SP Rides: Simple and Sexy
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Year, make, model: 2010 Mitsubishi Evolution X
Owner: Michael Dalope
Age: 27
Occupation: Delivery driver
Hobbies: Cars, basketball, freestyle rapping
Color: Dark Gray
Engine: ETS intake, ETS 3.5 intercooler, Cobb upper and lower pipes, ETS open dump downpipe, highflowcat, and single exit Tomei exhaust, blow off valve, Seibon carbon fiber engine cover, Rexspeed carbon fiber cooling radiator plate, Rexspeed carbon fiber fuse cover, Resxspeed carbon fiber battery terminal, Ralliart oil cap, Monster Sport titanium exhaust manifold shield
Exterior: Seibon csl-style carbon fiber trunk, custom Audi-style headlights with halos that change colors, Mars Varis taillights, JDP Ralliart style LIP
Interior: Grimspeed boost controller, AEM boost and AFR gauges, Recaro seats, universal harness bar, Takata harness seatbelt, carbon fiber Rexspeed gauges pod, Vertex turn signal extension
Wheels/suspension/tires: ESR SR06 18-by-10.5 with 15mm spacers, Fortune Auto 500 coilovers, Federal Formoza A201 235/40zr18s all around
At a young age, Michael Dalope’s first experience with cars was through his father’s boosted Lancer in the Philippines. It left an indelible impression upon him — so much so that the Lancer Evolution became his dream car. Now living in the United States, he’s owned this gorgeous 2010 Mitsubishi Evolution X GSR since 2015. For him, it’s time to shine.
Dalope is pretty humble about his ride. It’s a work in progress but he’s already pushing some impressive horsepower while slowly building up the looks to his standard. His goal is to become more involved in the show side of the scene. As time has gone on, he’s become even more interested in adding more show with his go.
Since he’s owned the car, he’s had the opportunity to enter a few shows, including Wekfest. This has introduced him to new friends and new opportunities. One look at the exterior, and you can tell he’s already begun his modification journey. Although big plans are still in the future, custom Audi-style headlights with color change halos combined with Mars Varis taillights have upped the ante. A JDP Ralliart style front lip and carbon fiber Seibon trunk add some aggressiveness as well.
Bold and bright ESR SR06 18-by-10.5s have been added with Federal Formoza A201 tires for some nice sticky rubber for the road. The body is dropped over this chunky setup thanks to Fortune Auto 500 coil-overs.
The engine is really where it all comes together currently. It’s a very clean engine bay — a theme that Dalope is very keen to represent. The black stealth looks and carbon fiber Seibon engine cover pieces keep it very stealthy. However, it hides the definitely-more-than-stock horsepower lurking under the surface. Dalope doesn’t want to name how much power he’s putting down, but let’s just say that it’s enough to keep you pressed back into the seat when the throttle is down.
All of the bolt-ons are here, including i an ETS intake and 3.5 intercooler. Cobb provides tons of goodies like the upper and lower pipes as well as an open dump downpipe which exits through a high-flow cat and single exit Tomei exhaust. All of this is controlled by a Cobbs AccessPORT which has been used to tune the engine to that healthy range of power. Tons of additional detail pieces have also been added, which keep this bay looking primo.
The interior hasn’t been ignored either and features a number of gauges as well as a trick Grimspeed Boost Controller and AEM Boost gauges. Takata harnesses are also combined with a universal harness bar. Even his baby girl gets the good life with her own Recaro babyseat. Yes, this ride is a family car with some power.
In the end, for Dalope, he’s got big plans. He wants to get noticed on the scene and be recognized for a car that’s simple yet sexy. One that makes you go, “Wow!” He’s certainly on his way there.
