Photo: rainprisk/Instagram
We're really excited about the future of the STI and its WRX "basic" counterpart as Subaru is rumored to be making less of a tuned compact and more of a sports sedan that can take on the Germans. Unfortunately, the Japanese rally car rivalry can't continue because Mitsubishi is in no position to sell Evos anymore.
It's a shame, really. The company got picked up by the alliance between Nissan and Renault, and while there were plans to develop a whole bunch of new models, it mostly makes hybrid, crossovers, or cheap stuff for emerging markets.
It's a real shame since things are just getting spicy again in the Japanese sports car scene, and the Evo used to be a big part of that. Picture any new Ferrari made right now. It's fast, right? Well, in the 1990s, a Lancer Evo could be about as cool and potentially just as fast as a Ferrari if you were a kid.
Mind you, there's nothing childish about this modern vision of the Evo XI, created by artist Rain Prisk with all the best features from the modern Mitsubishi lineup. Basically, it's got the lights from the 2022 Outlander forming a big X-shape around the blacked-out grille. Interestingly, the shape is not very Lancer-like, as it's more of a four-door coupe with the roof flowing to the wing area.
A CLA-rivalling shape would probably be the only way Mitsubishi could sell a Lancer in America, as there's simply no money in cheap compacts. So how did the Lancer Evo become the way it was? Well, Mitsubishi wanted to get into motorsport and developed the Starion 4WD rally car for Group B, but it had to move into Group A with the Galant.
It was successful, but many manufacturers switched to homologating compacts because the rally stages demanded it. That's why Subaru went from racing the Legacy to the Impreza and Toyota from the Celica to the Corolla. The Lancer Evolution was thus created, a no-frills rally car for the road.
It's a real shame since things are just getting spicy again in the Japanese sports car scene, and the Evo used to be a big part of that. Picture any new Ferrari made right now. It's fast, right? Well, in the 1990s, a Lancer Evo could be about as cool and potentially just as fast as a Ferrari if you were a kid.
Mind you, there's nothing childish about this modern vision of the Evo XI, created by artist Rain Prisk with all the best features from the modern Mitsubishi lineup. Basically, it's got the lights from the 2022 Outlander forming a big X-shape around the blacked-out grille. Interestingly, the shape is not very Lancer-like, as it's more of a four-door coupe with the roof flowing to the wing area.
A CLA-rivalling shape would probably be the only way Mitsubishi could sell a Lancer in America, as there's simply no money in cheap compacts. So how did the Lancer Evo become the way it was? Well, Mitsubishi wanted to get into motorsport and developed the Starion 4WD rally car for Group B, but it had to move into Group A with the Galant.
It was successful, but many manufacturers switched to homologating compacts because the rally stages demanded it. That's why Subaru went from racing the Legacy to the Impreza and Toyota from the Celica to the Corolla. The Lancer Evolution was thus created, a no-frills rally car for the road.
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