The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was born to race. When Mitsubishi decided to chase after the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the early 1990s, it looked at its product portfolio and settled on the humble, and utterly boxy, Lancer subcompact four-door sedan as its weapon of choice.
Raiding its own parts bin, Mitsubishi shoved the bulletproof, iron-block, 244-horsepower 2.0-liter 4G63 turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel-drive system from its larger Galant VR4 sedan into the Lancer shell. The result was the first Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in 1992 — and 5,000 were built over two years to homologate the vehicle for WRC competition.
Initially the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was sold only in Japan, with a few escaping as gray-market exports to countries like Australia and New Zealand.
Chasing WRC wins kept Mitsubishi developing the Lancer Evolution. The Evolution II appeared during 1994 and was slightly tweaked with a revised suspension, larger tires and a few more horsepower (252 total). By 1995 the Evo III was ready with revised styling and aerodynamics and engine fortification that amped output up to 270 hp.
A new Lancer arrived for 1996 and the Evo (now the Evolution IV) was revised to match, with horsepower rising to 276. 1997 brought with it revised rules for the WRC that liberalized the homologation requirements for competitive cars, so the 1998 Lancer Evolution V was introduced to meet the new regulations. And so it went, with the evolution of the Evo producing the Evolution VI in 1999, the Evolution VII in 2001 and the Evolution VIII in 2003. The Evolution VIII was the first Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to officially go on sale in North America.
A simply mind-boggling number of slight variations of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution have been sold through the years. Some of those include different transmissions and such exotic elements as aluminum roof panels and carbon-fiber spoilers. Others have been stripped-down near racers aimed at buyers with competition intent. All Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions are, however, among the very best driving cars ever produced.
