Photo: tosetuning/Instagram
If you're into rare Japanese cars, you're going to love this one. It's a really cool import, the Evo IX GT-A Wagon.
Performance wagons aren't really a new thing, but the ones in the compact segment are largely forgotten. Right now, most of those are made in Europe, where Volkswagen Group tries to corner the market with its Golf R powertrain.
But Japan played around with the idea even before the Golf had a big trunk. The bug-eyed Subaru WRX is honestly one of the coolest shapes of all time. We also want to add the Lexus IS to the list for no other reason besides it being RWD.
However, this bad boy is altogether rarer. It's the Lancer Evolution 9 Wagon GT-R and was only produced in 2,500 units. Last time we checked, all of them were supposed to be in Japan, but this one was photographed in Germany.
We're not experts on this particular model; nobody is. But as far as we can remember, the Evo Wagons in GT and MR spec had a manual gearbox while the GT-A came with the automatic gearbox an a non-MIVEC 4G63 sourced from the Evo VIII with a smaller turbo for increased low down torque. This decreased power from about 290 to 270 hp, but that's still not bad for something from the early 2000s.
The GT-A models were also heavier by about 150 lbs and probably slower too. All were sold in Japan, but examples were brought to Europe as gray imports. Given the model year, it's unlikely anybody was ever able to bring one stateside.
This particular example features mild customization in the form of air suspension from Null Bar, some shiny deep-dish 18-inch wheels, and a very subtle body kit. In silver, the back looks awkwardly boxy, like an old Volvo. But this offered groundbreaking performance for its day and is as rare as hen's teeth.
But Japan played around with the idea even before the Golf had a big trunk. The bug-eyed Subaru WRX is honestly one of the coolest shapes of all time. We also want to add the Lexus IS to the list for no other reason besides it being RWD.
However, this bad boy is altogether rarer. It's the Lancer Evolution 9 Wagon GT-R and was only produced in 2,500 units. Last time we checked, all of them were supposed to be in Japan, but this one was photographed in Germany.
We're not experts on this particular model; nobody is. But as far as we can remember, the Evo Wagons in GT and MR spec had a manual gearbox while the GT-A came with the automatic gearbox an a non-MIVEC 4G63 sourced from the Evo VIII with a smaller turbo for increased low down torque. This decreased power from about 290 to 270 hp, but that's still not bad for something from the early 2000s.
The GT-A models were also heavier by about 150 lbs and probably slower too. All were sold in Japan, but examples were brought to Europe as gray imports. Given the model year, it's unlikely anybody was ever able to bring one stateside.
This particular example features mild customization in the form of air suspension from Null Bar, some shiny deep-dish 18-inch wheels, and a very subtle body kit. In silver, the back looks awkwardly boxy, like an old Volvo. But this offered groundbreaking performance for its day and is as rare as hen's teeth.
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