Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI - The hottest production car in Japan today is not a sports car, it's not...
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI
The hottest production car in Japan today is not a sports car, it's not even a 2-door. It's a boxy sedan with muscular bulges, an incredibly potent turbocharged engine and performance to rival the likes of Porsche 911s. If you want a car that can get you from A to B, even accross perilously twisty and wet mountain roads in the fastest possible time, this is it.
The Lancer Evolution VI is a snarling beast of a machine, based on Mitsubishi's 4 time world championship winning rally car. It isn't a particularly large car with an overall length about the same as a Toyota Corolla at 171.3 in. Its 140hp/litre, 1997cc engine is coupled to a titanium alloy turbine turbocharger that delivers 17 psi of boost, which enables the 3000lb sedan to scorch the pavement to 60mph in 4.3 seconds and to reach the 1/4 mile mark in 13. A large air intercooler in the bumper coupled with a manually engaged water spray cooler help the Evo, well, stay cool. Even without the spray, Car and Driver managed a 5.1 second time to 60 mph while in a similar test Motor Trend produced a time of 4.3 seconds. Power is divided among all four wheels with a Torsen diff on the front axle and a planetary center diff with viscous coupling and a mechanical limited-slip on the rear. And with the 225/45ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza S0-2 tires all around, the Evo VI is good for .90g on the skidpad, almost equaling the 0.93 that a Corvette can manage.
Mitsubishi have recently released a limited- edition extreme version of the Evo VI, in which active yaw control and ABS are removed, resulting in a significant loss of weight. The addition of a higher boost titanium turbocharger and a sports exhaust boost the power to a phenomenal 340 bhp. This results in 0-60 and 0-100mph sprints being reduced to an estimated 4 and 10 seconds respectively. Suspension and brakes are tweaked appropriately and as a result the Evo VI extreme can accelerate from 0-60 and decelerate to zero again in just 6.5 seconds!
Quite a machine: definately not one for the faint-hearted!
Year: | 1998 | Engine: | 2.0 Litre turbocharged |
Power: | 276 bhp | Transmission: | 5 speed manual |
0-62: | 4.4 secs | Top speed: | 150 mph |
Related Links
The Mitsubishi Websitehttp://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk