Imagine That - Evolution Motorsports

Imagine That...
REAL PORSCHE EXPERTS,
FROM BOOSTED 996s
AND BLOWN 997s, TO
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
While these two seemingly
similar German beauties
actually have very little in
common, together they represent
the tip of the iceberg of Porsche
tuning expertise that is held by their creators.
Stephen Kaspar’s Speed Yellow 996
Turbo and Russ McDonough’s Mexico Blue
supercharged 997 Carrera S were both
built by one of America’s premier Porsche
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tuners, Imagine Auto – the company Kaspar
created. The certified Porsche nut – having
already owned 37 different models – has
always been interested in Porsches, but he
hasn’t always known much about them.
It all started for Kaspar back in Junior
High. “My grades started going down so
my Dad made me do a book report every
week,” he says. “The only input I had was
the book, and there just happened to be
a lot of Porsche books lying around.”
The experience certainly had a deep
impact with Kaspar, because after many
years of post-secondary education and
a Masters degree in sales, the first thing
he did was buy a Porsche. The 1967
911 S, the quintessential Porsche in the
minds of many, was not the dream Kaspar
had hoped it would be. “I went to have it
serviced and when the mechanic put it up

STORY COLUM WOOD PHOTOS JAMES PICKETT
From working in his garage and chatting on
internet message boards, to running Imagine
Auto and advising the Porsche Club of America
on technical issues, Stephen Kaspar is living
the dream.
on the hoist he immediately took it back
down because the floorboard was falling
out,” he admits. Having not made the
wisest purchase, Kaspar told himself, “I’ll
never be so uneducated about something
like this again.”
Somewhat of a workaholic, Kaspar was
burned out at his sales job at the early age
of 24. “One day I just got up and walked
out on a client,” he says. “I was offered
a job by a buddy working on Hondas and
I took it.”
After increasing his automotive knowledge
one day at a time, Kaspar eventually
got back into sales (this time working for
himself) and again found himself driving
a Porsche, this one a ’72 911 Turbo. He
started to get on a lot of internet message
boards and after a while people started
asking him to work on their cars. “I charged
$120 an hour and I told myself, if they’re
dumb enough to pay me, then I’m dumb
enough to do it.” After many long days and
nights of working his day job and building
engines until 3am, Kaspar sold his company
and started working on Porsches full
time. “After selling a set of cams for $300
one day, my wife suggested we take the
money and incorporate. So we did.”
Now, Imagine Auto, based in Lenexa,
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IMAGINE THAT
DETAILS
2006 PORSCHE 997 CARRERA S
SUSPENSION
TechArt PASM lowering springs
WHEELS, TIRES, BRAKES
(f) 20x9-inch TechArt Daytona TA wheels with
245/30/20 Continental tires, GT2 brakes
including six-piston calipers and ceramic rotors
(r) 20x10-inch TechArt Daytona TA wheels
with 305/20/20 Continental tires
Over the years Imagine
Auto has built its
reputation with good
service as well as quality
parts, many of which
come from well known
Porsche tuner Evolution
MotorSports.
KS, is housed in a 10,000 sq-ft facility
rather than in Kaspar’s garage. Included in
that space is a clean room, an all-wheeldrive
dyno, a show room and office space.
“We have 22 to 30 cars in the shop at any
given time,” he says, “and we build four to
five engines a month.”
Over the years Imagine Auto has built
its reputation with good service as well
as quality parts, many of which come
from well known Porsche tuner Evolution
MotorSports. “We are their number one
retailer,” says Kaspar. Both his Turbo and
McDonough’s Carrera received boosts in
power from some EVOMS go-fast goodies.
McDonough volunteered his car to be
the guinea-pig for EVOMS and iA. While
a Carrera kit is already in production, no
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997
Carrera S-specific kit was available. This
unit makes use of a Vortech blower which
is mated to a liquid to air intercooler. The
complete bolt-on assembly comes complete
with all the necessary hoses and
other hardware.
The kit produces slightly more power
than normal thanks to the addition of
racing cats as well as an exhaust system
(both headers and mufflers) provided by
Fabspeed. After tuning, the result is Turbolike
power from the 3.8L engine: 530 hp
and 330 ft-lbs to be specific. “When you
stomp on it, it burns rubber through the
first three gears,” says Kaspar.
The factory ‘paint to sample’ blue Carrera
puts the power down using Continental
rubber on big 20-inch TechArt Daytona
TA wheels. With the exception of TechArt
PASM-compliant lowering springs and GT2
ceramic brakes, the car remains otherwise
stock. McDonough is already in the process
of installing a better clutch as well as
a complete aesthetic upgrade, including
a Cargraphic lip and Ruf GT3 body kit.
As for Kaspar’s 996 Turbo, it’s in a whole
other league. This car is the culmination of
both an ongoing business relationship with
EVOMS and an ongoing friendship with the
company’s owner Todd Zuccone.
“I originally met Todd because he was
selling headers and Kinesis wheels as
a package. And I just wanted the headers,”
says Kaspar. “I finally convinced him
to sell just the headers, and the day he
called I had just cut two of my fingers off
working in the shop and didn’t even want
to look at another Porsche.”
As a die-hard enthusiast Kaspar didn’t
let the injury stop him. He even called Zuccone
back one day and bought the parts.
“We got along well,” he says. “I was 26
and Todd was 22 and everyone else in the
industry was a bunch of old farts.”
Kaspar says they talk almost every morning.
“One day I called him up and told him
I was going to buy a 996 Turbo and a ZO6,”
says Kaspar. “He told me that if I bought
the ZO6, he’d never call again.”
“I laughed.”
“He didn’t.”
“I called him a snob.”
“He said he had a better idea.”
Zuccone’s idea was an Evolution Motor-
Sports GT600 kit. A 600 hp 996 Turbo
was too much Porsche for Kaspar to

996
DETAILS
2001 PORSCHE 996 TURBO
SUSPENSION
JIC 15-way adjustable coilover suspension
WHEELS, TIRES, BRAKES
(f) 18x9-inch Speedline Coarse wheels with
245/40/18 Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 rubber
and GT2/GT3 six-piston calipers, 330mm
rotors, Pagid Yellow pads, SS Brake lines
(r) 18x12-inch Speedline Coarse wheels
with 315/35/18 Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2
rubber, stock brakes with Pagid Yellow pads,
SS Brake lines
EXTERIOR
TechArt Type II front bumper, GT2 tail,
TechArt inlet splitters, painted rockers
INTERIOR
Upgraded dash to 2002 model
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IMAGINE THAT
Presently, the Speed
Yellow Turbo sports
an iA 700 package which
produces 691 horsepower
and a thundering 748
ft-lbs of torque.
50 L E
refuse. “Two days after I got the car, it
was completely in pieces. My coworkers
thought I was nuts.”
Even since that original kit, the power
has steadily increased on Kaspar’s Turbo.
While Imagine Auto does sell and install
EVOMS kits, they also produce their own
variation of the EVOMS product. Presently,
the Speed Yellow Turbo sports an iA 700
package which produces 691 horsepower
and a thundering 748 ft-lbs of torque. Imagine
Auto uses custom Garrett turbos in KKK
K16 housings with special wastegates. The
rest of the iA 700 Porsche’s power comes
as a result of a complex arrangement of
piping and hoses as well as improved fuel
delivery, not to mention a Miltek muffler,
Venturi collector and aluminum/carbon
fiber intake ducts which connect to the
EVOMS air intake.
Before the twin-turbo improvements
were made, however, new head studs were
used to connect the ported head (sport-
ing new valve springs) to the block (which
received Carrillo rods). GIAC software was
then used to customize the ECU.
With a custom iA carbon clutch the power
makes it to the ground in a ferocious way.
“It’s so powerful, I ripped the flywheel
right off the crank,” claims Kaspar. So to
make use of the power, big Michelin Pilot
Sport Cup 2 tires measuring 245/40R18
and 315/35R18 fit around 18x9-inch and
18x12-inch Speedline Corse wheels.
For fun on the track, Kaspar opted for
a 15-way adjustable JIC coilover setup
and upgraded to GT2 brakes up front.
“I wouldn’t hand the keys to my wife to
go to the mall,” he says, who also admits
that with proper precaution the car can
be tame. “I drive it to work every day,” he
says. He also once packed his wife, kids
and luggage in the car and drove 12 hours
straight to a Porsche meet in Dallas. “You
can’t say that about too many 800 hp
cars,” he boasts.

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IMAGINE THAT
SPECIFICATIONS
2001 PORSCHE 996 TURBO
ENGINE
3.6L twin turbo flat-six
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
Imagine Auto, EVOMS and GIAC developed iA 700
package including: custom Garrett turbos machined
in KKK K16 housings, custom spring wastegates
with custom billet hold downs, Miltek stainless
steel muffler, custom billet compressor bypass
valves, EVOMS intake airbox with Venturi stainless
steel triangle collector, stainless steel headers,
aluminum/carbon fiber intake ducts, high pressure
silicone hose kit including “F” hose for BOVs,
in tank Bosch racing fuel pump, stainless steel fuel
line, custom fittings and filter and high capacity
custom fuel injectors; Carrillo rods, GT3R oil pump,
custom stainless steel head studs, ceramic coated
crowns, dry lube skirts, updated valve springs,
light porting
ENGINE MANAGEMENT
GIAC custom GT700 software, flashloaded
to allow OBD2 port switching of three custom
programs, HKS data camp system
DRIVETRAIN MODIFICATIONS
Custom iA created triple disc carbon/carbon clutch
NUMBERS
Horsepower: 691 @ 5700 rpm
Torque: 748 @ 3800
“It’s so powerful, I ripped
the flywheel right off the
crank,” claims Kaspar.
Kaspar’s expertise have not gone unnoticed
either. From his early days giving out
tech info to combat the ever increasing
pool of misinformation online, to his more
recent involvement in the Porsche Club of
America (PCA), Kaspar could certainly be
called a Porsche Guru. After the PCA first
made him one of their 12 technical advisors
(originally as a Carrera expert and
later as a Turbo expert), he now writes for
Panorama, the PCA’s national publication.
Kaspar’s work also takes him to PCA meets
where he gives seminars. “I once disassembled
and reassembled a transmission
eight times in one day,” he claims.
As a Guru, Stephen Kaspar should also
52 L E
SPECIFICATIONS
2006 PORSCHE 997 CARRERA S
ENGINE
3.8L flat-six
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
EVOMS Vortech Supercharger Kit including: V1
Vortech blower, rear engine mount bracket, liquid
to air intercooler, inlet hoses, pressure hoses, MAF
housing, air filter and larger injectors; Fabspeed
mufflers, headers and 100 cell racing cats
ENGINE MANAGEMENT
EVOMS ECU
DRIVETRAIN MODIFICATIONS
Custom iA created triple disc carbon/carbon clutch
NUMBERS
Horsepower: 530 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 330 ft-lbs @ 6500 rpm
be ranked amongst the hardest of hardcore
Porsche modifiers. “Tuner used to
mean you did it in house,” he says. “Now
it means you have a fancy website and
you outsource all your work. That’s why
I call us an ‘engine builder.’ When you call
me for questions, I’m the same guy who is
back there building the engines.”
Kaspar sadly admits that he may be
parting with his car in the future for
a brand new Turbo. It’s nothing against
the 996 he insists, even though they have
SOURCEBOX
IMAGINE AUTO INC.
Imagine Auto Inc.
8344 Melrose
Lenexa, KS 66214
W: www.imagineauto.com
T: 913-310-9927
F: 913 322-8562
E: questions@imagineauto.com
EVOLUTION
MOTORSPORTS
1375 N. Miller Rd.
Tempe, AZ 85215
W: www.evoms.com
T: 480-317-9911
F: 480-317-9901
GUTTER SIDE
had their ups and downs. “I can’t count
how many times I’ve been on the side of
the highway, cell phone in hand, because
it wouldn’t start,” he says, “but I always
got it running.”
As for moving on to the 997 Turbo – “It’s
just a wise business decision,” he says.
From a man who loves his Porsches and
wouldn’t have it any other way, changing
with the times is a necessity. “If I can feed
my family doing this,” says Kaspar, “it’s
what I’m going to do.” MLE

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