Bill Zissopoulos’ 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart

22 February 2010 in Featured Comments off

Although this new line up from Mitsubishi is very unfamiliar, Bill has taken the plunge and has yet to look back. Bill wanted to get the Evo X but decided against it so that not only him, but his wife can enjoy this black beauty too. Quickly after getting the car, he had has eyes set on a set of wheels. The wheels were off an EVO so the wide fenders were able to tuck the wheels but being a Ralliart, it lacked wide fenders. Bill was not going to give up on it so off he went to roll fenders. Check out how well he was able to get these to sit flush. In this short period of time a decent amount of work has been done. Read along to find out the entire story of Bill and his sexy SportBack.  What’s your real name? (What’s your screen name?)
Bill Zissopoulos (billyboy1)

What do you do for a living and where do you live?
I am a project management consultant specializing in infrastructure delivery along with marketing & communications projects.  I reside down under in Adelaide, South Australia.

What Mitsubishi(s) do you drive?  How long have you had it/them?
This is my first venture in the brand that is Mitsubishi – I have always had a soft spot for the Evolution models growing up watching Tommi Mäkinen destroying all before him back in the 90s!  I came into the turbo AWD background, driving a modified 2001 Subaru ‘bug eye’ wagon which was quite the passion, but have really enjoyed switching camps.  I now drive a 2009 Ralliart Sportback – I was considering the Evo X GSR, but really wanted the practicality of the hatch as I had to cater for my French bulldog puppies along with the wife who preferred an auto, so the SST along with the Sportback, was the perfect choice.

What’s your build philosophy/goals for your Mitsubishi?
Haha, it has been to have something special and to make my car fit the rims that I chose. I’ve always loved the volk ce28n design, so when a chance to get these rims came up, I jumped on it! However they were Evo spec (18×9.5 +28 offset) with the Ralliart having pizza cutter spec tyres (18×7 +48), there was quite the challenge making it fit.  There were many disbelievers, but never one to take ‘no’ for an answer, I had the car modified to suit the rims.  The rear guards(quarter panel) were flared by 15mm even after installing racing logic coilovers and running 2 deg of camber.  The fronts require a tiny bit of work, but it was the rears that really felt the love.  After the flaring, I took the car to the body shop to repair and smooth out the damage caused, but the end result speaks for itself!!

With the rest of the modifications, I wanted something that sounded tough and went hard to match the looks of the flared guards and dropping the car by over 2 inches.

How do you use it?
Well, the saying ‘drive it like you stole it’ springs to mind.

Have a favorite story about your Mitsubishi?
I’m always trying to explain that my car isn’t an Evo, but a Ralliart, to which I often get confused looks – the Ralliart Lancer badge (model) is only a recent addition to the Australian line up, but time will bring greater exposure.

What are your goals for your Mitsubishi and how close are you to achieving them?
I’ve split my modification into various stages – Stage 1 was the new rims, suspension and flaring the guards, Stage 2 was the upgrade in power (full 3” SS exhaust with a custom quad tips, ECUtek upgrade and boost pill which has netted 171kw@w on a mainline dyno), Stage 3 was the big brake kit upgrade – 350mm rotors! These stages have been complete with the final Stage 4 comprising of a new front mount, Evo x turbo and full race manifold (mainly because it looks awesome!)  This will have to wait for a little while as I have to go overseas which has raided up the modification fund for a while, but looking at getting Stage 4 done by the end of the year.

What was your favorite modification and why?
Favorite modification?  That is a hard one – there are 2 main mods that stand out – the exhaust for it has removed all the restrictions and sounds amazing, combined with the custom quad tips, it looks and sounds perfect!  The other modification has been the MRT big brake kit upgrade – the stopping power of the car has increased by a very noticeable amount and has relegated ‘brake fade’ to be but only a distant memory!

Tell us about something really exciting you’ve done with other Mitsubishi owners.
At clubcj.net, the community is really starting to take off and there are monthly catch ups, whether they be a cruise or other social functions, it’s good to catch up with like minded enthusiasts.

How often do you get together with other Mitsubishi owners in person?
It is starting to be once a month.

What excites you about the coming year?  (Your Mitsu and your community)
Finally catching up with like minded Mitsubishi drivers here in SA and going for a cruise / developing the community and awareness of the Ralliart model.

What’s the best part about being a Mitsubishi owner?  The most challenging?
The looks one receives when driving a Mitsubishi, knowing all  the AWD power creates a sense of envy.

Your thoughts on those who part out otherwise salvageable cars?
Don’t mind at all, sometimes it helps quite considerably when someone is parting out a car, one can get access to parts that are not always available.

How has your Mitsubishi build benefited from your involvement in the community?
I have been able to pass on my learnings and mistakes to the benefit of the community, so hopefully people can take on these on board and use them in their build.

What’s next for your Mitsubishi?
On hold for a little while and then Stage 4 – the fun stage (fmic, turbo and manifold)!!

Who has helped you the most along the way with the car?
Sean from S&J automotive – he has been a great asset in the planning of mods & mention must go to my wife for being supportive while I ventured on the modification path for the car and made her ears bleed with all my car talk haha.

Who do you look up to in the Mitsubishi community?
It would have to be Tommi Mäkinen – just watching him drive was amazing and forever changed my perception of the brand that is Mitsubishi.

Is there a particular shop you’d like to recommend?
Sean at S&J automotive here in Adelaide – they have such a passion for, and vast experience in modifying, evo’s and Subaru’s.

Do you spend time on any Mitsubishi sites?  Which ones?
www.clubcj.net ; evolutionm.net/ ; www.evolutionoz.net

Are you on Twitter?  Facebook?  How can people find you online?
Yep, on facebook – Bill Zissopoulos

Adelaide, Lancer, Ralliart