Forget The $100,000 Mitsubishi Evo: Here's A Much Cheaper One That We'd Rather Have Anyway

While some Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions are selling for ridiculous money, not all of them are. In fact, some of the best are surprisingly affordable if you have a quick flick through the classifieds.

We reported on the brand new 2006 Evo IX that’s selling for well over $100,000 in California, but closer to (our) home there are some much more tempting options. We looked straight at the Evo VI; the pinnacle of the breed in many people’s eyes not just for its stunning good looks and outstanding all-surface ability, but also the period in history that it calls home; the turn of the millennium, when Mitsubishi was dominant in the World Rally Championship.

The Evo VI was actually a lightly breathed-on Evo V, but with larger cooling components and upgraded pistons it was more durable and could take more punishment for longer. Importantly it was the last of the Evo line to use the same lithe chassis, with the Evo VII switching to the larger, heavier platform from the Lancer Cedia.

It was also the generation that gave birth to the Tommi Makinen edition; a limited run of very special upgraded versions with a titanium turbo turbine, quicker steering, Recaro seats, lower suspension and 17-inch Enkei alloys. All things considered, the Evo VI was the nuts, and it was immortalised in video games like Colin McRae Rally 2.0. Part of the generation of Japanese cars that were, ahem, limited to 280bhp, the Evo VI actually put out quite a bit more than that.

This classifieds find is a standard version from 1999, but in the very lovely and uncommon Reims Blue. It has covered just 61,000 miles in its lifetime with a full history to back that up. Its Recaro seats are a suede/cloth mix, it has the Enkei 17-inch wheels in silver and was upgraded from the factory with luxuries like dual-zone climate control, red Brembo brake calipers, Active Yaw Control and remote central locking complete with an alarm. Very desirable to Johnny Thief, these.

It’s recently had a new clutch, says the seller, and has been modified (obviously) with a full exhaust system and (of course) boost gauges. Yours for £9995, this looks like a really lovely example, and surely a classic model like this won’t lose a single penny in value going forward. Somebody please buy it, and love it.