rod ends
DBA 4000 slotted rotors
Gyrodisc brake pads
Wheels & Tyres
18×10 CCW LM5T
Fully polished
3.5inch lips all round
Achilles 225/40/18
Exterior
Carbon fibre do-luck front lip
Blacked out headlights
Mitsubishi oem side visors
Rexpeed carbon side skirts and rear pods
White vortex generator
Evo IX rear bar
Evo 7 tail lights
Interior
Pioneer fold out head unit
4x shadow gauges in dash pod
Nrg adjustable shifter
1kg fire extinguisher
Carbon steering wheel cover
JJR blue 6 point bolt in roll cage
Engine Bay
Carbon cam cover
Carbon coil pack cover
Carbon intake cover
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