One owner, unmodified Evo VIII 260 for sale
Of all the 20-year-old cars you'd expect to find untouched, the Mitsubishi Lancer certainly isn't one...
Certain cars lend themselves to certain use cases. You wouldn’t expect a luxury or supercar to be drastically modified from factory standard, representing as they should the pinnacle of their respective manufacturer ranges. It would make sense for a sports car or hot hatch, however, to be upgraded, making cheaper, driver focused cars more exciting still. Spending some money on a turbocharged engine is an easy way to make more power, so it’s a popular thing to do, more efficient diesels tend to be the higher mileage machines and so on.
That Japanese performance cars are almost always modified absolutely fits that pattern. It’s been a huge part of the appeal for decades now, with famously strong turbo engines fully unleashed and often dowdy saloons transformed into far more attention grabbing machines. Cars made famous on (rally) stage and screen have been paid homage to, advanced chassis tech has been given the kind of workout that 280hp never could, and truly spectacular vehicles have been created. Imagine how strange the Japanese fast car scene would be without that kind of modifying.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, much like Supras, GT-Rs and Imprezas, enjoyed its time as a tuner’s dream. The 2.0-litre turbo four was tough, the chassis capable, the standard shape perfectly suited to an even more brazen bodykit. From rally reps to stroker kits, you’ll find all sorts of Evos for sale. The trouble now being that it’s the standard cars that collectors want, and there aren’t loads of those left. So the choice appears to be between untouched, pristine and expensive, or modified to someone else’s taste rather than yours. Tricky for those who want to experience just how brilliant the Evo was in standard form, before deciding whether they want more power or not.
All of which makes this Evo VIII particularly notable. It’s a one-owner from-new example, which is impressive given that it’s now 21 years old and that they’re notoriously pricey cars to run. It’s also unmodified (really): standard wheels, seats, brakes, engine. Not even an air filter or exhaust. Probably a stereo with a USB port wasn’t factory fit in 2005, but that really is it. And when did you last see that? Incredible.
Moreover, this Evo is said to have always been serviced at Mitsubishi. And they need a lot of servicing, so that won’t have been a small investment. But what a nice treat for the local garage after plodding through ASXs, Outlanders and Mirages. The MOT history shows rust was taking hold at just 10 years old, though some recent time off the road (and subsequent tests) would suggest that’s been fixed. You may have also noticed the smaller spoiler of this Evo, marking it out as the 260hp model launched for the UK back in 2004. It kept all the bits that made a Lancer so epic - Active Yaw Control, Active Centre Diff and Brembo brakes - just with a smidge less power. It launched at £22,999 with three years free servicing, incredibly enough. They’re seldom seen these days, adding further to the appeal.
And the price? £17,995, the cheapest manual Lancer Evo of any stripe by a margin. Maybe 260 spec has something to do with that, but 125,000 miles must be a contributing factor also. Hardly unheard of for these things, and remember it’s only ever been tasked with standard amounts of power, grip, braking and so on. With care exclusively from Mitsubishi. While it’s never going to be cheap to run, the appeal of the most affordable Evo - just as it was 20-odd years ago - is plain to see. Thank goodness for those who don’t follow the crowd…
No worse than any other Jap car though.
This seems like a really good base if you want to do one your way. As stock though it's not going to be a hugely exciting drive though so one to buy with an eye on fettling.
My VII RS came with those seats and they're utterly awful.
Stunning condition though...would be shame to actually use it.
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