Over the weekend Mitsubishi Motors has unveiled the very, very last of the Lancer Evolution line. Fans of the Flanked by other great sports cars from the company’s past, the Final Edition Evo made its debut at the Mitsubishi Owners’ Day event at the firm’s US headquarters in Cypress, California amidst thousands of dedicated Mitsubishi fans that had arrived from all over the west coast in Starions, 3000GTs, and even Delicas.
To send its storied performance icon off with a bang, a Mitsubishi representative told us that the Final Edition Evos will receive a “slight bump” in horsepower, although the actual number was not actually disclosed. In Japan, the Final Edition is based off of the Evo X GSR, which features a 5-speed manual transmission. That version — and we have no reason to believe the US-market counterpart will be any different — had sodium-filled exhaust valves, which could account for the aforementioned bump.
Other performance goodies include a suspension upgraded with Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs, Brembo brakes and high performance Yokohama Advan tires.
Visually, the Final Edition wears a gloss black bumper bar and hood vent surrounds, with black-finished BBS wheels. The grille surround is a darker chrome than standard, and there will be “Final Edition” emblems on the decklids.
The cabin features a serial-numbered plaque and red stitching on the steering wheel, shift knob and e-brake.
Back in April, Mitsubishi Motors began taking orders in Japan for the Final Edition Evo. Only 1,000 will be sold there, but North America will receive 1,600. The car shown here is number “0000,” a very-close-to-production prototype that was so new the Final Edition badge hadn’t arrived in time to be affixed to the trunk.
With the discontinuation of the Evo line, Mitsubishi effectively kills off the last of its performance DNA. Reminding us of that fact were to other greats from the company’s past, arranged in a triple diamond-shaped display.
To the starboard side was Mitsubishi’s ultimate 90s showcase, the 3000GT VR-4 Spyder, a 320hp, all-wheel-drive, 6-speed convertible. When it debuted, it cost $65,000, or just over $100 grand in 2015 dollars, and part of that cost was due to the first production folding metal top. With just over 600 built, it’s a rare beast.
On the opposite side was the face that launched a thousand import tuners. We speak of the 90s as the era of sport compact Hondas, but the Eclipse was just as popular a platform. With AWD and a 210hp turbo four, the sport coupe was an even more beloved choice for modifiers in many parts of the US. As a result, stock versions are ultra rare now. These display cars are not part of the official Mitsubishi collection, so there’s still a chance that the number of well-preserved examples may someday reach zero.
Nearby, the current new car lineup of Mitsubishi Motors was both on display and rubbing salt in the wounds of the legions of Evo fans that had come to the event.
We arrived as the show was winding down, so the oldest cars we spotted were a trio of Starquests. If any Colts were present, we probably missed them and barely managed to snap a few photos before the Starions too took off.
Over 90 percent of the cars in attendance were Evos, with this group taking their name from the bad guys in Initial D.
Meanwhile, a short-wheelbase first-gen Montero and a mud-covered second-gen came to represent Mitsubishi’s other side, that of apocalypse-ready off-roaders. The Montero/Pajero faithful will swear that their rigs can outlast and out-trek even the mighty Land Cruiser. If the Dakar Rally is any indication, that could very well be true.
Over in the corner a pair of owners actually brought a Mitsubishi one-box and an imported 4WD Delica. Mitsubishi has brought us many iconic cars over its long history; it’s sad that the lineup has been reduced to a couple of crossovers and a three-cylinder compact.
Before we left, a couple of Galant VR-4s reminded us of the origins of the Lancer Evo —and of the days when Mitsubishi was turbocharging their run-of-the-mill family sedans. While the end of the Evo marks the close of an era, we hope Mitsubishi continues to hold Owners’ Day events. Still no other Japanese automaker invites thousands of fans to their headquarters (and factory) for a homecoming.
Dat Stallion though. such a classic car. Mitsubishi gave most of their line ups the option for a turbo awd. But that was a thing of the past, oh whales….
You just have to wonder what happened, and why…
All is not lost! Mitsubishi Design are hiring, refurbishing studios as well as reopening their European Design hub in Germany, I can imagine great things in the near future! No one would be crazy enough not to build on this amazing brand legacy and keep the loyal fan base alive…. they will focus on core products then blow us away with something really special. The new guy in charge is a wonderful guy and a true car nut so finger’s crossed!
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/spirit/design/
http://www.cardesignnews.com/careers/mitsubishi-motor-rd-europe/2015/07/designer/
Yeah exciting MITSU was able to steal Kunimoto-San from NISSAN
He surely must’ve gotten permission from the Keiretsu bosses.
http://2007.bodw.com/2007/eng/speaker_info.php?id=25
XR’s nice looking, and if they can put it on a shared platform with (a new) Lancer, I could see it being a success – IF THEY BOTHER TO ADVERTISE. Free gold is worthless if nobody knows about it.
Here’s the thing with me: I have absolutely zero interest in hybrids. They just do absolutely nothing for me. They’re appliances. I’ll take a Camry over a Prius; a Sentra over a Leaf; Mirage over iMiev. (Actually, the Mirage would be my first choice if I was looking for new, today.) Now, Honda’s and Toyota’s Hydrogen cars interest me a lot.
How about a turbo-4 for the XR? Doesn’t have to be at Evo levels. Since diesel is slowly coming to the States, howsabout a Turbodiesel-4?
Do I really need to scream STICK SHIFT at this point? (. . .And if Subaru can do AWD with stick, then NOBODY is gonna tell me that other manufacturers canNOT. . . All the way down to the old, lovable Justy.)
They DO have more trim versions of their lines, which is nice.
It’s all for the better, perhaps, as the EVO SST is a live grenade. You don’t want to be out of warranty when it goes!
I rarely see Mitsu’s on the road around here. Can ANYBODY tell me why? Really, is it just because they don’t advertise? Is there something inherently wrong with the product? Do the dealers/service departments suck?
Yes
Sooo, “Yes” to which? To all? Don’t leave me hangin’ dude…
All. But perhaps that will change if corporate really wants to see another golden age
nope abandon all ye hope
http://www.cardebater.com/mitsubishi-gc-phev-concept/
In fairness that neo-Pajero design has been kicking around since 2013, developed before Kunimoto’s time.
I’m pretty easy-going about vehicle design; I actually like way too many vehicles, but this just… Ewwww… I’m sorry, but, no… Something’s all kinds of off about that. The back end shape/proportions..?
Not crazy about the front, either, to be honest, but the shapes could be likened to a Lexus on acid, so I guess that’s the way things are going.
Interior’s nice. Based on the console width, the back seat should be able to hold 3 across without one of them being a stick figure.
Kunimoto-San did mention something about appreciating MITSUBISHI’S aeronautical roots, so that’s a step in the right direction.
I don’t see anything aeronautical about it… Sorry, but that’s one where I’d take a pass; wait for the next design to come out, buy a new Ridgeline, or???
Squeeze the Evo powertrain into the Mirage.
Just need a turbo bolted on, some 15″ wheels, and firm up the suspension. Want to put Recaros in it? Fine. Just watch that final price.
AKA the Mirage R5 http://www.mitsubishir5.com/technical.html
I’d take one over an Evo
Mitsubishi still has plenty to offer us, the eve going away will hopefully make room for one of their other power cars. Everyone is so quick to hate on or dismiss them as a serious car company, they’ve made some big mistakes and their marketing is the worst but they’re still here. Hopefully they’ll get back on track and make things that will once again wow us into buying their products again.
I’d like to see the Triton RS, Mirage R5, Rally X-Country, ASX-R available stateside unfortunately i think MMC sees the pictures of what people do to their Lancer Evo’s here and that might be a factor in why they don’t sell the others to us. Honestly a slammed Evo has basically had it’s testicles removed, “this car does something fantastic now let’s remove that feature” -Evo fanboys
I personally never stopped buying their cars, even the “chrome era” Mitsus still had something to offer, i’ve laid low and kept to the safe buys like the J vin coded cars and they’ve been perfectly well built and reliable machines despite being rather plain. I have a new Mirage and it’s my first non Japanese Mitsubishi, it seems like it holds true to it’s original form and i don’t get why Mirage guys hate on them so much. Maybe it’s because it’s not 30 years old and $500 i don’t know, but what i do know is that car guys will never be happy with what’s coming out now. Mitsubishi has ALWAYS taken care of the car enthusiast from the Galant GT in the early 70’s to the final Evolution and all the car guys do is complain about what they’re getting. These cars are gifts, buy them and enjoy them and if/when new ones come out you can buy those too because they will be cool in 5 years i promise. Imagine what the car guys were saying when the Lancer Celeste GT was available, or the complaints that rolled out on the forums back in ’78 with the Sapporo, OMG the trash talking and massive online debates about the then new turbocharged Starion, I’m sure some had to walk away from the computer when the Eclipse debuted on Youtube, legions of hardcore Mitsu fans threw in the towel when the 3000GT was released and as we all now know the Evo 8 was OK but the rest were total garbage…
WTF?
You car fanboys need to step into the Mitsubishi truck enthusiasts shoes, we get the left overs. No special models, no pickups after ’95 and no truck based SUVs after ’04 and WE ARE THE DIE HARDS! You guys are lucky, all i want is a basic pickup! The newest Triton is awesome! Mitsubishi hasn’t hooked us up with a truck in a long time, i think it’s time they go back to the red diamond era and sell trucks again. I’ll buy.