Mitsubishi is a brand that many enthusiasts would agree has had a fall from grace. In it’s heyday, Mitsubishi produced some of the most iconic rally and street cars of all time, all at an affordable price point. Over the years, though, the company has fallen on hard times, and has lost it’s presence in the automotive space. The company’s legacy, however, has been preserved by enthusiasts like Phil Lontrao.
Phil is a good friend of mine that I met last summer, and he also happens to have, in my opinion, the cleanest Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII in the state of Florida. Everything about Lontrao’s is intentional, with no stone left unturned. This car is one of the most thorough and well taken care of EVO’s I’ve ever seen in person, while also being a modified car. Lontrao, like many of us, has been interested in cars since a very young age.
“My parents used to always tell me as a toddler I would hear car or motorcycle exhausts and run to the window to watch and then try to emulate the sounds. My dad and uncle were big into cars and used to take me driving around and even racing. They were huge Formula 1 and rally fans, so we’d watch or talk about those sports often. When I was old enough to get into video games of course games like Need for Speed or Gran Turismo were foundational to me. I have some of the oldest engrained memories playing and just obsessing over the cars themselves. That was my first introduction to JDM cars and cars like the mark 4 Toyota Supra. In 2001 my dad took me to see The Fast and the Furious in the theatre and my life was never the same
Lontrao’s father bought his first car, a red 2005 Toyota Celica GT when he was 14, and passed it down when he turned 16.
“Once I was 16 we started sharing the car basically. I got my first street racing ticket within 90 days of having my license but still convinced my parents to let me turbo the car. Before the setup was fully finished and dialed in the car was rear ended and totaled.”
I asked Lontrao why he eventually chose the Evo 8 as his platform, and his answer shocked me.
“I had an FD RX7, always wanted one but mine was almost bone stock and I had plans for a full blown project. Unfortunately the pandemic happened, which hit the automotive industry hard. It seemed almost overnight half of the companies supporting the platform stopped. Couple that with financing a company to build me almost the entire engine setup (turbo, hot parts, ic and piping, etc) they went bankrupt. So after losing a ton of money and being stuck with a half taken apart project I got fed up. Around late 2022 or early 2023 I looked for a new project and the Evo popped up. It was wasn’t even one of my top 5 choices, I even joke with people that with the whole STi vs Evo debate, I always liked the Subarus more. Something made me feel like this was the direction for me and I’m so glad I did it.”
When I said Lontrao’s Evo has left no stone left unturned, I meant it. The car rides on ISC coilovers, Rays TE37 wheels, Megan Racing lower control arms, White Line tie rods, and Bride seats. For the body, the car is sporting a JDM Evo 9 rear bumper, carbon side and rear skirt extensions, a Ralliart hood vent, custom clear tail lights, and M3 style mirrors. Lontrao also has a Voltex wing, or wing delete kit, depending on how he’s feeling.
For power, Lontrao’s Evo is running a Forced Performance black turbocharger and cast manifold, an MAPerformance downpipe, a Tomei test pipe and catback exhaust. The car also has an ETS 4” front mount intercooler, a Walbro fuel pump, 1300cc injectors on an AEM rail, and HKS 272 cams all controlled by an OEM ECU that was tuned on e85 by Slowpoke tuning. That’s the condensed version of the list, by the way.
“The goal is a period correct, purpose built street car with modern influences like the fitment and some parts choices. Almost nothing on the car is untouched anymore. “I’m obsessed with the platform and can’t see myself parting with it for a long time.”
To afford this level of intricacy, Lontrao works in banking corporate operations. “I initially went to University of South Florida for chemical engineering, but after working in banking part time I realized there was more money in it for less education investment and haven’t looked back. My driving force is simple; make enough money to support my family, lifestyle and hobby.”
“I for sure wish I would have invested more and been more intentional in life choices, money etc. I realize now all the life lessons people tried to teach that I disregarded because I had to learn myself just to realize they would have saved me time if I listened.”
“I sit somewhere between the quote from chemist Marie curie: ‘nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood’ and Seneca ‘luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.’ Just a less cliche way of saying you can do anything you put your mind to. You can be successful, you can have what you want and never think anything is unreachable but just be willing to put in the effort. Find your platform, find your niche plan it out and build what you want, how you want. It’s going to take a lot of time, money, commitment but will be worth it in the end and never compare yourself to those around you.”
Lontrao’s Evo is a car that you will definitely see on this page frequently as its one of my favorite car and owner combos. With enough consistency in life, we can all accomplish whatever we set our minds to. Set yourself a goal, and work towards that goal through trial and error until you achieve it.