You don't have to be part of the PlayStation generation to consider the Evo VI a standout effort among Mitsubishi Lancers. The sixth-generation saloon was a star of Gran Turismo at the turn of the millennium, but it also experienced much glory in the real world, launching when Mitsubishi was at the peak of its World Rally Championship campaign. Having won three drivers' titles on the trot from 1996 with the Evo III, IV and V, as well as the 1998 constructors' crown, the Japanese marque launched its Lancer Evo VI in 1999 as a world beater.
In keeping with the Mitsubishi's Darwinistic practices with successive Evos, the VI bolstered its predecessor's configuration with better cooling and strengthened engine components for the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-pot. Both the intercooler and oil cooler grew in capacity, while the 4G63 block got new pistons. Mitsubishi insisted that power remained at the prescribed 280hp; many suspected it to be much higher.
The VI produced whatever its output it really was at 6,500rpm and delivered 275lb ft of torque 3,500rpm before that, so the 1,360kg machine was capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds (with a five-speed manual) and reached a 150mph top speed. That WRC iteration was no slouch either; Finnish rally legend Tommi Mäkinen used the car to secure his fourth and final world championship. The Evo VI's life was short at just two years, but the legend started setting like cement.
Not that it helped with sales. At the turn of the millennium it was Subaru which had its act together, and the Impreza - piloted by domestic rally talent - made sales hay while the Lancer was limited to the grey import market and a tiny number of official Ralliart dealers. For some though, the difficulty of getting hold of one just added to the motorsport/PS2 allure - and the VI never disappointed anyone who turned it from poster fodder to driveway filler back in the day.
So much so that the VI was well on its way to being the definitive Evo even when it was replaced by the VII in 2001 - especially in limited-run Tommi Mäkinen edition format. Like its forebears, the 2.0-litre VI immediately became a centre of focus for the aftermarket, too, with that tougher engine producing considerably more power with minimal mods - and the complex four-wheel drive system more than capable of handling extra shove. The used market for Evo VIs quickly became a sea of modified machinery.
Nowadays, of course, the tables have turned. Unmolested cars are the ones collectors want, especially those with the cleanest records - like today's Spotted. This genuine UK import car has a barely believable 6,000 miles on the clock from just one owner, with all original paintwork, papers and a full-service history. Even the EVO registration plate was fitted when the car was new, so climbing aboard is about as close as you can get to time traveling back to 1999. You'll only pay very slightly more for it than you would have back then. Bonus.
SPECIFICATION | MISTUBISHI EVO VI
Engine: 1,997cc 4-cyl turbo
Transmission: 5-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 275@2,750rpm
MPG: 23
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1999
Recorded mileage: 6,000
Price new: £30,995
Yours for: £32,000
1 / 4