Ask… and you shall receive! Back for the 3^rd week in a row is a JDM wagon feature on Avantturous weekly blog! This Lancer Sportback is a rather rare offering from Mitsubishi: a one year only model (2004) and only a few hundred examples were ever sold in the USA. While this model was aimed to attract car enthusiasts in that era, they were a tad short in the performance department: 162 HP from a 2.4L engine (Ralliart trim) and only offered in 4-speed automatic transmission (a bummer for die hard manual fans). The lack in performance didn’t stop Eric from getting into the project: he knew from the get go that he wanted to build his own “Evo Wagon.” The rarity and the challenge to get the wagon to its current state were the motivation that had kept Eric going throughout the years. You see… even the donor Evo VIII wagon was difficult to source due to its scarcity: only 2500 units ever produced for Japanese market in the span of 3 years (2005 – 2007).

Let’s get into business! The exterior of this Lancer Sportback has been extensively converted to a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII Wagon! Hood, front fenders, headlights, side skirts, rear doors, rear quarter panels and a handful of exclusive to Evo wagon trims were acquired to complete this job. This conversion required grafting the wider rear quarter panel section from an Evo into the narrow body Lancer. What was more impressive is the fact that Eric tackled this conversion on his own after receiving a crash course on how to MIG weld from his friend. The wagon was then painted by Eric’s brother in law in a home garage! Carbon fiber canards, carbon fiber rear diffuser, front low lip, side skirts extensions and carbon fiber rear spat were added to accentuate the wagon’s new exterior appearance. Peep into the interior and you will find Evo Recaro seats and steering wheel that have made their ways into this Lancer Sportback. Eric wanted something different on this build; therefore he went the air suspension route on his wagon. Wanting to keep the trunk area useable, the whole Airlift hardware was hidden in the spare tire well. To finish off the exterior, a set of 3-piece Riverside Zepter wheels done in frozen blue made their way onto the wagon.

Eric’s journey with his Lancer Sportback has been quite impressive! From learning about the platform to sourcing the necessary hardware to undergo the modification to actually installing everything together on the wagon… that resulted to this awesome example to grace the California roads with its presence! If there is one representation that best described this wagon build, that would be “Home Garage Build.” The only thing left now is the powerplant and drivetrain swap (which he already has in possession). I certainly can’t wait for the final product with the 4G63 swap and AWD!

Why a WAGON?

I always favored four doors over 2 and a wagon seemed to be a fit better having kids and all.

I found my wagon on FB market place, original owner was a Japanese officer worker who used it to haul his surf boards around, he sold it to his friend, but his friends wife didn’t like it and was forced to sell it and that’s how I got a hold of it. I think I pulled a couple pounds of beach sand out of the bumpers and spare tire well when I was taking it apart.

Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?

I never really considered another wagon to build, my goal was set on building a evo wagon replica. The objective was to go 100% all the way including the drive train, but moving into a new place has put a halt to completing it since HOA doesn’t allow me to do major repairs on my car. Also California laws has got me going back and forth since this was a daily driver.

What style would you say best describes your car?

styling for this build is JDM at its best, I wanted it to be as close or OEM as possible.

Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?

contributions to the build would be lancer wagon/sedan forums and enthusiasts, without them we wouldn’t be able to figure out how to do the body conversion. A friend who used to run a modification shop, he showed me how to mig weld and allowed me to use all his tools to work on the car. My brother in law who helped me finish the body work and 3 stage painted it in his garage.

What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?

uniqueness? The lancer Sportback alone was sold in limited quantities in the US, wasn’t a big market for it. The evolution wagon was almost unheard of to many out there, we do have a couple floating around the US now, but this car out of all my cars over the years was one I built with my own hands, not one I paid a shop to do.

What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?

the fact that it looks like a evo wagon would be the favorite part, parts are no longer easy to import from overseas without paying a high price.

If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?

one thing I’m not satisfied with? The fact that it’s not 100% complete, then again nothing is ever finished even if you think it is.

What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?

biggest obstacle is not really the car, but my place of residence that doesn’t allow me to really work on it like I want.

What one word best describes your car?

one word that best describes my car? It’s JDM bro! lol jk. Snorlax, it’s slow and currently sleeping lol