As the capital of the country, Washington, D.C. exerts influence far beyond its mere 68 acre district. But thanks to AMS Motorsports, political power isn’t the only thing being manufactured in George’s city. As one of D.C.’s premier tuning shops, AMS has established itself as a leader in producing aftermarket horse-power, especially from Mitsubishi Evos. In fact, filled with Evos on any given weekend, the shop looks more like Mitsubishi’s skunkworks garage than a aftermarket tuning shop. Jaeramie Chronopoulos’ AMS built 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII is a perfect example of why D.C. just might also be the capital of Evos.

Chronopulos, who knows a thing or two about building things since he’s a commercial general contractor by day, bought the Evo in 2003 but waited almost a year until he started voiding his factory warranty. And because he moonlights as a technician at AMS (www.amstuning.com), finding the time and the right info to build a monster Evo was easy. The Evo wasn’t his first project, he was a hardcore VW guy and his previous project was a Jetta VR6. Apparently though, even Helga couldn’t keep the Evo from sucking Jaeramie into its turbocharged, all wheel drive calling. While he toyed around with the idea of buying a Subaru WRX STI, before he picked up the mighty Mitsu, the choice ultimately came down to non-performance issue – getting a radio as standard equipement in the Evo vs. shelling out extra for the option in the STI.

After picking up the Evo, he never looked back. The engine compartment soon became busier than a congressman’s office in October and a catalog’s worth of HKS products were installed. HKS’ 280 cams and cam gears instantly added an aggressive nature to the 4G63 4-cylinder powerplant while HKS’ DLI2 Ignition system took care of added spark requirements. The real source of the power jump though was an Automotorsports GT35R turbo kit paired with a Turbo XS Hyperflow front mount intercooler and matching Automotorsports lower and upper intercooler piping. ARP head studs were installed to keep things in their place under the newly extreme conditions. There is no power without control, so the saying goes and a TIAL blow off valve, a TIAL wastegate, GReddy Profec boost controller are all on duty to do just that. Master control though ultimately falls into the responsibility of the standalone AEM Engine Management System (EMS) which was tuned by noted 4G63 tuner Sean Ivey (www.iveytune.com). Meanwhile, an ARC radiator and cap, with help from a FAL slim fan, help keep temps cool. Keeping the air stream cool is what a trick SMC alcohol injection system does; by directly injecting an alcohol mist into the charged air stream, the air is further chilled for better power and anti-detonation characteristics.

Likewise, keeping cornering attitudes cool is what a gaggle of suspension tweaks are geared for – including a Progress rear sway bar, a GT Spec rear strut bar and rear trunk cage, a Carbing front strut bar, and a RMR lower brace. The resulting ride quality is stiffer than Donald Rumsfeld’s upper lip. And when its finally time to hit the center pedal, Rotorpro drilled/slotted rotors, Hawk HPS brake pads, and Goodridge steel brake lines filled with Motul RB600 brake fluid are an equal match to the upgraded acceleration.

With the major engine overhaul and chassis elements out of the way, Jaeramie practiced his Japanese and loaded up on even more JDM parts goodies to fill an Option Magazine buyer’s guide. The usual JDM suspects were rounded up, including JIC FLT-A1 coilovers with custom spring rates and Takata harnesses, as well as JDM Mitsubishi Evo MR headlights, taillights, and rear bumper. Work VS-TX 18x9 staggered rims wrapped with Pirelli Corsa 255-40-18 tires add JDM bling at all four corners. A Do-Luck chin spoiler, Varis CF bumper cooling ducts, and a Mitsubishi MR Vortex generator – all splashed with custom paint – finished off the exterior look. The attention to aesthetic detail carries over to interior where unexpected nice touches include a full suede interior (door panels, headliner, rear shelf) to match a full set of Evo 9 suede/leather seats, a color matched Sparco harness bar, a carbon fiber arm rest and carbon fiber dash and glove box gauge pods housing Defi instruments. Despite the factory radio ultimately deciding his Evo purchase, a Kenwood head unit was switched in, in a nod to audio tuning.

General contractors are known to juggle a few projects at once and Jaeramie is no exception. While his goal for the Evo is to break 1000 whp with mods like a 2.3 stroker motor and a GT42 turbo, he’s also taken on another turbo all wheel drive project in the form of a 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo. Spoiled? Did we mention his truck? A Dodge Cummings Diesel dually that puts out 950 foot pounds of torque with about 400 hp. Yes, he is.