Words Matteo Lavazza / Photos Mitsubishi Motors

The biggest regret for future generations will be the total lack of cars capable of being immediately recognizable thanks to their sound, even kilometers away. We have long since overcome the “they all sound the same” period and we are literally in the tunnel of the electric hiss, while in the meantime I think back to two of the most representative Japanese sports cars that have ever walked the planet. The eternal Subaru vs Mitsubishi diatribe has gone on for decades, with the brand of the Pleiades which in the end seemed to have won, continuing with the production of the iconic Impreza WRX STI – later only named WRX STI – if it weren’t for the fact that shortly afterwards it surrendered to the overwhelming demand for crossovers and SUVs, which wouldn’t have ruled out the production of a sports sedan, but that’s it…

Today I’m not here to talk about Subaru, but about a brand that since 2016 has essentially stopped producing interesting – or fun – cars, if we want to appear more diplomatic. It was in fact in that year that the long-lived Lancer Evolution dynasty saw the last Evo X coming out of the gates thus putting an end to a rally love letter that allowed enthusiasts from all over the world to enjoy one of the most exciting models that could be driven, as well as capable of putting supercars with triple the horsepower and five times the price tag to shame. Personally, as I think happens to many of you who browse these pages, I often find myself reflecting on the sports cars available on the market right now and I wonder where those beautiful engines have ended up. Between turbo lag, precarious reliability – to say the least – and infinite tuning possibilities they were the curse and delight of a generation of motorists completely orphaned of that driving approach which was borrowed from the world of rally and placed there, available for the home-work commute, at the end of an exhausting day which in just a few bends would have been able to stir guts and mood. For the better, of course.

Enough with the beating around the bush, in the meantime things won’t change and fortunately, by sifting through the second hand market it is still possible to find a good example, perhaps as stock as possible and take home not only a piece of history, but one of the fundamental pieces to make your motoring present and future a better experience. Popping noise from the exhaust, possibly a straight pipe scorching the rear bumper, a huge turbo hissing, we’d be happy with this. And then that roar mixed between metallic and guttural, halfway between the high tones of a 4 cylinder and the dark nuances of a tailpipe that smells of something out of the norm and petrol, the best you’ve ever put in a tank in order to last too short time. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the nemesis of the Subaru Impreza, is one of the purest cars you will ever drive, still capable of offering performance that accommodates a heavy right foot and a bottom that is not afraid of powersliding one of the very best four-wheel drive of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The “Once upon a time” in question starts in 1992, when the brand decided to solve the size problems of the Gallant VR4 by introducing the more compact Lancer RS into the world rally championship. Retroactively baptized Evo only with the arrival of the second generation, the Lancer RS was the ultimate representation of its own existential concept: a car born to race, without frills or concessions to on board comfort. The 2-liter 4-cylinder engine delivered a remarkable power of 250 hp, which distributed to both axles via a 5-speed gearbox allowed to fly full throttle on any type of terrain. Speed had another form and it was that of the new Mitsubishi rally car for the road.

The famous 4G63 engine therefore accompanies subsequent generations such as the three volumes bodywork, the eye-catching rear spoiler and aerodynamic appendages that make the Lancer Evo immediately recognizable among any other car. The exquisite recipe for fun does not change, also to remain compliant with the regulations imposed in the racing world and so the 2-liter significantly increases in power over the years, however, profoundly varying the output and maximum torque distributed on all four wheels. We are talking about larger intercoolers, but also about active central differential (Active Yaw Control), responsible for managing and distributing the torque on the axles and therefore offering a ride that is not only effective and high-performance, but also fun and damn engaging. Yes, I’m talking about the Evo IV (1996-1998), the generation that previews the muscles then polished by the V and VI, those defined as purer for the roughness transmitted to the driver and for the performance of authentic supercars (the Evo VI boasted 280 horsepower while burning the 0-100 kph in just 4.4 seconds). The icing on the cake was the limited slip differential at the rear which refined the handling already guaranteed by the central one. If you then add the special livery of the Tommi Makinen Edition, I don’t think we need to add anything else.

With the arrival of the new millennium and the Evo VII we are witnessing a rounding of the shapes, a few extra kilos on the scale and two different versions: RS and GSR. The first was naked and raw, ideal for the development of racing cars, while the second was the more civilized counterpart and which – at its best – did not forget the possibility of being used in everyday life. Furthermore, a new system was introduced that managed the differential depending on the driving mode chosen between Snow, Gravel and Tarmac. With the VIII and IX we witness a constant technical-mechanical update, but the real turning point is represented by the Evo X, which in 2007 introduces a completely updated design and an engine block called 4B11T4, a turbocharged pot with MIVEC valves management (as for the IX), still a 2-liter but now able to output 295 horses and available both with manual gearbox or with the automatic coming with paddle at the steering wheel, both featuring 6 gears. The Evo X takes just 6.3 seconds to sprint form 0-100 kph and sees the end in 2016.

Now we could argue for days about which one was the best, with which one you spent the craziest nights of your less recent driving years, but perhaps we will never agree. The point where I believe there is no looking in the opposite direction is instead the fact that the Lancer Evolution was one of the most beautiful moments of the automotive world. It was the super-sports-car within the reach of us mere mortals, practical enough to accommodate 4 friends and some luggage to go and find some isolated road and pretend to be Makinen. If seeing one on the road fifteen years ago made your head spin, now it’s guaranteed to make you faint, also because despite an overall reasonable reliability, insane engine boosts and aspiring champions of the fried caper festival rally have contributed in making the remaining fleet smaller than what could have been if it had been the boring, perfect car they want to foist on us today.

The typical customer would never have asked for Apple CarPlay (which didn’t even exist) and often not even air conditioning. What really mattered was where it had to be, under the bonnet, under the chassis and it came out of an exhaust that was always bigger than it should have been, in a burst of unburned petrol that could make you feel your heart beating faster at every acceleration. Damn, it wasn’t the heart, but the exhaust that was shooting bombs like there was no tomorrow. Forgive me and above all forgive Mitsubishi for putting an end to it. But maybe it was a wise choice, because today’s overly tamed sports cars wouldn’t have deserved that name back there. Evo is magic, tell your children about it.