If you are an enthusiast of 90's fast hot hatches like the Nissan Sunny GTi-R, Peugeot 205 GTI or the first generation VW Golf GTI, there is a chance that you will appreciate this French project, the 106 Evolution.
The main idea behind the project was to make a “pocket-rocket” machiner using a very lightweight body, which the 90's hot hatches used to have, and throwing in a big and powerful engine under the hood.
So the 106 Evolution project emerged, using a Peugeot 106 chassis and frame, a very popular 90's hot-hatch in Europe, with a mass of 950 kg (2094 lb) and powered by a 1.1-liter engine with merely 60 hp (45 kW), a typical and boring city car.
Therefore, Phildar (the creator of this beast) had the idea to stick in a 2.0 liter Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution engine and make it a really fast 4WD. The engine includes mods like Wiseco pistons, Howards con-rods, aftermarket head gasket, Kelford camshafts and many more. The power is transferred via a Quaife gearbox (he recently installed it), while the transfer case and axles are taken from the original Lancer Evolution donor car.
As for the looks of it, only the main chassis of this car remains original. It has the 106 Maxi MC Racing body kit with carbon fiber doors, the interior has been stripped down, it has Sparco racing seats, along with an AIM MXL STRADA dashboard. The future plans for the exterior are to also make a carbon fiber roof, hood and hatch.
Phildar seems to be a skilled man, and he managed to weld his own roll-cage to the car in order to make it track-ready, and maybe even race-ready in the future. He also self-welded the exhaust, as this engine swap is not too conventional.
Recently he managed to go and test this beast on a track day in France, at Journée Circuit. Down below there is some onboard footage uploaded by Mécanique Sportive.
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