Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution- Japanese road weapon

Hello fellow gearheads!

What comes to your mind when someone mentions to you words Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or just short for EVO? Japanese road weapon? Legend from Japan? How about rally legend? Just Japan? Or lets say Need for Speed or second and third part from Fast and Furious franchise? What ever it is I'm sure that we are all very familiar with this car. Now, this car is very close to my heart because basically all started with this car for me. This car is the reason I got into world of cars. This car is the reason I'm hardcore gearhead I'm today. Sure, there was a lot of other cars that brought contribution to that but Evo is the main reason for my huge affection to JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) cars. This car was also the reason I cried for the first time in my life when Mitsubishi announced that they put the end on production of Evo.

So lets get started with this article about one of the most famous cars in history of car industry that brought Japan on the map of the world of cars.

Evo from its start was a track oriented road weapon for people that wanted to have a car that they could take on track but also use it as daily car for shopping or taking the kids to the school. Evo connected both of that worlds so well that people went nuts for that car. It was that good made for both things that it immediately became one of the most popular sports cars ever made.

The production of Evo began in October 1992 in Okazaki, Japan and it was produced until 2007 when the last and final tenth generation was produced (swallows the lump in his throat while he writes that). All generations used 2.0 l turbocharged engines with all-wheel drive system but the horsepower variate from generation to generation. Interesting thing was that all Japanese manufacturers had gentlemen agreement during the 80's and 90's that none of their cars shouldn't have over 276 HP and they all had to hold on to that agreement. Mitsubishi didn't reach that mark until they released Evo IV.

The whole idea behind Lancer Evo was making road based cars of the car that was competing in Group A of World Rally Championship and SCCA Pro Rally Championship. That was required because of homologation rules. So Mitsubishi decided to produce a car that was based on Lancer compact car but with much more power. The only difference between Lancer and Evo is the basic frame. However, the Evo VI, VII, and VIII didn't meet the homologation rules so they couldn't compete in World Rally Championship.

Mitsubishi planed on selling Evo just on Japanese market but because of demand of "grey import market" (grey import market implies a new or used cars legally imported from another country through other channels other than the maker's official distribution system) Mitsubishi changed their mind and they decided to sell Evo on other markets. In 1998 United Kingdom was the first market in Europe where the Evo was sold (Evo V and VI) and in 2003 the Evo XIII was sold in United States.

What's amazing, Mitsubishi sold all 2500 units in the first three days of launching the first generation of the car. This was a sign that Evo will enjoy huge glory among gearheads.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION I (1992-1993)

The first generation of Evo was introduced in 1992 to compete in World Rally Championship. It used VR-4 drivetrain that was put in Lancer chassis and it was sold in GSR and RS models. The GSR model had all conveniences of street car while the RS model was striped version of GSR. Power windows and seats (not all of them ofcourse), ABS, a rear wiper where took away and steel wheels were added to save weight. The first generation had 2.0 l DOHC turbocharged engine that produced 244 HP at 6000 rpm and 309 Nm of torque. It also had all-wheel system which later became trademark of Evo. Mitsubishi sold 5000 units between 1992 and 1993 of the first generation.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION II

In December of 1993 Mitsubishi released the second generation of Evo and that generation was produced until 1995. Mitsubishi didn't changed a lot on this car. The handling of the car was improved, its wheelbase was shortened, larger swaybars were instaled and it received visual changes, such as larger spoiler and beefier tiers. The same engine was used but this time it developed 252 HP and 309 Nm of torque.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION III (1995-1996)

Third generation also received minor changes in relation to previous generation. Mitsubishi improved cooling and reduced lift. Turbocharger was also improved and compression ratio was increased to 9.0:1 which meant 9,9 HP were added and the engine developed 262 HP. Mitsubishi sold 7000 units between 1995 and 1996.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION IV (1996-1997)

In 1996 Mitsubishi decided to change Evo from the ground. The Lancer compact car was completely changed thus Evo was changed too. New twin-scroll turbocharger and limited slip front differential were installed and Evo developed 276 HP and 352 Nm of torque. Evo also got new Active Yaw Control which adjusted torque split individually to the rear wheels to minimize understeer. All that meant that all 6000 units were sold that quickly Evo couldn't make them as fast people came to the Mitsubishi dealer to buy one. Fourth generation got new trademark on which Evo was recognizable all over the world and those are two huge fog lights on the front bumper.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION V (1998-1999)

In 1997 the WRC created new class, "World Rally Car" and that meant that manufacturers had to abide standards of Group A but they didn't had to meet homologation rules. That significantly facilitated manufacturers to compete in World Rally Championship and still make road going versions of that car. With all this on mind Mitsubishi completely redesigned Evo IV and in January 1998 they introduced fifth generation of Evo. Almost every aspect of car was changed but most notably were turbochargers, brakes and cylinder bore. Torque was increased to 373 Nm. Horsepower reportedly stayed the same because "gentlemen agreement" was still in power but some respectful reports claimed that horsepower was slightly bigger then 276 or less horsepower that were agreed by "gentlemen agreement". The Evo V got also changes on the interior. More aggressive bodywork and Brembo brakes were installed on fifth generation of Evo.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VI

The sixth generation was changed just just briefly. The changes were mainly focused on cooling system and engine durability. It received larger intercooler, larger oil cooler, new pistons and new titanium-aluminide turbine wheel for RS model. Evo VI also got new bodywork, the fog lights were reduced in size and moved in corners for better airflow. This generation is also known because of its several special editions. First of them was RS2 model which was basically an RS model with some GSR options.

Another special edition was RS Sprint which was tuned by Ralliart to be lighter and more powerful with 330 HP.

In the 1999 Mitsubishi launched third special edition of Evo VI, Tommi Makinen edition.It featured Recaro seats, 17" wheels, MOMO steering wheel and shift knob and it came in exclusive shade of red with special decals, replicating Makinen's rally car. This special edition is often called Evo 6.5.

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VII (2001-2003)

In 2001 Mitsubishi decided to race in WRC class instead in Group A and that meant that they can make new Evo without following homologation rules. Seventh generation of Evo was based on larger Lancer Cedia platform which meant more weight but Evo compensated that with several chassis changes. The biggest change was addition of an active center differential and more effective limited split differential, while front helical slip differential was added. Torque was again increased to 385 Nm with engine tweaks that allowed greater airflow while horsepower remained the same at 276 HP.


MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION VIII (2003-2005) 

In 2003 the eight generation was released and this generation also got new changes. Super Active Yaw Control was added to handle traction and a 6-speed manual was added as well. It developed 276 HP and it was available in three trims: GSR (stnadard), RS (devoid of all excess components such as wing, carpets and radio) and MR which came with new vortex generator (a set of ridges above the rear window to improve aerodynamics). Both RS and MR editions came with a revised limited slip front differential.

MR edition came with slick response  Bilstein shocks for improved handling. Reductions for saving weight such as aluminum roof panel lowered center of gravity which brought to more natural roll characteristics. All-wheel drive also was changed, AYC 6 (Active Yaw control) traction control was added to the Sports ABS Systems.

Special editions such as FQ320, FQ340 and FQ400 were introduced in United Kingdom. Each of them came with 320, 340 and 400 HP. Because of that people are saying that FQ stands for "f*****g quick". Jeremy Clarkson took FQ400 for a test and he demonstrated how quick FQ400 is by racing Lamborghini Murcielago.

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION IX (2005-2008)

Mitsubishi introduced ninth generation of Evo in 2005 on New York International Auto Show. It came with MIVEC technology which boosted power to 286 HP and 392 Nm of torque. It had all parts which were used in MR edition on Evo IX such as Bilstein shocks and the aluminum roof. Three  models were available in Europe and Japan. All models had same horsepower (286 HP) but the torque was different. GRS model had 400 Nm of torque while RS and GT models had 407 Nm of torque.

Mitsubishi also produced 2500 limited edition of Evo IX, the station wagon Evo IX. Two models were offered, GT with six-speed manual and GT-A with five-speed automatic. Station wagon differed from sedan only by the interior.

MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION X (2007-2016)

Tenth generation of Evo got new 4B11T 2.0 l turbocharged, all aluminum engine which develops 276 HP but models that were sold in United Kingdom had either 300 or 360 HP. New all-wheel system was developed for Evo X and it's called S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) which uses torque vectoring technology to send different amounts of torque to the rear wheels.

In 2016 Mitsubishi announced that they have put an end on production of Lancer Evolution (guys I'm literally trying not to cry now) and that they will produce last, Final edition of the Evo. Final edition featured five-speed manual transmission, black leather Recaro seats with red accent stitching, 18" BBS wheels, Bilstein and Eibach suspension, Brembo brakes along with the requisite Final edition badge and numbered dash plate.

Now lets take a brake now and hold a minute of silence for one of the best cars ever produced. It's a real shame Mitsubishi decided to put an end on production of Evo but it is how it is. We can just hope that Mitsubishi will bring Evo from the dead.