Darwin says adapt or die. Usually he’s right. Mitsubishi figured that out the hard way. They swapped the glory of gravel rallies for the safety of crossovers. It happened over a decade ago.
Back then, there were velociraptors on four wheels. The 2015 Lancer Evo Final Edition. This specific one is sitting on Bring a Trailer with barely a dent in its odometer. 722 miles. It’s basically brand new.
For a car as dead as a dodo, this one still has teeth.
Mitsubishi shipped 1500 of these last ones to the US. They bumped the turbo 2.0L engine to 303 horsepower for a sendoff that felt loud. And fast. And angry.
The rivalry started in the early 90s against the Subaru WRX. By the time the Evo hit the States in the early 00s, the stakes were higher. These cars dragged each other across Europe’s tarmac and dirt, fighting for WRC glory. Without the Evo breathing down Subaru’s neck, you could argue the modern WRX would be blunter. Dumber, even.
This tenth-generation model wasn’t the tin-can budget build of the past. It was sharp. A genuine sports car wearing sedan clothing. Same recipe as before: turbo four-cylinder, AWD, doors on both sides.
But it handled better. Much better. The Super All-Wheel Control was clever stuff. Three differentials. Independent tuning. It watched your steering and throttle, deciding where power should go to prevent slide or induce it. The Subaru was for snow stages. This Mitsubishi was for hot tarmac.
They killed the optional dual-clutch for this final run. No dual-clutch. Only a five-speed manual. Slower shifting. More feel. Seems right. You don’t send off a legend with a computer driving it for you.
The power delivery was violent. A short final gear and huge boost pressure made it twitchy. The steering snapped back at you. The Brembo brakes bit hard. Driving one wasn’t relaxing. It was like eating raw sashimi while someone jams wasabi up your nostril. Fresh root wasabi too. The stinging kind that clears your sinuses.
Sad, right? Mitsubishi stopped caring about performance because crossovers pay the bills. The Evo was niche. A love letter to Fast and Furious fans and guys who liked their tachometers buried in the red.
It didn’t balance the ledger. It balanced adrenaline.
The last raptors are gone from the road. But they leave bones you can buy. This auction closes May 21. If you wait, someone else will.
