Dreams are sometimes surreal. They can be extremely far-fetched or very down-to-Earth and possible. We all have things that we wish we could have. For car enthusiasts, our dreams are usually about driving or owning a specific car which we seem to have formed a bond with somehow. Most people attain their dream cars later on in life, when they can afford to, but can you imagine owning your dream car as early as your 20’s? That’s trippy, right?
The Lancer Evolution has really amassed a cult following ever since video games such as the Gran Turismo and Need For Speed franchises, as well as movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious. The magnitude of these cars’ popularity shows even in the western world, which had denied them until the 8th generation, was still so easily grasped by these legendary rally machines. Personally, I’ve never followed the hype so I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was all about when we arranged to interview Don. It’s easy to get attacked by fanboys on the internet if you utter anything negative about these cars. The Evo IV was produced from 1996 to 1998. The car was developed on a completely new platform compared to the first 3 versions of the Evolution. The engine and transaxle were rotated 180 degrees, to better balance the weight. It was slightly heavier than the car it replaced –The Evo III – due to electronics, but made up for it with even more power. The power was derived from a new twin scroll turbocharger which also helped with throttle response. Also for the first time, Mitsubishi had unveiled their AYC (Active Yaw Control) system which would give the Evos an edge on their competition from then on, and also have much of the internet saying “It slides like a RWD man, seriously!”
This car has a domineering look to it. You would see its aggressive looking front fascia in your rear view mirror and feel inclined to move over to let it pass. The front fogs are so big that it almost renders the headlights redundant. The hood vents, slits and creases all add to its aggressive and sporty look. The car is pretty high off the ground (for a sports car) but it is derived from hard core rally cars, so it’s forgiven.
Speaking of rally, the Evo IV group A machine challenged WR cars and won a glorious victory. In 1997 the WRC revised its regulations to allow turbochargers and all-wheel-drive systems. Many European manufacturers developed their rally vehicles in accordance with these provisions, but Mitsubishi stayed with its trusty Lancer Evolution IV from the previous year, determined to stick with a genuine production based vehicle. Also, the rally car was equipped with a sequential-shift transmission, marking the first time ever that an Evo was equipped with such a gearbox.
The car performed well in its first several races, with lead driver, Tommi Mäkinen, taking the checkered flag in the fourth round at the Portugal Rally and at the fifth round in Catalunya. In the sixth round at Tour de Corse, the Evo was involved in a major accident, colliding with a cow on the course and falling down a cliff. Ouch! It sprang back quickly though, winning the seventh round contest in Argentina. It also won the tenth round at Rally Finland, giving Mäkinen his second consecutive Driver’s Championship. Not bad for a platform based on a series production car. Not bad at all.
It was a sunny Sunday morning when we met up with Don at Pigeon Island. We were waiting for a while when out of nowhere, a very distinctive 4 cylinder exhaust note resonated over the land. We all looked at each other and smiled simultaneously. He pulled up and it was on with the shoot. The car looks very tasteful. It doesn’t have any flashy bits, canards or huge wings. The O.Z racing wheels and the factory wing does it up just right. To the uninitiated, it may just look like a regular car with some fancy bits added to it. The only thing which may hint at its performance is the Kakimoto Racing exhaust, which sounds angry, but oh so satisfying.
Donathan is an example of one lucky man who is living out a dream. He is driving one of his favourite cars every day; a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV. The car that he really wanted was the Evolution VIII, but our import processes placed that car out of his budget, although he doesn’t seem to be complaining about what he’s got! Don has not had this car for too long, but seems to have gotten used to its performance quite quickly. He demonstrated its acceleration prowess when travelling to various photoshoot spots. I was pleasantly surprised. On our narrow, technical roads, it’s more than enough performance to have fun and enjoy. Like Don told me, this is his daily driver. He says it’s not much more difficult to drive than most other cars, as the car is mostly stock, including the clutch. There’s this one acceleration pull he did which sort of blew me away, as I wasn’t prepared for it. “It’s pretty fast,” I said. He respond with a very modest, “ eh, I guess.”
After all the running around, taking photos & some video, we sat down with Don to ask him a bit more about his experience owning the car. Let’s see what he had to say.
Q&A
How did you end up with an Evolution IV out of all the cars you could’ve chosen?
The Evolution is one of my dream cars. I love Evolutions. I got to like Evolutions through Gran Turismo and then I jumped into Forza 5 and gradually I did some simulation games like Grid 2. I’m a racer. I like games. There was a tournament a couple of years ago hosted by Saucekrew and I placed 2nd. One of the things that really caught my attention in the 2005 game, Need For Speed Most Wanted, was the Evolution 8. I could’ve made that car take corners with ease. And there was fine tuning you could’ve done to it.
I actually really wanted the Evolution 8, but Saint Lucia is tough with duties and all that. So, I just had to stick with something lower and cheaper. Something within my budget. That’s where the Evolution 4 came about.
What was it like when you first got the Evolution IV? Are there any specific experiences that you can remember?
Well, I tried persuading one of my buddies to get one. He couldn’t believe that I actually got that car. He had to see it to believe it. So I was like “Okay. Well, you’ll see.” The day I got it, I brought it to a car wash in town and I called him to come meet me there. When he saw it. He freaked out and gave me $20 gas because he wanted to drive it.
We understand it’s your daily driver. Tell us what you like about it and some of the experiences you’ve had with this car.
Well one of the things the Evo IV has is AYC. Active Yaw Control. What it does, during a corner it gives more power to the wheels on the outside so you can take corners better. But with the Evo VIII and Evo IX, I think it has ACD. I can’t remember what that one is. But you change different settings based on the terrain.
I’ve set it to stock, 15PSI. I do plan on going higher than 15PSI eventually. When I just got the car and I first put the boost gauge, it showed me a ridiculous amount of boost. Something around 22PSI. I had to try to rectify the problem because we couldn’t believe it. I checked a buddy of mine and he said “That doesn’t feel like 22PSI. Something’s wrong.” It didn’t have any leaks or anything. We ran it through the wastegate actuator, we sorted it out and I was running 10PSI. So, I left it at 10PSI and then I checked out my boost solenoid to ensure it was okay. Once I knew it was okay, I set it to 15PSI.
People generally associate Evolutions with being gas guzzlers and high maintenance. What’s your take on that assumption?
Nah. That’s one of the things people say but it depends on how you drive. I can make $50 last me a week on gas. I changed location, but I used to live Bagatelle and I work at Baywalk. So, that’s about 15km. On a daily basis, from Bagatelle to work, I’d do the trip within about 10 minutes. On a weekend if I’m going out a lot, I may put another $20 gas. So, actually let’s say $70 a week. A full tank is about $125.
My tank is 40 liters. However, the thing with the Evo IV, is that you can’t really use the gauge to determine how much gas you have. The tank is split because of the differential. So, the tank essentially has two parts. So, I normally use the trip meter. The last time I did 347km on a full tank. I made the Evo guys freak out because they couldn’t believe it. As long as you’re off boost, you won’t burn much gas.
As for maintenance, my first service was only 2 weeks ago from since I got the car. Because I try to keep with the Mitsubishi Service Schedule. And I also have an app on my phone which I fill in information every time I fill up. It gives me a reminder when the mileage is done. So, with regards to servicing, I’ve only done the basics. Changing the oil, the AYC fluid, rotate the tires and check my suspension. This is my second car, so I try my best to keep it running smooth. One of the things I did the second week after I got the car was fix the radiator because it had a little leak. Now, you have to expect that because these cars that are imported sometimes spend a while sitting on the docks or wherever they are.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to own an Evolution?
I’d say make sure you have a good budget depending on which one you want. I’d say go with the Evolution V and up. If it was for me, I don’t really like the Evolution V or Evolution VI because of the wide body. But the Evolution V and Evolution VI have Brembo brakes. The reason the Evolution IV doesn’t come with Brembo brakes is because the 16″ rims they come with are too small. It has to be 17″ and up.
Also, make sure you service at regular intervals. Whether you do it every 5000km or every 6 months. And ensure to keep check on all the basic things such as your oil and your radiator fluid. Other than that, if you love driving and you love driving with a reasonable amount of speed to take some nice corners, go with an Evolution.
Have you seen the way this car handles traction control in any other vehicle?
Nah… Evos. To me I have never seen that in any other car. Maybe… nah, not the Subarus. If you’ve looked at the videos of them in rally stages, these things take corners and they’re just ‘outta there!’ And when you remap your ECU, you can alter your launch control and you can do other little tuning to get better fuel economy and the infamous anti-lag everyone talks about. You don’t get the true anti-lag which the rally cars use, but you get the pops and bangs. It may not be as loud but I have a friend who has it on his Evolution IV and it’s like a gunshot!
You seem to be really passionate about this car. What are your future plans for your Evolution IV?
Probably the next thing I’ll be doing is I’ll be trying to sort out my bushings. Get the polyurethane bushings. The kit is expensive but it lasts years though. I also plan on getting lowered springs and also do some tuning of the ECU. Rims, not so much. I’m not really ‘flashy-dashy‘. It can stay like that for now. Once I can get the suspension sorted out and I can roll with the power that I have, I’m good. That’s my daily driver. I’m not really doing any drag races or dexterity, so it’s all good.
It was quite an eventful day indeed. I now know why people are goo-goo ga-ga over these things. They’re incredible, even by today’s standards! I can’t imagine how rapid they must have felt back in the nineties when they were introduced. I’m now an Evo fan. Thanks Don!
