1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR
Discussion
Hi all,
Long time lurker on the PH forums but ive not posted until now, I wondered if any of you would be interested in my 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR
A bit of back story
When I was 17 years old back in college in 1998, a friend of mine (also 17!) had a group N Mitsubishi Evo 1 RS as his first car, despite being quite interested in cars I had never really heard of a Mitsubishi Evolution, (this was before the Evo 4/5/6+ started to be imported into the country and id sort of missed it on Gran Turismo) I was pretty curious about this stripped out Mitsubishi he used to arrive in. One day after college, my friend offered me a lift home, he took it quite easy for a while and I just thought it was pretty cool to drive round in a rally car with Sparco seats and racing seatbelts, but then we came to a clear bit of road, he put his foot down and I was absolutely stunned by the performance! it felt savagely quick! the kick in the back from the turbo was something else! and certanly like nothing I had experienced before, the acceleration felt relentless! the brakes felt incredible and the way it gripped around corners just didnt feel real! coupled with the engine roar and the chirps from the turbo, it was a fantastic experience......Suddenly my 1.1 Ford Escort popular didnt cut it any more! I desperately wanted an Evo but being only 17 it wasnt very likely, so I promised myself that I would one day have a White Mitsubishi Evo 1. A few years passed by and despite owning some very nice cars, E46 M3, S2000, various hot hatches, a couple of later Evos and now currently a Golf R, Id always wanted a white Evo 1 but it never seemed to be the right time and years went on, finding one in good unmodified condition seemed pretty much impossible unless I wanted to import one from Japan (I was quoted 12k for this back in 2014) but then this one popped up on Pistonheads in September 2015
Here are the fantastic pictures from the previous owner on his advert
content_evo_i_front_three_quarter by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
content_evo_i by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
content_evo_i_rear by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
MLR2_zps2e31e1cf by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
content_evo_i_engine by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
MLR4_zps4bc631c3 by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
content_evo_i_recaro_seats by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
content_evo_i_rear_spoiler by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
e1-2 by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickr
I pretty much knew I was going to buy it as soon as I saw it, It is a GSR model, which includes Air con, Recaro seats and a couple of other things and is about 50/60kgs heavier than the RS version at 1250kg, it had around 46000 miles on it, It was standard apart from the Evo 2 wheels and some front Ohlins suspension, with quite a comprehensive history, including some of the Original Japanese booklets etc, A few days later and I was in Wales handing over the money, I bought it from a very nice guy who had actually purchashed an NSX but despite this he was still sorry to see the Evo go, Id imagine it was pretty much perfect for the welsh roads, I thought id better get away quick in case he changed his mind!
I had a great drive home through Wales, I remembered what I love about these cars, they are so nimble! easy to drive, easy to see out of, no one really knows what they are, and they can still hold their own in the performance stakes even to this day! .......although when you get on the motorway it really does feel like it needs a 6th gear, its really buzzing away at 70/80 mph, The Evo 1/2/3s have a very close ratio gearbox and the car is almost totally geared towards acceleration, but the recaro seats are very comfy and supportive so not too much of an issue
When I got home and had a much closer look at the car, It had obviously been looked after very well but it was now 23 years old at that point and needed some tlc in some areas, so with the help of my cousin, it has been undergoing a bit of a gentle restoration over the last couple of years, along with driving it of course! .....
Long time lurker on the PH forums but ive not posted until now, I wondered if any of you would be interested in my 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR
A bit of back story
When I was 17 years old back in college in 1998, a friend of mine (also 17!) had a group N Mitsubishi Evo 1 RS as his first car, despite being quite interested in cars I had never really heard of a Mitsubishi Evolution, (this was before the Evo 4/5/6+ started to be imported into the country and id sort of missed it on Gran Turismo) I was pretty curious about this stripped out Mitsubishi he used to arrive in. One day after college, my friend offered me a lift home, he took it quite easy for a while and I just thought it was pretty cool to drive round in a rally car with Sparco seats and racing seatbelts, but then we came to a clear bit of road, he put his foot down and I was absolutely stunned by the performance! it felt savagely quick! the kick in the back from the turbo was something else! and certanly like nothing I had experienced before, the acceleration felt relentless! the brakes felt incredible and the way it gripped around corners just didnt feel real! coupled with the engine roar and the chirps from the turbo, it was a fantastic experience......Suddenly my 1.1 Ford Escort popular didnt cut it any more! I desperately wanted an Evo but being only 17 it wasnt very likely, so I promised myself that I would one day have a White Mitsubishi Evo 1. A few years passed by and despite owning some very nice cars, E46 M3, S2000, various hot hatches, a couple of later Evos and now currently a Golf R, Id always wanted a white Evo 1 but it never seemed to be the right time and years went on, finding one in good unmodified condition seemed pretty much impossible unless I wanted to import one from Japan (I was quoted 12k for this back in 2014) but then this one popped up on Pistonheads in September 2015
Here are the fantastic pictures from the previous owner on his advert
content_evo_i_front_three_quarter by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickrcontent_evo_i by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickrcontent_evo_i_rear by Jonathan ADAMS, on FlickrMLR2_zps2e31e1cf by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickrcontent_evo_i_engine by Jonathan ADAMS, on FlickrMLR4_zps4bc631c3 by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickrcontent_evo_i_recaro_seats by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickrcontent_evo_i_rear_spoiler by Jonathan ADAMS, on Flickre1-2 by Jonathan ADAMS, on FlickrI pretty much knew I was going to buy it as soon as I saw it, It is a GSR model, which includes Air con, Recaro seats and a couple of other things and is about 50/60kgs heavier than the RS version at 1250kg, it had around 46000 miles on it, It was standard apart from the Evo 2 wheels and some front Ohlins suspension, with quite a comprehensive history, including some of the Original Japanese booklets etc, A few days later and I was in Wales handing over the money, I bought it from a very nice guy who had actually purchashed an NSX but despite this he was still sorry to see the Evo go, Id imagine it was pretty much perfect for the welsh roads, I thought id better get away quick in case he changed his mind!
I had a great drive home through Wales, I remembered what I love about these cars, they are so nimble! easy to drive, easy to see out of, no one really knows what they are, and they can still hold their own in the performance stakes even to this day! .......although when you get on the motorway it really does feel like it needs a 6th gear, its really buzzing away at 70/80 mph, The Evo 1/2/3s have a very close ratio gearbox and the car is almost totally geared towards acceleration, but the recaro seats are very comfy and supportive so not too much of an issue
When I got home and had a much closer look at the car, It had obviously been looked after very well but it was now 23 years old at that point and needed some tlc in some areas, so with the help of my cousin, it has been undergoing a bit of a gentle restoration over the last couple of years, along with driving it of course! .....
MDMA . said:
Looks like a good one. How come it's on an 06 plate?
Thanks 
ah yes I forgot to mention the plate, The DVLA managed to mix up the build date with the import date and put it on an 06 plate, Mitsubishi had to write a letter to the DLVA with the build date of February 1992 and it is now on its correct J plateFantastic, love the back story. Quite similar to what I experienced with my girlfriend's brother in his tuned R5 GTT when I was 17! Fell in love with them, and finally got one 10 years later... however it didn't live up to the dream and fell apart. Guess they're just not up to being a daily any more! Hope your car gives you exactly what you need from it
I love this, I tip my cap to you sir! I had a load of Euro rubbish before I bought my Skyline and now I'm a total convert to JDM cars. The Skyline unfortunately had to go so I've got another Toyota inbound!
Are you planning to keep it standard or do some light modification, I managed (just) to do that with my Skyline!
Are you planning to keep it standard or do some light modification, I managed (just) to do that with my Skyline!
Thanks for the kind words guys
I will update it soon with a few of the jobs and things ive done on it since owning it
To answer a couple of the questions, the Momo steering wheel is standard, All the Evos come with a Momo wheel and gearknob and Recaro seats which makes the interior a slightly nicer place to be
Yes the car was a used Japanese import, but it was imported before I owned the car
As for my plans for the car, Ive only ever intended to keep the car standard, despite the fact that the car would respond really well to modifications, and I have been tempted a couple of times! but I really just like it as it is I find that it is really nicely sprung for our UK roads, the ride isn't harsh, fairly supple to be honest, Its pretty comfortable when youre just cruising round. The engine is rated at about 250 bhp and coupled with the low weight and very close ratio gearbox, it makes it quick enough for all id ever want on the road, Id say really there isn't much in it performance wise (acceleration at least) between the Evo and my Golf R, although the Golf is a lot more effortless! has better brakes and definitely has more torque, but in a way it makes the Evo more fun because you do have to work for it a bit more
I will update it soon with a few of the jobs and things ive done on it since owning it
To answer a couple of the questions, the Momo steering wheel is standard, All the Evos come with a Momo wheel and gearknob and Recaro seats which makes the interior a slightly nicer place to be
Yes the car was a used Japanese import, but it was imported before I owned the car
As for my plans for the car, Ive only ever intended to keep the car standard, despite the fact that the car would respond really well to modifications, and I have been tempted a couple of times! but I really just like it as it is
I find that it is really nicely sprung for our UK roads, the ride isn't harsh, fairly supple to be honest, Its pretty comfortable when youre just cruising round. The engine is rated at about 250 bhp and coupled with the low weight and very close ratio gearbox, it makes it quick enough for all id ever want on the road, Id say really there isn't much in it performance wise (acceleration at least) between the Evo and my Golf R, although the Golf is a lot more effortless! has better brakes and definitely has more torque, but in a way it makes the Evo more fun because you do have to work for it a bit more Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff