Back in the days, when talking about high-performance JDM sedans, there were just two names on everyone’s mind – the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Times they are a changing, as they say, because the latter is no more. But fret not, because fans have a way of lending such models a second lease of (track) life. Magic, we say...
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, affectionately called “Evo,” has been throwing the sports sedan gauntlet around the world since 1992. Until 2016, the year of its unfortunate demise, there were ten iterations of the series, each usually abbreviated with a Roman numeral.
Just like any other JDM marvel, the Evo was first a “gray import” - building fame in the underground before Mitsubishi finally decided to bring it officially in the United States in its VIII configuration. This modified Mitsubishi Lancer Evo we see here courtesy of That Racing Channel from YouTube is actually an Evolution IX MR with ample sleeper credentials.
Think of it as an unassuming grayish Japanese sedan that rocks 1,100 hp, according to the description – although we have detailed sheets for some of its competitors, the TRC Evo IX doesn’t get one. It also comes with a sequential gearbox, so all signs point toward track greatness.
Sure, if you’re not dealing with a Suzuki GSX-R1000R sport bike, that is. The two-minute mark has the first battle, between the Japanese sedan and Rising Sun two-wheel – and care to guess the winner?! It’s the latter, of course, although the race is quite entertainingly close: 7:24s at 172 mph against 7.72s at 160 mph for the Evo.
Not a bad performance, indeed, as it’s the best time posted by the sleeper Mitsubishi as far as the recorded races are concerned. By the way, beware that some mild NSFW language is involved, albeit it’s blipped out.
Anyways, the reason the TRC Evo IX is at the Palm Beach International Raceway is two-fold – for some all-out racing and a neat handover to its new owner. That happens immediately after scoring a win against a tuned Evo X at the 4:05 mark, though.
And it’s quite the family gathering (from the 5:05 mark), because the Evo’s former owner and builder is also present – and shares a friendly race against the new owner in his Porsche 911 Turbo.
We’re not going to spoil the fun in telling you who took the laurels on this one but do stay for the final race as well because the Evo IX goes up against a very menacing opponent as well (a modded, all-black McLaren 720S).
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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