Since October 1992 to March 2016, Mitsubishi has manufactured no less than ten iterations of the Lancer EVO. As you may have also heard, there will be no Lancer Evolution XI because, as fate would have it, the Japanese manufacturer is more interested in crossovers and PHEVs as of late. Hence, the Subaru WRX STI will soldier on alone as if it were the last tree standing after a tornado tore through the city.
There’s another reason why we should remember the Lancer Evolution. That reason is the so-called MPGgate, the humongous scandal that could see Mitsubishi bite the dust. In less than a week since the media found out that 625,000 kei cars had their fuel economy data manipulated, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has lost more than 40 percent of its market value or $3.2 billion. Lest we forget, Mitsubishi is a smaller carmaker than Volkswagen, which is why this unwieldy scandal can prove fatal for the company.
These said, Mitsubishi is more than the Lancer Evolution. Over the years, it gave us instant classics such as the Montero (Pajero), Starion, Eclipse, Galant VR-4, and 3000GT VR-4, just to name a few. But then again, Lancer EVO is a nameplate that stirs petrolhead blood more than other Mitsubishi high points do.
Without further beating around the bush, let’s pay our respects to the EVO:
1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution I (CD9A)
Before the Evolution became a thing, Mitsubishi established itself off the beaten path with the 500 Super Deluxe of the 1960s, Lancer 1600 GSR of the 1970s, and a Pajero that won the Paris-Dakar rally in 1985. The predecessor to the first-gen Evolution is the Galant VR-4 mentioned a paragraph beforehand, which featured the same 2.0-liter turbo inline-four and AWD system that would come to be employed by the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution I between ’91 and ’94.
Believe it or not, the 4G63T engine would be used by all EVOs bar the 10th incarnation. From 247 PS (244 horsepower) and 309 Nm (228 lb-ft) of torque in the Evolution I, the four-cylinder turbo went on to develop 291 PS (287 horsepower) and a bucketload of torque in the ninth generation of the Evolution.
The most focused variant of the first-gen EVO, except for the rally car, is the Evolution I RS. Compared to the creature comfort-laden GSR, the RS dieted to such an extent that it lost 154 pounds (70 kilograms) over the model it is based on. Oh, and another notable thing: the RS came with steelies and a mechanical plate type limited-slip diff, not the viscous limited-slip rear differential of the GSR.
1994 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II (CE9A)
The second Evolution started production in December 1993 and was killed off in February 1995. Compared to the CD9A platform of the first EVO, the CE9A-based Evolution II brought handling improvements and a little more muscle.
Some of the chassis adjustments include the longer wheelbase (2,510 mm or 98.8 inches compared to 2,500 mm or 98.4 inches), 10 mm (0.4 inches) wider tires, wider tracks, lighter swaybar, and larger spoiler. Regarding motivation, the engineers increased output to 256 PS (252 hp) and torque remained unchanged.
On the aesthetic front, there’s little in the way of differences between the EVO II and the EVO I. The Evolution has always been about small adjustments and the metamorphosis from first to second demonstrates this practice best of all.
]]>By now you might’ve noticed that we’re slightly obsessed with everything 86. Who knew the economic Toyota Corolla would become legendary in the sport compact world and remain a popular tuning platform for decades? It’s strong enough for rally racing, nimble for drifting and time attack, and an all-around fun car to drive. We’ve featured a good amount of AE86s throughout the years, and since ’16 marks the 50th anniversary of the Corolla, we decided to look back at 10 of our favorites in no specific order:
Who: Yoshinori Kamata
When: May ’12
Why: Only 400 of these Black Limited editions exist in the world, and they were only available in Japan. Kamata-san of TEC-ARTS turbocharged the “7A-G” motor (essentially a 7A-FE block with a 4AG head), and it is also one of the best-looking AE86’s of all-time!
Who: Steve Wilcock
When: May ’11
Why: Using only a copy of TRD’s rare Sports Modification manual from ’85, Steve built his own N2 Spec Corolla, even with a period-correct TRD racing livery. It’s not all show, either… Powering the little Toyota is an N2/Formula Atlantic spec 4AG. Straight ballin’!
Who: Kiyonori Imai
When: October ’12
Why: Who says you have to be young to enjoy hooning? Kiyonori Imai, owner of Bee*R, started his drifting career at the age of 50. His roots originate in drag and road racing, but he soon found himself building this AE86 to learn how to drift. Underneath the hood is a 4AG-ZE motor, which came with a factory supercharger, but Imai-san replaced the blower with a Garrett GT25 turbo from a R32 Skyline.
My newbie status must have shown through on social media as Jordan from Brenthel Industries contacted me asking if I needed help with the truck. Of course, I wanted to check out what they were about before I let them do anything to my FJ, but as it turns out they are full-on off-road race rig builders who actually race as well. It also turns out that I’ve seen plenty of their trucks, and even shot some of them over the years too. I sat down with Jordan Brenthel and his brother Jonathan to learn a bit more about their operation in Anaheim, California.
Larry: Let’s start with the obvious question: how did it all start for you guys?
Jonathan: I was working mortgages and Jordan was still in high school. I wanted to do something different that required my hands. Unlike some off-road racers, we didn’t grow up financially wealthy. I was looking into buying a transmission shop, and mentioned to Jordan,”Hey, let’s start a company and build race cars.” He had just come out of high school, was 18, and told me I was crazy and that it wasn’t a good idea. Both our parents were self-employed and struggled along the way, and they were also against it. Jordan said, “I’m going to have a job. I don’t care if I make $4 an hour.” The next day he came up to me and said,”Let’s do it!”
We went to work for about 12 different people in the beginning. It started with the both of us working for some really low sand car builders for minimum wage, and we learned from everyone around us. We also took night classes for welding, machining, marketing, and pretty much everything else at a local community college.
Jordan: We had our shop in Santa Ana but had other jobs in San Diego and Hesperia. I’d drive to Hesperia and it would be snowing down the side. I’d eat all of my meals in my truck on the drive there. Jonathan did the same on his way to San Diego. We’d get back to the shop late at night around 10:00pm and get as much done as possible.
We were both designing at the time. He was doing more fabrication and I was kind of bolting stuff on, but we both did everything.
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