Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, popularly referred to as the 'Evo', is a sports sedan and rally car based on the Lancer that was manufactured by Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors. All generations use two-litre intercooled turbo inline four-cylinder engines and all-wheel drive systems."Development of Center-Differential Control System for High Performance Four-Wheel Drive Vehicles"
, Mitsubishi Motors Technology Review 2001, no.13, pp. 61–66

The Evolution was originally intended only for Japanese markets, but demand on the "grey import" market led the Evolution series to be offered through Ralliart dealer networks in the United Kingdom and in various European markets from around 1998. Mitsubishi decided to export the eighth generation Evolution to the United States in 2003 after witnessing the success Subaru had in that market the previous year with the Subaru Impreza WRX.

All domestic market versions, until the release of the Evolution IX in 2005, were limited by a gentlemen's agreement between Japanese car manufacturers to advertise no more than . However, sources say Mitsubishi had already been producing cars with more power but had been underrating the official power outputs in order to comply with the agreement. Therefore, each subsequent version has unofficially evolved above the advertised power figures, with the Japanese-market Evolution IX reaching an alleged output of around . Various special versions available in other markets, particularly the UK, have official power outputs up to .

The tenth and final generation of the Lancer Evolution, the Evolution X, was launched in Japan in 2007, and overseas markets in 2008. The Evolution X was produced for almost 10 years until Mitsubishi retired the Lancer Evolution in April 2016.

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Evolution I

The first Lancer Evolution used the 2.0 L turbocharged DOHC engine and AWD drivetrain from the original Galant VR-4 in a Lancer chassis, and was sold in GSR and RS models. This engine was also used in the Mitsubishi RVR with the Hyper Sports Gear trim package, and the Mitsubishi Chariot Resort Runner GT. The RS was a stripped-down version that lacked power windows and seats, anti-lock brakes, a rear wiper, and had steel wheels to weigh approximately less than the GSR, ready for racing or tuning. The RS version was released with a mechanical plate type rear limited-slip differential (LSD). The GSR came with all of the conveniences of a typical street car, including a digital screen climate control system. It came with Mitsubishi's '' 4G63'' engine producing at 6,000 rpm and at 3,000 rpm. 5,000 of the first generation Evolutions were sold between 1992 and 1993. Top speed was . The GSR version of the Evolution I was the only Evolution Lancer released with a viscous limited-slip rear differential ( VLSD). The subsequent Evolution Lancer models all featured rear mechanical plate type LSD's.

Evolution II

The Evolution II was upgraded in December 1993, and was produced until February 1995. It mainly consisted of handling improvements, including minor wheelbase adjustments, lighter front swaybar that connected via swaybar links to the front struts, bodywork tweaks including a larger spoiler, and tires that were wider. This Evolution also has a fuel tank. Power output was increased to from the same engine and torque was unchanged for both GSR and RS models. Most cars came with 15-inch OZ 5-spoke wheels from the factory, although some RS models sold to privateer racing teams left the factory with steel wheels.

Evolution III

February 1995 saw the arrival of the Evolution III, following a pre-release in 1993 which had several improvements over the previous models. New, more aggressive styling and a new nose moulding improved the air supply to the radiator, intercooler and brakes. New side skirts and rear bumper moldings and a larger rear spoiler were added to reduce lift. The engine was improved and had a higher compression ratio than before, and a new turbocharger compressor (65 mm to 68 mm), which resulted in a power output of at 6,250 rpm, at 3,000 rpm.

A black Evolution III was featured in '' Initial D'' where it was driven by the leader of Team Emperor, Kyoichi Sudo, who was portrayed by Jordan Chan in the 2005 live action movie. An Evolution III was also used in the film ''Thunderbolt'' as the car driven by Jackie Chan's character. He drove a yellow Evolution III which was lightly modified performance-wise but heavily modified when it comes to the aesthetics.

Evolution IV

The Lancer platform was redesigned in 1996, and along with it, the Evolution. The engine and transaxle were rotated 180° to better balance the weight and eliminate torque steer.

There were two versions available, the RS and GSR. The RS version was produced as a competition car with a limited-slip front differential and a friction type LSD at the rear. It also came with GLX seats and a choice of either 15-inch or 16-inch OZ lightweight racing wheels. The RS also had wind-up windows, optional air conditioning in some models, and a few extra brace bars to strengthen the chassis, one behind the front grille and another across the boot floor, and an aluminum rear strut tower brace.

The GSR and the RS shared a new twin scroll turbocharger which helped to improve response and increase power to at 6,500 rpm and torque at 4,000 rpm. Mitsubishi's new Active Yaw Control appeared as a factory standard on the GSR model, which used steering, throttle input sensors and ''g'' sensors to computer-hydraulically control torque split individually to the rear wheels

The Evolution IV can be distinguished by its two large fog lights in the front bumper (option on RS version), and the newly designed tail lights on the rear, which became a standard design to Evolution V, which would become yet another trademark of the Evolution series, note the RS has no light mounts on the boot/trunk for further weight saving.

This new generation was slightly heavier than previous Evo's—the GSR in particular due to the added technology systems—but to counter this, the car produced even more power—the weight of the RS being and the GSR being (Sunroof model ).

Much of the technical improvements for this generation were also used in the second generation Mitsubishi RVR originally sold only in Japan but since exported to Australia and New Zealand. The Evolution IV was the last model to be considered "compact" according to Japanese dimension regulations.

*RS – "Rally Sport" – Shortened close-ratio 5-speed transmission, minimal interior, front worm gear LSD and rear 1.5-way LSD, front end crossbar, 15-inch steel rims, Lancer GLXi Front Seats (non-bucket seats), manual windows and mirrors. (Optional: manual air conditioning, PIAA front fog lights, anti-lock brakes, Lamco-Mitsubishi boost gauge.)
*GSR – "Gran Sport Racing" – 5-speed manual transmission, AYC (Active Yaw Control), anti-lock brakes, black-red Recaro front bucket seats, full auto air conditioner, double-din audio with rear windscreen integrated antenna, PIAA front fog lights, power windows, 16-inch OZ Racing F1 wheels, rear windscreen wiper, optional: sunroof, Lamco-Mitsubishi boost gauge.

An Evolution IV was used in the anime series Initial D as well as appearing in the film Who am I? as the car driven by Jackie Chan's character.

Evolution V

Many aspects of the car were changed such as:
*The interior was upgraded in the GSR version with a better class of Recaro seats.
*The body kit had flared arches at the front and rear and a new aluminum rear spoiler replaced the IV FRP version and gave an adjustable angle of attack to alter rear downforce. (In process of doing so, the Evolution V onwards was no longer considered "compact" according to Japanese dimension regulations, requiring Japanese owners to pay an increased annual tax as the car was now wider than regulated limit of ).
*The track was widened by , the wheel offset changed from ET45 to ET38 along with the wheel diameter which rose from 16 in to 17 in to accommodate Brembo brakes.
*The brake master cylinder bore increased by .
*The engine was strengthened in a few areas and the cam duration was increased. The pistons were lighter with a smaller skirt area. 510 cc injectors were replaced with 560 cc injectors for better engine reliability due to more electrical "headroom" and the ECU was changed to include a flash ROM, allowing more boost pressure to the same TD05-HR as the Mitsubishi Evolution IV.

Furthermore, the turbocharger was again improved. Torque was increased to at 3,000 rpm. Power officially stayed the same, at .
* RS – "rally sport" close-ratio 5-speed transmission, minimal interior, rally suspension, 1.5-way LSD, auto air conditioner, Enkei wheels, Recaro bucket seats, Brembo brakes, power windows are available as an option).
* GSR – 5-speed, gauge pack, AYC (Active Yaw Control), anti-lock brakes, Recaro front bucket and rear seat, auto air-conditioner, double-din audio, power windows, Brembo brakes.

Evolution VI

The Evolution VI's changes mainly focused on cooling and engine durability. It received a larger intercooler, larger oil cooler, and new pistons, along with a titanium-aluminide turbine wheel for the RS model, which was a first in a production car. Output was rated at at 6,500 rpm and maximum torque of at 3,000 rpm. The Evolution VI received new bodywork yet again, with the most easily noticeable change being within the front bumper where the huge fog lights were reduced in size and moved to the corners for better airflow. A new model was added to the GSR and RS lineup; known as the RS2, it was an RS with a few of the GSR's options. Another limited-edition RS was known as the RS Sprint, an RS tuned by Ralliart in the UK to be lighter and more powerful with .

Yet another special edition Evolution VI was released in December 1999: the Tommi Mäkinen Edition, named after Finnish rally driver Tommi Mäkinen who had won Mitsubishi four WRC drivers championships. It featured a different front bumper, Red/Black Recaro seats (with embossed T. Mäkinen logo), 17-inch white Enkei wheels, a leather Momo steering wheel and shift knob, a titanium turbine that spooled up more quickly, front upper strut brace, lowered ride height (with tarmac stages in mind), and a quicker steering ratio. Amongst other colours, the Evo VI came in either red (Tommi Mäkinen Edition only), white, blue, black or silver with optional special decals, replicating Tommi Mäkinen's rally car's colour scheme. This car is also sometimes referred to as an Evolution 6, Evolution 6.5, or TME for short. 4,092 units were produced in total and exterior styling was similar to that of its predecessor, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5.

Standard models

* RS – "rally sport" minimal interior, rally suspension, rear 1.5-way LSD as opposed to AYC, shortened close-ratio 5-speed transmission, optional Enkei wheels, optional Recaro Seats, optional air conditioning, optional Brembo brakes, optional power windows.
* GSR – 5-speed, gauge pack, AYC (Active Yaw Control), anti-lock brakes, Recaro front bucket and rear seat, auto air-conditioner, double- DIN audio, power windows, Brembo brakes.

Tommi Mäkinen Edition models

* RS – same as standard RS with close-ratio 5-speed transmission, lowered ride height, Tommi Mäkinen Edition front bumper, and titanium turbine (option with standard RS).
* GSR – same as standard GSR with lowered ride height, Tommi Mäkinen Edition front bumper, Red/Black/Green Recaro seats (with embossed T. Mäkinen logo), 17-inch Enkei white wheels and titanium turbine.

Evolution VII

In 2001, Mitsubishi was forced by the FIA to run in the WRC using WRC rules for building a car instead of the Group A class rules, and this did not need to follow homologation rules. The Evolution VII was based on the larger Lancer Cedia platform and as a result gained more weight over the Evolution VI, but Mitsubishi made up for this with multiple important chassis tweaks. The biggest change was the addition of an active center differential and a more effective limited-slip differential, while a front helical limited-slip differential was added. Torque was increased again to with engine tweaks that allowed greater airflow, and horsepower officially remained at .

The introduction of the Evolution VII also marked the first time an automatic drivetrain was included within the model lineup—the GT-A. Nicknamed the 'Grand Touring Automatic' version of the visually similar VII GSR and the RS2, the GT-A model was only produced in 2002 and had the following distinguishing interior and exterior specification: GT-A-only diamond cut finish alloy wheels, clear rear light lenses and all-in-one style front headlights (later used on the Evolution VIII). The GT-A had the option of either no spoiler, the short spoiler (as per the Lancer Cedia; and later used on the Evolution VIII 260) or the thunder spoiler as used on the standard Evolution VII models. The most distinguishing feature was a smooth bonnet with no air-grills on it at all and the revised front bumper. Although offering inferior cooling capabilities, the bonnet was designed to give a cleaner line through the air with less air resistance at motorway speeds.

Interior could be specified with factory options of a deluxe velour interior, full leather or the Recaro sports seats. The GT-A interior was different in that it had chromed door handles, a different instrument panel (to show the gear selection) and chrome edged bezels around the speedo and tach. The GT-A also had additional sound deadening installed from the factory and the engine manifold and downpipe had been engineered to be quieter.

The 5-speed automatic gearbox had what Mitsubishi called "fuzzy logic", which meant that the car would learn what the driver's driving characteristics were like and would adapt the gear change timings and kick down reactions accordingly. The gears could be manually selected as with most Tiptronics via steering wheel + and – buttons (a pair both sides) or via selecting the tiptronic gate with the gear lever. Power was down a little from the standard manual cars with . The GT-A gearbox did not appear again in the Evolution VIII but has been installed in the estate version of the Evolution IX Wagon. It was replaced by the Twin Clutch SST gearbox since the introduction of Evolution X. For a time, Proton entered a rebadged version called the Proton PERT.
* RS – "rally sport", close-ratio 5-speed, minimal interior, rally suspension, LSD, Enkei Wheels, Recaro bucket seat, AYC (Active Yaw Control), Sports ABS (Anti-Lock braking system), Brembo brakes, double-din audio, power window are available as option.
* GSR – 5-speed, gauge pack, AYC (Active Yaw Control), Sports ABS, Recaro front bucket and rear seat, double-din audio, power window, Brembo brakes, Momo sports steering wheel.
* GT-A – Same option with GSR with 5-speed automatic transmission, gauge pack, deluxe velour interior, full leather or the Recaro sports seats, GT-A-only diamond cut finish alloy wheels, clear rear light lenses and all-in-one style front headlights, and short spoiler option.

An Evolution VII was used in the film ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' as the car driven by Paul Walker's character. He drove a yellow Evolution 7 which was lightly modified performance-wise but heavily modified when it comes to the aesthetics. However, one of the producers claimed that they used a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer O.Z. Rally edition instead of an Evo as the car used for production and stunt scenes.

Evolution VIII

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII appeared in 2003 this time sporting 17-inch grey Enkei wheels, Brembo brakes and Bilstein shocks to handle traction and a 5-speed manual gearbox with (approx. to the wheels). Originally a one-off model, sales were so successful in the U.S. that by 2005 it was available in four trims. The standard GSR model was available in Japan. The RS model was provided with a 5-speed manual gearbox and standard wheels (lacking excess components, such as interior map lights, power windows/doors, and radio). The SSL trim package came with a sunroof, trunk mounted subwoofer, and leather seats. All of these trim levels also included chrome headlight and taillight housings. To round out the lineup, the MR came with a revised front limited-slip differential, aluminum MR shift knob, handbrake with carbon fibre handle, 17-inch BBS wheels, aluminum roof, and a 6-speed manual gearbox. Additionally, the Evolution MR's taillights and headlights sported a new black housing.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR used slick-response Bilstein shocks for improved handling. The aluminium roof panel and other reductions in body weight lowered the centre of gravity to produce more natural roll characteristics. Detail improvements have also been made to Mitsubishi's own electronic four-wheel drive, to the ACD 5 + Super AYC 6 traction control, and to the Sports ABS systems. The Lancer Evolution VIII displayed at the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show took the MR designation traditionally reserved for Mitsubishi Motors high-performance models (first used for the Galant GTO). Other parts on the MR include BBS alloy wheels, the aforementioned Bilstein shocks, and an aluminium roof. In the United Kingdom, many special Evolutions were introduced, including the 260, FQ300, FQ320, FQ340, and FQ400 variants. They came with 260, 305, 325, 345, and 405 hp (194, 227, 239, 254 and 302 kW), respectively."Mitsubishi Evo VIII"
Jeremy Clarkson, ''The Times'', July 25, 2004

The FQ-400, sold through Ralliart UK, produced at 6,400 rpm and maximum torque of at 5,500 rpm, from its 4G63 inline-four engine, the result of special modifications by United Kingdom tuning firms Rampage Tuning, Owen Developments, and Flow Race Engines. The "FQ" name stands for ''F——ing Quick'', although it is not officially recognized by Mitsubishi due to the vulgarity behind the abbreviation. With a curb weight of , it achieves 0– in 3.5 seconds, 0– in 9.1 seconds, in 12.1 seconds at , and a top speed of while costing £48,000. BBC
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