No car is more synonymous with sport compact performance than Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution. From humble beginnings, the Evolution has grown into a pure technophile, complete with a computer-controlled all-wheel drive system, sublime steering, suspension and brakes that would force Newton to reconsider his theories, and a turbocharged engine that ingests boost with ease. If you step back and think about it, it's a four-door, five-passenger, grocery-getter that eviscerates V8s with ease. But the most interesting part of the story is that Mitsubishi itself turned out to be the greatest Evo tuner ever.
Built originally to enter Group A rally competition, the Lancer Evolution debuted in Japan in 1992, sporting a reinforced body and a modified Galant VR-4 powertrain. Numerous models have followed, but they've all kept alive the tradition of turbo, all-wheel-drive, balls-out, sideways-in-the-dirt performance. Upgrades and tweaks are sold by the container-load from aftermarket companies. Coilovers, brake pads, exhausts and tires are great ways to accent an Evo, but the biggest changes in speed always come from the OEM level.
Since its inception, Mitsubishi has thrown more power, a six-speed transmission with an Active Center Differential (ACD), wider near-race compound tires, monster Brembo binders, Active Yaw Control (AYC) and numerous turbocharger updates at the ber-Lancer. If you've ever had the chance to roll onto the throttle through your favorite on-ramp-all four tires singing, nose in the air-then you know the capability of these machines. But drive an Evo III, then jump straight into an Evo IX MR and try to tell us with a straight face that they feel exactly the same.
We caught wind of a rumor that one of Mitsubishi's thinly disguised test-mule Evo Xs would be undergoing top-secret testing through the urban sprawl of Southern California. We knew we had to give chase.
Here, on the cusp of the launch of the finalized Lancer Evolution X, would be the moment when the heavens align and all our Evo dreams come true. We managed to source a European-market, left-hand drive Lancer Evolution VI, partially converted to Tommi Makinen Edition status, whose owners were all too willing to let us stretch its legs when they found out we would be hunting down a near-production Evo X. Once secured, it was immediately staked out and claimed by Engineering Editor Chen.
Not that I had any reason to complain. I would be behind the wheel of our newest project car, a five-speed Lancer Evolution IX equipped with a set of Evo VII taillights and an M1 harness bar, but no harness. Go figure. The plan was to let Chen have his bulbous wheel arches and Tommi seats, while I would blast away with an ACD and a MIVEC-backed powerband.
The two cars are so similar, so true to the signature Evo recipe, that they are immediately recognizable as brothers in arms. Both are considered ugly by conventional Pininfarina standards, sporting sedan bodies accented with aggressive front bumpers, bulging fender flares, and boy-racer rear wings which scream: "Police, look over here!"
Brembo brakes and lightweight 17-inch wheels have been fitted to both; OZ Racing for the Evo VI and Enkei for the Evo IX. With our Subaru Forester Sports chase car in tow (driven by assistant Billy Jang), our caravan looked every bit like an internet message board fun cruise.
Day 1The logical first choice for our wannabe spy shot crew was Mitsubishi Motors' corporate headquarters, located a mere 30 minutes from our offices in Southern California. I chose to take us the long way around, down a few side streets and up the freeway, in order to extend my experience in the Evo IX. The power comes on raw and strong in the MIVEC-equipped machine, building zero-lag boost as soon as 2000rpm before settling into one of the fattest mid-range torque curves to have ever come out of a production 2.0-liter engine. The five-speed begs to be run through the gears and I'm all too happy to comply. After what seems like just a lightning-quick flash, I glance down to see a highly illegal speedometer read-out staring back in my face. We arrive at Mitsubishi HQ in about 15 minutes.
Mitsubishi's staff turns out to be even more tight-lipped about the upcoming Evo X than we had originally expected. If we had brought booze or stacks of cash, then maybe we could have coerced something out of the public relations team. But today it looks like we've swung and missed. That is, until we turn the corner of the R&D building.
Staring at us is the 1973 1.6-liter Lancer rally car, which debuted and took the overall win at the 1974 WRC Safari Rally. Driven by Joginder Singh and David Doig, this car is the grandfather to every Evo's future success at churning dirt sideways. From the car's carbureted idle and classic gauges to its battle scars and rally tires, what better way is there to search for the Evo X than from where it all began?
Just as we were about to open our big mouths and ask to test-jump the vintage racer, we catch a glimpse of a modern WRC-spec Lancer being unloaded for display. It's quite the contrast to be able to see two dramatically different Lancer rally cars near each other, separate in both technology and design. The modern car is fitted with dramatic bodywork, carbon bits, racing slicks, monoblock Brembo calipers and a decidedly high-dollar appearance, versus the '73 Lancer's near stock exterior.
In much the same way that the Evo VI we have is the obvious ancestor of the Evo IX, the WRC Lancer holds much of the same competitive spirit as the '73 Lancer, just on a more developed scale. With Mitsubishi PR staff busy for a split-second, we hound the R&D deliveryman for details. Moments later, we're back up to triple-digit speeds, heading towards the heart of the California desert.
We managed to pry a single juicy secret: the Evo X is in the US to undergo comparison performance testing. Music to our ears, the thought of simultaneously grabbing a picture of the new production Evo X and watching it get test-flogged around a race track only makes us more excited. There are three major tracks in Southern California where any real testing can take place, and only one regularly visited by major car manufacturers. We're headed full blast towards our usual road course testing grounds-Willow Springs International Raceway.
Chen and I dodge, pitch, and weave through traffic, doing our best Ronin car chase impression through packs of slower cars. The Evo IX's handling and steering is utterly bombproof. The power steering has no on-center vagueness and, with a quick 13.0:1 steering ratio, the Evo's now-famous response never gets old. Almost telepathic, if you're looking at something, the Evo is going to drive itself in that direction. Bumps and rough patches are no problem, with generous suspension travel able to soak up and blast over every conceivable surface.
Even with a fair amount of roll and a tall body, the Evo IX exhibits amazing grip. Speed limit warning signs before freeway turns become mere suggestions. Chen blasts through a switchback connector-labeled 50mph-at more than twice the sensible pace. The Evo IX follows without whimper or complaint.
After slowing down to a more reasonable (legal) pace, we're treated to one of California's greatest treasures-gridlocked traffic. As far as the eye can see, cars and trucks sit bumper to bumper across five lanes of scorching asphalt, with nothing but bored faces and brake lights to show for it. We're pretty sure the Evo X awaits us a mere hour's drive away, but after 2.5 hours (and 45 miles) of being lucky to engage first gear at all, we've all just about had it.
The Lancer Evolution is not a car for sitting in traffic. It's designed to go fast pretty much all the time. Feed it boost, crank the wheel, mash the brake pedal; the Evo is the kind of machine that only really comes to life when you drive, as Chen so eloquently puts it: "like a complete asshole."
And so we turn back for home, dejected that we're going to have to wait another day until we can spy the latest and fastest Lancer Evolution. Like a complete jack-hole, I push the Evo IX's throttle to the floor, steadily building 19psi in the intake manifold and rocket home to dreams of more Lancer goodness.
Day 2Beep. Beep. Beep. The incessant, piercing call of my alarm clock shatters any morning silence I might have enjoyed, forcing me to take notice of a new day. Not that I slept that easily anyways. A plan of attack was drawn up for our approach to Willow Springs and it would not involve any traffic spots. Instead of trying to reach the track on heavily congested public freeways, we would be taking the back route, heading through the mountains surrounding Los Angeles. A set of winding, twisty roads would promise to deliver us smack-dab to the track's front door. And we wouldn't have to see a single SUV or minivan on the way.
To avoid any night-racers with delusions of Initial D success, we meet early in the morning. The mutiny threatens to begin. It's early, already 95 degrees in the shade, and we did 10 solid hours of driving and photography yesterday. "Let's get going," I say, before anyone has a chance to change their mind.
Chen and I have already swapped cars and I hope he's enjoying his, because the Evo VI proves downright amazing. Does it look like a Mirage with a hastily chosen body kit? Of course. Does it smell like an old car on the inside? Yup. Hell, it even creaks and feels like an old car when you drive down the road. But, oh, what an experience.
For the uninitiated, if you've only ever driven a USDM Evo, the Lancer Evolution VI will be an eye-opening experience. Devoid of US government-mandated emissions equipment and equipped with a zingy, lightweight flywheel, the Evo VI will climb through the gears and drop revs like no other turbocharged, all-wheel drive car in America. Versus a USDM Evo or STI, where you take a slight pause between gear shifts for the revs to drop, the Evo VI really requires you to give it your all. Like the new MX-5 (or our own Project MR2) the engine will drop revs as quickly as you can engage gears. So when you're on it, the only thing you will be doing is accelerating and shifting-with no wait whatsoever.
As we approach the single-lane series of turns that form our mountain pass, Chen and I begin to fall into a rhythm and quicken our pace over the tarmac, nose to tail. A few street bike riders and mountain-dwelling locals pepper the pavement, but for the most part we are left alone, with only the bends to worry about. The Tommi Makinen Edition's suspension is a little choppier than the Evo IX's set-up, feeling quite a bit stiffer over sharp bumps and hits, but still maintains more than enough compliance to go faster than I dare push on these rock-strewn paths. The swapped-in TME turbocharger, featuring a titanium-aluminum alloy turbine wheel, spools ultra-quick and rivals the MIVEC-equipped Evo IX in terms of response.