Evolution of the Evolution

So what's that loud exhaust note that's been taunting our neighborhoods in the past few years? You've heard it before. It's Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution. "The Evo." Apparently, it's one of the fastest cars alive for $30,000. On top of that, it'll make your 50 year-old dad look 25. Well, at least feel 25.



THAT'S AN EVO?! Yeah. Doesn't look a thing like the Evos you see in the street today, huh?

When the Evo was brought to America in 2003, people fell in love. Even before that, though, in 1998, Playstation fans were already sucked in by the Evolution VI in Gran Turismo. For the general public, however, the Evo VIII is all they had ever known about Mitsubishi's big deal sports car. There are so many things behind "Evo" that most people don't know. Like, for instance, the fact that this car that caused so much emotion among drivers in 2003 actually came out 12 whole years before that.

Evolution I



Way back in '91, Mitsubishi was very active in the rally racing world. To race in the "Class-A" series, strict rules had to be followed. One of these rules is that the racecar MUST be based off of a car that is sold to the general public. This was the cause of the first Evo to be built. Mitsubishi extensively souped up 5,000 Lancers and sold them to the public under the name Lancer Evolution. Getting past that rule was the only reason for the Evolution to exist. That being said, you can probably imagine what a raw sports car it was. It had 244 horsepower (phenomenal amount in 1991) and weighed close to nothing. For very little money, drivers all over the world (except the US, of course) were able to feel like they were in the Paris-Dakkar Rally.

Evolution II



Since Mitsubishi was still racing in the same class, they needed to update their street versions of the Evolution alongside of updating their rally racecar. The Evolution II pictured above came out with very minor changes from the first one and had 8 more horsepower.

Evolution III



Because the first two were so successful, Mitsubishi produced more and more Evolutions. By the time the Evolution III came out, that big wing in the back was a trademark. They now had 265 horsepower and still weighed nothing. This was the car of all cars, without all the technology and fussy things; it was pure driving machine with nothing to get in the way of the driver, the car, and the open road.

Evolution IV



When the Evolution IVs came out, it was just the time that the regular Lancers were rebuilt from the ground up. This explains why the new look was more muscular, bigger, and boxier. By now, Mitsubishi had so much experience that they knew what they were doing when they designed the bodywork to create better airflow and engine cooling. Because of a tradition in Japan where all cars could have 276 horsepower at most, the Evo was rated at that mark--276. However, people who knew how to drive them stood by the claim that there was a lot more coming from the heart of the engine.

Evolution V



When the Evolution V came out, the rally racing world created a new car class called the "World Rally Car," or WRC. This meant that Mitsubishi wouldn't be racing in Class-A anymore, also meaning they did not need to sell anymore Evolutions on the street in order to race. However, the previous Evolutions were so successful and loved by all (except for Americans) that Mitsubishi turned the Evo into its flagship sports car. With this in mind, the Evo V improved on absolutely everything over the IV in terms of power, handling, speed, and design. Power was still "276," but by now, everyone knew they were way past that.

Evolution VI



This Evolution came out with a focus on making the car more driveable, closing the gap between cars that were practical and those that were not. Still its hardcore raw sports car self, this Evo simply improved over its hugely successful predecessor. Many enthusiasts agree that this is the last of the 'raw power Evos.' You'll see why in a minute.

Evolution VII



By this time, most people in America had heard about the Evolutions because of the introduction of Playstation's driving game, and were all complaining that they were the only country in the world without them. The only reason for this is because of really strict emissions and safety standards. Ironic how car accidents happen more in the US than most other countries with much faster cars, huh? Because Mitsubishi was trying to bring the Evo overseas, the VII was starting to detune and become less and less sports car oriented, making the VI more valuable than ever before.

Evolution VIII



It wasn't until the VIII that US standards let the car come over to this side of the Pacific. By now, the car was still fast, but definitely not as fast as the Evos in the rest of the world. The design was very much watered down in order to pass the tests that allowed it to be street legal in the States. The US-version also lacked some of the most cutting edge handling technologies that are available in the Japanese versions. Regardless, the American people finally had their first Lancer Evolution, 12 years after its introduction.

Evolution IX



In 2006, the Evolution IX started appearing on the streets with a 286 horsepower engine similar to the one that came on the Evolution I. However, after 15 years of technological advancements, it has made drastic improvements in handling, throttle response, as well as ergonomics. Some variants (such as the FQ-400 not available in America--go figure) is capable of smoking most Ferraris and keeping up with cars like the BMW M5 all over the racetrack.

What started out as a forced decision to put the car into production just so it can race in the rally world turned into one of the hottest items on the market today. Yeah, it's the stereotypical, anti-American muscle, Japanese rice-burner compact sports car, but with so much history and even video games revolving around it, who wouldn't pay a mere $30,000 to run with the big boys who costed up to $100,000? On top of that, you get to piss off those guys with obnoxiously loud, rumbling American cars when you easily and ever-so-gracefully show them that big wing on your trunk as soon as the light turns green.