Mitsubishi Evolution 8

The Heritage of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Lancer Evolution is a rally-inspired car and has been appearing in Asia and Europe for more than a decade, and the Evo VIII made her debut at LA auto show on Jan 3, 2003. In those years before her debut, Americans only saw Lancer Evolutions from the Speed Channel or on Sony Playstation's Grand Turismo.

Evolution I
In 1992, the Mitsubishi Ralliart works team decided to develop a car on the compact and lighter weighted Lancer sedan. It was the born of Lancer Evolution I.

Evolution I was powered by a 2-liter intercooler-turbocharged engine with a high-performance 4-wheel drive system and it weighted 1,170 kg/2,574 lb. With the 250 horsepower (hp).

Evolution II
In 1993, Evo II was launched with 260 hp and better handling. The modifications to the engine included an increase in turbo boost pressure, and increased valve life. The changes for better handling included larger wheels and tires, longer wheelbase, a wider track, longer struts and greater camber adjustment. Those changes made for a quicker steering response and a higher cornering limit.

Evolution III
Evo III was launched in 1995, with 270 hp@6250rpm. A new turbocharger compressor and a higher compression ratio from 8.5:1 to 9:1 were put into the new engine. Plus, a second intercooler was equipped for stabilizing power and torque at high engine speeds. In order to achieve better aerodynamic performance, the front bumper openings were enlarged, a larger airdam, and a larger rear wing (rear spoiler).

Evolution IV
In 1996, Lancer was redesigned, which gave Evolution a new look. The engine was the same 4G63. A twin-scroll turbocharger improved supercharging performance that generated more torque in the low and medium range. Also a secondary air induction system improved turbo on-off response by feeding pressurized air above the turbine and reducing negative pressure.

Active Yaw Control (AYC) was installed and allows the car to trace the line chosen by the driver more precisely through a high g-force corner. AYC is an electronically controlled system that control the movement of the car through a curve by regulating the torque split between the right and left rear wheels.

Evolution V
Evo V was launched in 1998. Evo V was equipped with wider tracked, 17-inch wheels with wide 225/45R17 tire as standard. Braking system was upgraded with Brembo 17-inch ventilated disc at the front and 16-inch at the rear. Cooling performance was enhanced with larger grille openings to match the uprated radiator. An aluminum wing (rear spoiler) with adjustable angle was used.

Evolution VI
Evo VI was introduced in 1999. A twinwing rear spoiler design made up for the reduction in downforce resulting its smaller size. Cooling performance was enhanced more by using smaller fog lamps to enlarge the bumper openings. A titanium-alloy turbocharger was used. The new oil cooler stabilized oil temperature at high engine loads. A special "Tommi Makinen" Edition of Evo VI was introduced in January, 2000.

Evolution VII
In 2001, Mitsubishi launched Evo VII. Evolution VII was especially designed for achieving weight savings. Aluminum was used instead of steel. Active Center Differential (ACD) took the 4WD drivetrain improvement even further. The ACD allows the driver to distribute the torque equally between the front and rear tires, improving both steering response and traction control.

Evolution VIII
Lancer Evolution VIII is based on the design of Evo VII to meet the collusion standard of the U.S. So Mitsubishi designs the Evo VIII with 178.5 inches in length, and that is 3.11 inches longer than the Evo VII. In the U.K., there are two version of Evolution: Base and FQ-300. The base model has the maximum output of 276hp@6500rpm and the maximum torque 289 lb-ft@3500rpm .The FQ-300 version even reaches to 301hp@6200rpm and 300 lb-ft@4500rpm. The Evolution VIII released in the U.S. has 271hp@6500rpm and 273lb-ft@3500rpm.