A rally icon and a street legend: The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Limited to 5,000 units between 1992 and 1993, all right-hand drive and exclusive to Japan, the first Evo marked the beginning of a legendary lineage
Mitsubishi's heritage in racing traces as early as the 1960s, dishing out the 594-cc, 25hp 500 Super Deluxe for the Macau Grand Prix. Make no mistake, this 'giant' of a car snatched all three podium positions in the 1962 event.
That success kickstarted a long list of performance cars that were centered around Mitsubishi's core value, high-tech ruggedness. Naturally, the motorsport they set their hearts upon was rally racing.
The late 1980s saw Mitsubishi's first attempt at Group A rally qualification with the Gallant VR-4.
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The VR-4 was equipped with the first rendition of the iconic 4G63T, the engine that Mitsubishi sustained in all the Lancer Evolutions till the ninth generation.
The two-litre turbocharged engine paired with an AWD system from the future led to the Gallant VR-4 being revered by petrolheads worldwide.
In the early 1990s, rally events worldwide shifted to more challenging courses, leaving larger cars like the Galant needing help to keep up.
Mitsubishi ingeniously squeezed the power of the Galant VR-4 into the compact frame of the Lancer sedan, giving birth to the 1992 Lancer Evolution (Popularly termed as Evo).
With a potent 4G63T engine boasting 247 horsepower and a five-speed manual transmission, power flowed to all four wheels. The debut Evo came in two flavours – the GSR, a comfortable street version, and the RS, a stripped-down racer shedding over 150 pounds.
Limited to 5,000 units between 1992 and 1993, all right-hand drive and exclusive to Japan, the first Evo marked the beginning of a legendary lineage.
The following two generations of the Evolution were designed to be incremental improvements over the Evolution I's rally prowess, with noticeable increases in power output and aerodynamics, adding to Mitsubishi's technical brilliance with the car.
The Evolution III was the turn of the tide for the lineup, it marked the years of WRC dominance with rally legend Tommi Mäkinen behind the wheel. A series of Ralliart-tuned Evos, from the III to the VI, Mäkinen took the WRC by storm with a hot-streak of championships from 1996 to 1999.
Following the success of the Evolution III, the Lancer Evolution series stepped into its own with the fourth rendition. The Evolution IV sported the same 4G63T powertrain with a new twin scroll turbo and a brand new body.
Most notably, the Evo IV came with an active rear differential as a part of a new Active Yaw Control (AYC) system that had the psychic ability to measure when and where power is best sent.
The biggest visual transition was made with the Evolution V, followed by the Evolution VI - the first Evo to make it to the global stage.
In homage to rally legend Mäkinen's skills in the Evo that made it a household name to enthusiasts, the Evo VI came in a limited run Tommi Mäkinen edition that had rally-inspired trim variations and a more race-ready outlook.
By the seventh generation, the Lancer Evo had become the poster-boy for JDM excellence, making an appearance as Paul Walker's trusted stead in the Fast & Furious franchise.
But by far the most iconic appearance of the Evo in pop culture remains as Sean's redemption in 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift', the head-turning Evolution IX that had petrolheads gasping for a second glance.
It once graced the shores of Bangladesh with Rangs Motors importing them back in the hay day. Even to this date however, the Lancer Evolution still remains to be a popular choice among petrolheads in Bangladesh along with many parts of the world.
Part of the credit goes to its reliable engine and a huge market of performance parts and tuning shops to back it up.
The Evolution X was launched in 2007. As per its three generation refresh, the 10th generation received a complete makeover including a new engine for the first time- the 4B11T.
By 2010 however, the well of popularity had dried for Mitsubishi and has led to the discontinuation of the rally icon after its 10th generation.
Before eventually killing it off in 2016, Mitsubishi announced one last trim for the Evolution X called 'Final Edition' (FE). Based on the 5-speed manual GSR trim, it was limited to only 3,100 units worldwide.
Since then, the current Mitsubishi has limited itself to producing passenger focused crossovers, at which it seems to be receiving its highest success. Even the Mitsubishi Eclipse, a two-door front-wheel-drive sports-coupe based on the Evos is now turned into a Crossover.
With no announcement yet for another new Evo or even Lancer, the 'Rally Legend' remains to be one of the very few examples to die a hero.
