Adventures have evolved

Costa Mesa was invaded Sunday by a herd of roaring vamped up cars and their proud owners.

But instead of the hot rod shows of old, this show was for a new generation celebrating a product much evolved.

South Coast Mitsubishi hosted its 20th annual EVO meet at its car lot Sunday at 11 a.m. as enthusiasts were invited to show off their own Lancer Evolutions while patrons could also get a look-see at the new EVO 10.

Neil Chirico, a former test driver and Lancer enthusiast, speculated as to why the EVO has become a popular car among Southern Californians since it came to the U.S. in 2003.

“Kids grew up playing this car on Playstation,” said Chirico, who also said movies like “The Fast and the Furious” helped amp up interest. “If I had stupid money, I would still have an EVO in my garage.”

The EVO 10 was showcased at the event which is the same car enthusiasts have loved for years, with some modern upgrades.

One of the features is Active Yaw Control which allows the rear axles to administer more power to the outside wheel during hard turns and helps push the car around corners, enhancing the car’s handling, Chirico said.

A band played while barbecue cooked and many people walked the lot which was cleared for people to bring in their personal EVOs.

Frank Cho, 23, of Pasadena, drove down to the meet in his 2003 Lancer. His brother’s friend initially got him interested in imports and when he found the EVO, he didn’t want any other car.

“It’s the best high-performance car for its price,” Cho said. “It’s easy to modify. It’s our generation’s hot rod.”

Cho believes the EVO has had a huge impact on the car scene. For those who prefer performance, Cho points to the car’s ability to be easily modified.

For himself, he put in bigger injectors, a new exhaust, worked on the cams inside the engine and tweaked the computer.

“Mind-blowing more power over stock,” Cho said.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.