CT230R Specs - HKS Australia

CT230R VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS
Although the engine is just one small part of what makes the CT230R so capable, it's a good place to start our look at the car.
Naturally, the Evo's 4G63 has been loaded up almost exclusively with HKS-produced parts. Some of them are one-off racing components specific to this car,
while others are off-the-shelf HKS parts that can be found on customer cars all over the world. The engine internals are all beefy HKS products, including the
pistons, rods, and crank which bring the displacement of the 4G63 up to 2.3 litres. The 820cc injectors are prototype parts and an HKS 1.2mm head gasket
toughens up things a little. The HKS 272 cams help the give the CT230R that lovely, lopey race car sound. It's no surprise that everything is controlled by one
of HKS' F Con V Pro systems.
The engine is fed by an HKS GT3240 turbine kit, which is barley visible there under the one-off exhaust manifold. Wastegate is an HKS GTII. Note the carbon
fibre intake pipe which is topped off with one of HKS' famous mushroom air filters. The HKS racing intercooler can be seen through the hole in the front
bumper. All together the CT230R's engine setup is good for about 550hp. That's not a mind-blowing number for an Evo, but horsepower is just one part of what
makes a fast time attack car, well, fast...
A quick look under the rear of the car shows the bottom of the trunk-mounted fuel cell, some of the added chassis bracing, and the large diameter one-off
HKS racing exhaust system. If you look closely you can see the Hipermax II SS coilovers which have been custom-designed just for the CT230R. Those big
tires are Advan A050's sized 265/35/18 all around...
...which are wrapped around these 18"x10J Advan RGII wheels. The Endless brake system is likely the biggest non-HKS component on the car. The six pot
callipers in the front and four pot callipers in the rear with MA22B pads give the CT230R all the stopping power it needs while slowing after Fuji's long front
straight or diving into one of Tsukuba's tight corners.
The interior of the CT230R is full of weight-saving and rigidity-increasing modifications, with little evidence left of the car's humble Mitsubishi origins. You can
see a bit of Evo left in the shape of the carbon dash shell, but that's about it. The full roll cage protects NOB as he sits in the carbon fibre bathtub piloting the
car. The cage also helps reinforce the already-stiff CT230R chassis. As you can see, the driving position has been pushed rearwards for better weight
distribution. I wonder if HKS also keeps tabs on NOB's diet?
The car is loaded up with HKS electronics, including an EVC boost controller, a few DB gauges, and the often-used HKS Circuit Attack Counter. All of the
electronic tools on the car keep the HKS crew very busy when the CT230R is running. While shooting the inside of the car, I was a bit overwhelmed by all
these gadgets.
That big shift lever is connected to an HKS MS Gear 5-speed sequential transmission (with an HKS LA-type clutch). The Eclipse screen in the centre of the
dash isn't for watching DVD's or a navigation system, but for the car's HKS Camp2 system. Seating consists of a lone carbon Bride Zeta III bucket. Unlike drift
cars or demo cars, there's no room for passengers here...
Back outside, the car looks stunning with its "stinger red" -painted dry carbon body and graphics, which were designed by MSR. Although HKS has poured
tons of hours into making the body as functional and aerodynamic as possible, I like how the car still has a nice shine to it - especially when equipped with the
black chrome Advan RG II's.
If you were looking for this same dry carbon HKS Racing aero kit for your Evo, good luck. This a one-off, race-only design for this car. Even if you could
purchase it, it'd likely cost a lot more than than a brand new Evo itself. From a visual standpoint, I'd say it's the fenders that are the most impressive part of
the exterior, although I also like the chrome covers that occupy the holes where the headlights once were.
The car's GT wing is equally impressive, mounted directly to the chassis and not just to the body. The trunk is of course dry carbon, as is every other body
panel on the car. By now I'm pretty used to it, but I still get a little nervous when moving around all this ultra-expensive carbon fibre during photoshoots...
Thanks to SPEEDHUNTERS and Mike Garrett