Remembering the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Published on April 5, 2014 in Galleries by Frédérick Boucher-Gaulin
Bad news from Mitsubishi: The CEO just announced that the Evolution would be discontinued, and that the next-generation Lancer won't have a high-performance version. Here is a short history of one of the biggest name in motorsport.
In the seventies, Mitsubishi realized that if they wanted to be respected as a serious manufacturer, they had to win at some kind of racing. They decided to take their Lancer sedan,and enlist it in the Safari Rally. in 1976, they take the first four place of the championship! A legend was born.
Mitsubishi decided to create a car to compete in the highest division of rallying, the Group B. They started building a four-wheel drive Starion with a turbo engine. Sadly,following numerous death, the Group B was cancelled in 1986, before the 4WD Starion was launched.
Mitsubishi decide to race in Group A instead. To do this, they need a production-based model. So they took the drivetrain from the 4WD Starion project, and stuffed it inside a Galant sedan. the new vehicle, named Galant VR-4, dominated Group A from 1989 to 1992.
In the early nineties, a lot of competitors in Group A realized their full-size sedan were too big for the narrow and winding rally stages. Ford moved to their Escort platform, Toyota launched a race-spec Corolla, and Subaru were working on an project named the Impreza WRX... Mitsubishi decided to adapt the VR-4 drivetrain to a Lancer, creating the Lancer Evolution.
The Evo was an immediate success. In Group A, It finished the 1993 season in third place. To homologate the car, Mitsubishi had to build 2500 Lancer Evolution for the street. They sold them all in 72 hours!
Mitsubishi produced 5000 Evolution II, from 1994 to 1995. With 260 HP, it was not only more powerful, but thanks to larger wheels, better tires and stronger suspensions, it was also more agile.
The Evo III, sold from 1995 to 1996, featured more aggressive bodykits to help cooling the brakes and the turbo. Power climbs to 270 HP.
The Lancer was fully redesigned in 1996, and the Evo followed soon after. The Evo IV was much more rigid, thanks to bigger front and rear swaybars. the car is easily spotted, with it's huge front fog light. The Finnish driver Tommi Mäkinen won WRC four times in a row in a Lancer Evo IV.
From 1998 to 1999, the Evo V featured sharper bodykits, and the torque was increased to 280 lb-ft. Power remained the same, at 276 HP, but various source said the car was actually making a lot more.
On the Evo VI, the cooling is once again upgraded, to help cooling the brakes and engine. Most of the upgrades from the Evo V are focused on reliability.
In 2001, The FIA makes new rules for the WRC, forcing Mitsubishi to change their Evo. The Evo VII is heavier, but thanks to an active center diff and 280 lb-ft of torque, it is also faster.
For the first time, Americans can finally buy an Evo (while we have to wait for the tenth version). It instantly become a cult car, embarrassing vehicle with a much higher price tag. The Evo VIII went from 0-100 in 6 seconds.
With 289 HP and a three-modes traction control (tarmac, gravel and snow) the Evo IX went from 0-100 in 4.5 seconds. A lot of them were modified to go even faster.
Starting in 2007 and becoming the last iteration of the Evolution, the Evo X is even more aggressive than its predecessors. It offers 291 HP and an optional twin-clutch transmission.
As a tribute to the Evo, Mitsubishi UK wil launch the ultimate version, the FQ-400. While nobody officially said so, the FQ moniker is said to stand for F***ing Fast. With 400 HP, it actually makes a lot of sense. The FQ goes from 0-100 in 3.8 seconds, and cost $91,000 dollars.
We lost a great icon with the departure of the Evo. It has a huge racing history, and a big cult following. A lot of people were drawn to the brand because of the Evo's racing prowess.
And by the way, Mitsubishi will now concentrate its efforts on building this, a $36,000 dollars electric vehicle with a 100 km (or 48 in the winter) range. According to them, it makes much more sense to produce this than a sport car.