When it comes to fierce competition, showmanship, style and innovation, it's hard to beat the Japanese drift teams. Not only do they display incredible driving style they also tend to innovate. While not every 'Do it to be different' idea is good, there are a few that deserve credit. From Frankenstein engine swaps between different manufacturers to custom driveline configurations, these motorsports pioneers continue to make the move toward higher performance by way of 'the road less traveled.'

AWD to RWD Drift Conversions

One of the more recent innovations has been the conversion of all-wheel drive cars to rear wheel drive for drifting. Some competitors simply remove the front axles and cap the transaxle ports while others completed a full-fledged rear-wheel drive conversion with a totally-customized engine and drivetrain layout. Nobushige Kumakubo shocked the industry when he debuted his Team Orange Mitsubishi EVO IX drift car in 2007. The traditional transverse engine layout of the all-wheel drive setup was completely cast aside as the skilled technicians at JUN Automotive, led by Susumu Koyama, fabricated everything necessary to give the EVO IX a true rear-wheel drive configuration. The new setup featured a longitudinal engine configuration that was among the first of its kind. Kumakubo's positive experience with the EVO IX placed him among the first in line to buy the EVO?X when Mitsubishi released it in 2008. Wanting to stay one step ahead, Kumakubo delivered the new EVO?X to JUN Automotive immediately after purchase. There Koyama and his team once again worked their automotive magic.

Aptitude For Longitude

Kumakubo originally thought about making the EVO X a mid-engine configuration for optimal weight distribution, but due to logistics and budget, he elected to duplicate the layout of his EVO IX. Koyama's successful RWD conversion of the EVO IX made doing the same for the EVO X a logical course of action. With the brand new chassis stripped down and the driveline and engine removed, JUN Automotive went straight to work on the chassis. Engine position and drivetrain layout along with electrical and fluid plumbing were organized as engineers sorted out the new Mitsubishi engine.

More Displacement For More Fun

As soon as the EVO X was released, JUN engineers began development on 4B11T engine components. JUN subsequently produced a number of performance upgrades that were a perfect fit for Kumakubo's driftcar project. A set of 87mm forged aluminum pistons and a 97mm stoker crankshaft yielded an increase of 309cc in displacement, bringing the total to 2,307cc. This additional displacement provides more torque and exhaust-gas volume to spin a larger turbocharger without sacrificing response.

The Head Game

Improving airflow into and out of the cylinders improves horsepower and efficiency. JUN technicians hand ported and polished the cylinder head before seating custom-made JUN valves backed by JUN valve springs, titanium retainers and locks. Custom-ground JUN camshafts (264-degree intake, 272-degree exhaust) actuate the valvetrain. Featuring greater lift and duration, these bumpsticks improve both mid-range punch and top-end power.

Spoolin' Up Quickly

The high enthalpy exhaust gasses that flow from the exhaust ports are directed to an equal-length K-Style SPL stainless-steel manifold. The manifold positions the GReddy TD06SH-25G turbocharger for duty. From the 25G compressor, charge air is forced through hard pipes on the way to the GReddy front-mount intercooler. With heat rejected at the intercooler, the denser air charge fills the NTS custom sheetmetal intake manifold before being distributed to the intake ports.

Fuel For The Fire

Since drifting can cause fuel to slosh away from the fuel pickup under extreme lateral g-forces, a surge tank was deemed to be a necessary element of the fuel system. A Bosch Motorsports 044 in-tank fuel pump fills a custom aluminum fuel surge tank before a Bosch in-line pump fills the Moroso fuel cooling tank. The chilled fuel then makes its way to the SARD fuel rail and 800 cc/min injectors.

Smoke Machine

To ensure that the 2.3-liter engine generated enough power to deliver competitive performance, Koyama worked his magic on the fuel and ignition maps of the HKS F-CON V-Pro engine management system. Since the Mitsubishi MIVEC variable cam timing controls both the intake and the exhaust camshafts, the V-Pro was set up to work with the factory ECU. Reflashing the ECU with the proper adjustment of the MIVEC was made possible thanks to EcuTek tuning software.

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