Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II RS | Spotted

We seriously have to have yet another period of time in rallying like the 1990s to offer up some warm JDM general performance vehicles yet again. Subaru’s homolgation specific, the WRX STI, burbled its way via levels with a righteously outstanding Colin McRae driving the wheel, although Toyota’s Celica GT-Four pushed the boundaries of legality… and lost. But in the direction of the finish of the 10 years nobody could touch Tommi Makinen and his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Involving 1996 and 1999, Makinen swept up the driver’s championship working one of the quite a few, quite a few diverse variants of the Lancer Evo. What’s much more, Mitsubishi’s rally challengers have been carefully joined to their highway automobile counterparts, with most of Makinen’s titles coming at a time when the rest of the opposition experienced moved to the considerably less-restrictive WR regulations. To maintain by itself on prime, Mitsubishi released a series of evolutions (geddit?) for homologation. Granted, the rally vehicles had been even now greatly modified more than their roadgoing counterparts – for the reason that an airbag ain’t heading to cut it if you fly into a tree – but the Evo was about as close as you could get to a rally car or truck for the street. Specially if you went for the Evo II RS that we have in this article.

It is a common method with what we see right now with the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R and Subaru RA-R, but again in 1994 the concept of a back again-to-principles effectiveness motor vehicle was fairly alien. For starters, the Evo II took the 2.-litre turbocharged DOHC device from the Evo I and turned the wick up to 256hp. Future, the wheelbase was prolonged (maybe to make it superior on tarmac rallies), chassis rigidity was increased by 30% and the 5-speed manual gearbox was provided a tweak.

But this is no regular Evo II. Staying an RS, you also get a person of the most primary interiors you will locate on a production motor vehicle – even by 1994 requirements. The Evo II RS ditched the radio and the electric powered home windows had been swapped out for manually wound ones. Also, observe the black door handles and mirrors? These are manufactured of a low cost (but gentle) plastic, instead than the entire body-color equal on the GSR. You could even selection steelies! However the consumer of this model went of the standard five-spoke OZ rims that arrived on the GSR.

The Evo II RS was so hardcore that it was bought up by privateer rally teams since it was less complicated to adapt them to Team A regulations. Additionally, like a lot of other JDM monsters from this period, the 2.-litre DOHC motor could be tuned to high heaven, making finding a tidy example nowadays is tough to say the the very least. So when you take into account the Evo II RS we have listed here is totally inventory virtually 30 a long time immediately after it still left the factory, you know that it’s been appeared just after by a accurate Evo lover.

Then you glimpse at the cost. There are not quite a few rally icons you can decide up currently for £24,995, primarily when the Evo II is of the exact period as a Lancia Delta HF Integrale and Ford Escort RS Cosworth – equally of which can command upwards of £100,000. And with Prodrive acquiring in on the Subaru restomod sport with the half-million pound P25, we doubt it’ll be very long in advance of somebody has the identical plan for a jazzed up Lancer Evo and price ranges for original illustrations will only go skywards. Just check out to search previous the trim materials…

Engine: 1,997cc, 4-cly turbocharged
Transmission: 5-speed manual, all-wheel push
Power (hp): 260@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 288@3,000-7,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Calendar year registered: 1994
Recorded miles: 36,000
Cost new: N/A
Yours for: £24,995