Photography Taylor Vollrath
Three years after a tragic accident claimed his widebody Evo 9 during a flood, Brian Calbero decided to make the best of what happened, having kept the car knowing he could use its parts one day. Inspired by our buddy Archie Concon’s Evo-converted Mirage at SEMA, Calbero knew what he had to do.
With a background in autobody, and some fabrication experience under his belt, he knew he had his work cut out for him with this ambitious project. Once he had salvaged the drivetrain and a handful of other parts from what was left of his Evo 9, the real challenge began. Getting the Evo 9 subframe to mate up to the Mirage took some custom mounts and elbow grease, but once that was done, he was able to swap out the rear trunk pan in order to get the all-wheel-drive setup fitted.
During the AWD conversion, the car was stripped down completely. Calbero removed the Mirage’s firewall, parts of the floor pan, and transmission tunnel. “I've managed to graft in the areas I've removed with Evo IX panels, so everything else can be a straight forward bolt-on,” he says. “From the dashboard to center console, gas, clutch, brake pedals and booster are all from the [Evo] IX.”
“I really had no big plans except getting myself back into the passion of building a project car for myself,” he reminisces, remembering the rough times before he started rebuilding. “I say this was my way of therapy after I totaled my prized [Evo] IX.” Thanks to some inspiration from Concon’s two-door Mirage/ Evo, as well as some help from Team Hybrid, Calbero was right back on top of his game in no time.
Sometimes things fall apart so other things can be built up, and that seems to be the case with Calbero’s Mirage. “They say things happen for a reason,” he says. “I guess you can say that this is one reason that was meant to be.”
Full feature in PASMAG #148.
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ESSENTIALS
Location: Aiea, HI
Engine: Mitsubishi 4G63 2.0L I4
Facebook: evoBrianC
Instagram: @graphitemrevo6.5
ENGINE
- 4G63 engine swap
- ARC (CT9A intercooler, BOV, air filter)
- Merrill Performance/Ticon Industries titanium intercooler piping
- Tial BOV
- Samco hoses
- Custom titanium intake
- AMS fuel rail
- GSC camshaft
- Tomei cam gear
- Spoolin Up COP coils
- Evo 9 ECU
EXHAUST
- ARC exhaust
- ETS high-performance cat
DRIVETRAIN
- Exedy Evo 9 (clutch, flywheel, transmission, axles, ACD)
- Power Train Industries custom driveshaft
WHEELS/TIRES/BRAKES
- Volk Genesis wheels – 18x9.5 +11 (f/r)
- BF Goodrich tires – 255/35/18 (f/r)
- Brembo brake calipers
- Mazterpiece Automotive (titanium lug nuts, center hub nut, valve stem covers)
CHASSIS/SUSPENSION
- Enduratec coilovers
- Evo 9 (rear springs, sway bars, front control arms)
- Whiteline urethane bushings
- ARC Evo 6 front strut bar
- Cusco (rear strut bar, underbracing, trunk cage, rear trunk bar)
- BWR rear lower control arms
EXTERIOR
- JDM Evo 6 (front fenders, hood, headlights, folding mirrors, side skirts, trunk, tail lights, adjustable wing, rear bumper, grille, door handles)
- Custom Voltex/Tommi Makinen hybrid front bumper
- Voltex Evo 9 (lip, canards)
- Feast-Power Japan wide fender arches
- Carbon fiber (vortex generator, side skirt extensions, rear diffuser)
- Tommi Makinen Edition stripes
- Satellite Silver paint
- LED RGB (headlights, underglow)
INTERIOR
- Evo 9 (dashboard conversion, steering wheel, shift boot, e-brake boot, gauge cluster, floor mats)
- Red carbon fiber/Kevlar (dash trim, center console)
- Blox shift knob
- Autometer gauge pods
- Tommi Makinen Edition Recaro seats
- Takata (4-point harnesses, seatbelt shoulder pads)
- Cusco 6-point roll cage
- NRG harness bar
AUDIO/MULTIMEDIA
- Evo 9 head unit
SPONSORS
- AMSOIL, BF Goodrich, Meguairs, Merrill Performance, Mazteriece Automotive, Shade Tree Motorsports
