Go fast and look good doing it.
That’s not the official motto of Workpack Racing – the team behind this Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution III from Malacca City, Malaysia – but it damn well should be.
The Evo’s owner, Hadri Hamzah – who I met at Retro Havoc this year – has two goals for his car. Firstly, to crack an 8-second quarter-mile pass at a Thai drag event later this year. There’s a very high chance that will happen too, given the Lancer’s best ET on slicks to date is a 9.07-second pass.
And secondly, Hadri wants the Evo to maintain a show-car-like aesthetic.
That second point becomes clear when you take a peek inside. This thing is immaculate. It’s still a drag car – the full Undersix roll cage and Kirkey seat speak to that – but everything is super-clean and well put together.
This is no surprise when you consider Workpack’s main bread and butter is car detailing.
The body is clean, with just a custom wing from Tuan Carbon Fiber added to the original Evo III kit – sans factory boot spoiler. Even the acrylic windows are free from scratches and swirls, which is surprising for a race car.
The Evo is not trying to be a show car – as it sits at a show, ironically. It’s trying to elevate its drag car bones as best it can.
Under the hood, the Lancer is still powered by a 4G63, but now in a specification far removed from how it left the Mitsubishi factory. Highlights include Wiseco forged pistons, R&R forged connecting rods, HKS cams, and a beautiful JM Fabrications intake manifold.
The party piece is a huge Precision turbo mounted on a custom tubular exhaust manifold that positions it right behind the grille for direct airflow. The turbo system also features a Precision wastegate, a large front-mounted intercooler with custom Undersix piping, and a TiAL blow-off valve.
I’m not sure if the Workpack team is into BBQs, but if they are, the flame-spitting, bonnet-exit exhaust – also by Undersix – would surely come in handy at the strip.
How much power? Running on leaded VP Racing Q16 drag racing fuel, the Evo produces over 1,100hp. It gets the power down to Hoosier slick-shod 15-inch RAYS Volk Racing TE37s through a PPG dog box, a Quarter Master twin-plate clutch, and an upgraded driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop. A Simpson parachute slows Hadri down.
While the Malaysian drag racing scene may still be young, cars like the Workpack Racing Evo prove this country has something to bring to the international table. With more power to wind into the engine setup – hello, nitrous – and weight to cut out of the current 1,204kg (2,654lb) chassis if Hadri so desires, there’s still plenty more to come.
Toby Thyer
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