The Evolution of Cool

Evolve Observes and Plans

Enter the Evolve team, who had been observing various types of show cars that were on display at high-profile venues and noticed several flaws with much of what they saw. The cars that were being built used regular run-of-the-mill components, which are available at any retail store. The art of customizing vehicles was definitely on the downslide, as it has become very easy for a builder with average skills to build and produce a custom vehicle from over-the-counter parts.

Selecting the Perfect Vehicle

Evolve wanted to stand out in a sea of mass-produced, made-to-order demo vehicles. To start, they needed a car that stood out in stock form, and that vehicle was the new Volvo C30. The philosophy of the Evolve team was simple: to build a vehicle that truly embodied what a custom demo vehicle should be, and to get the job done in a little over two months to be in time for the SEMA Show. This was not an easy task for even a moderate effort, let alone a car like this one.

Radical Bodywork Transformation

The bodywork of the C30 was radically altered to give it a muscular, more aggressive appearance. Evolve cut all the vertical metal from the C30 from front to rear, widened the body by 6 inches at the rear and tapered it down to zero at the front end. This design allows for a very wide and aggressive rear tire and a narrower one in the front, similar to an F1 car. Aerodynamics play a huge role in F1 racing, as considerable downforce is required to keep those cars planted to the track. Evolve incorporated its own interpretation of such aerodynamics, which included a rear diffuser that increases downforce as the car travels faster. An adjustable front spoiler can further fine-tune the amount of downforce being applied to the front of the C30. Unlike the majority of cars that have aero enhancements—such as body kits and canards, which are primarily used for cosmetic appeal—these 30 components actually work.

Engineering a Racecar-like Suspension

It’s obvious that Evolve wanted the C30 to handle and behave like a racecar, which is why the crew engineered a custom suspension using hand-built strut tubes, Koni double-adjustable cartridges, heavy-duty 500-lb springs (front), and 1,000-lb springs in the rear. Evolve also fabricated an adjustable camber plate into the upper strut mounting, while a custom anti-sway bar helps to keep the C30 squarely planted while cornering. The stock rear suspension was discarded, and custom control arms and an adjustable ladder bar setup ensure that the power will be put to the ground instead of being wasted through wheel hop during acceleration.

Quick and Convenient Adjustments

All four corners of the C30 are equipped with height-adjustable coilovers, but instead of jacking the car off the ground to adjust the height, Evolve designed a system where a 17mm socket and ratchet could be used to quickly and easily adjust the ride height. Evolve left no stone unturned with the suspension on this C30 as every facet of handling, such as camber, caster, toe, ride height and damping, can be independently adjusted at every corner for maximum handling.

F1-Inspired Wheels and Tires

Rounding out the handling of the C30 is a set of staggered custom Evolve F1 multi-piece 19-inch wheels, wrapped in massive 265/30/19 Pirelli PZero Rosso tires up front and Leviathan 355/25/19 rubber in the rear. The Evolve F1 wheels are fastened to the wheel hubs not by conventional wheel lugs, but rather via a large center locking-nut mechanism for quick wheel changes, just like the real F1 cars.

Building a Powerhouse Engine

Since Evolve wanted the C30 to look and feel like it descended from an F1 car, it would make no sense if the engine didn’t reflect an F1 car as well. As you would expect, Evolve made sure that the C30 wouldn’t be all show and no go, as this would defeat the purpose of building such a radical project vehicle. Evolve set a goal of building a 500hp engine, and by the end of the project, they overachieved their goal by building an engine that produced 507 hp at 6,100 rpm and 468 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm at the crankshaft. The C30 comes with an oddball 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine. As you would expect, there isn’t a wide selection of bolt-on components readily available for them to use, so the team had to rely on their fabrication skills in order to accomplish their goal.

Turbocharging Innovations

The most exciting way to make 500 hp is to use forced induction in the form a turbocharger. The problem with using a large turbocharger is the risk of turbo lag since a large turbocharger takes more time to spool up and produce power. The solution was to engineer a sequential turbocharger system with black thermal-coated turbine housings that use a smaller, quicker-spooling turbocharger to provide low-speed response and to help spool the larger turbocharger, which takes over at higher engine speeds. The result is a linear power band that would not be possible with a large turbocharger. Expelled exhaust gasses exit the turbines of the turbochargers and through the rear of the vehicle through the edge of each quarter panel.

Innovative Cooling System

Instead of a conventional-type intercooler, Evolve integrated a charge-cooling system with the factory A/C system. An evaporator was constructed within the custom intake manifold, where the heated air passes over an element that is cooled by regulating precise amounts of refrigerant that is used by the air conditioning system before entering the combustion chamber. This charge cooling system is far more effective than an air-to-air system, and it’s more space-conscious than an air-to-water system.

Drivetrain Overhaul and Braking Power

The C30 is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, but was re-engineered to change the drivetrain layout to all-wheel-drive. Evolve did this by reshaping the floor pan and grafting a Volvo AWD driveline to the C30. In order to properly stop this monster hatchback, custom calipers and rotors had to be fabricated. The front calipers are 14-piston units, and the rears are a six-piston design. Both are a finned and exposed to ambient air for cooling and the prevention of brake fade.

A Mind-Blowing Result

On the inside, a six-point chromoly safety cage caps off the mods and underscores the intense design of this C30, one of the most impressive performance machines we’ve ever presented. It just goes to show you that when an intense group like Evolve puts its creative minds together, what can take place often results in cars like this C30. It is proof positive that whether man did or didn’t evolve from primates, it’s possible for a vehicle like this Volvo C30 to evolve from bone-stock to mind-blowing.