The car took a bit of time to get up to speed, but would go on to win its third event, the Rally of Argentina. While rivals Subaru, Toyota and Ford pressed ahead with the development of highly modified World Rally Cars, Mitsubishi continued to base their design on the Group A regulations. Mitsubishi replaced the Evolution IV with the V at the fifth round of the WRC season in Spain. The Evolution IV showed great speed, but it was its reliability that let Mäkinen win his second straight WRC title. Mitsubishi responded by increasing development speed, fitting a new sequential gearbox and turning the engine 180 degrees. This meant that manufacturers could produce cars exclusively for rallying, which Ford and Subaru took full advantage of. For 1997 season a new category, World Rally Cars, was introduced. Both Mäkinen and the Lancer would be up against some stiff competition from the likes of Subaru and Ford. 1997 – 1998 Lancer Evolution IVįive years after the launch of the first Lancer Evolution, the Evolution IV made its debut at the beginning of the 1997 season. In the hands of Tommi Mäkinen the car won five out of nine WRC rounds and claimed the drivers’ title, however, Subaru would claim the manufacturers’ championship. The following year, the Evolution III was in for some big achievements. By the end of the season the Lancer Evolution III would finish third, behind the dominant Subaru team of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, and the Toyota Castrol Team. The Evolution III took victory at the 1995 Rally Australia, which was a round of both the Asia-Pacific Rally and the WRC. While victory eluded the team on this occasion, a series of wins from the third round proved that the car was good. Mitsubishi’s next rally car, the Lancer Evolution III made its debut at the first round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in Indonesia. The 1995 win spurred on even faster development of the Lancer Evolution platform. The Swedish Rally Evolution II was fitted with an electronically controlled 4WD system that allowed the car to glide over the snowy terrain. However, while the design of the Lancer Evolution II was good, the car would have to wait until the 1995 Swedish Rally to get its first win in the WRC. The new car managed to achieve second in the hands of Armin Schwarz, proving that the car’s design was on point. They came out with the Lancer Evolution II at the Acropolis Rally mid-way through the 1994 season. With some success in the first year of competition, Ralliart and Mitsubishi pressed ahead with the car’s development. While the Lancer failed to win during the season, it did show serious promise. The Lancer Evolution made its rally debut at the first round of the 1993 WRC. With a 2,500mm wheelbase, the more compact Lancer had superior turning characteristics and improved cornering abilities. The car won a number of events, but the team saw more potential in Mitsubishi’s Lancer platform. Ralliart entered the World Rally Championship (WRC) full-time for the first time in 1989, with the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. This would eventually evolve into Ralliart Europe, with the backing of Mitsubishi’s high performance division. Mitsubishi rally driver Andrew Cowan set up Andrew Cowan Motorsports in 1983. The story of the Mitsubishi Evo starts in the unforgiving world of rallying. The History and Specifications of the Mitsubishi Evo Summary of this Mitsubishi Evolution Buyer’s Guide.Where to Find a Mitsubishi Evo for Sale?.General Car Buying Advice for a Mitsubishi Evolution.The History and Specifications of the Mitsubishi Evo.
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