Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Vl ‘Tommi Makinen Edition’

By mid-1996, Mitsubishi’s rallying success began to really reflect in Lancer Evolution sales. The 1996 WRC season brought Mitsubishi, together with a blisteringly quick Finn named Tommi Makinen, its first World Rally Championship drivers’ title. The fiercely competitive Machine borrowed the phrase ‘maximum attack’ and used it to devastating effect.

By 1997, rallying had captured the imagination of petrol-heads all over the world and Mitsubishi sold 6,000 Evolution IVs in the first three days of its launch! In quick succession, the Lancer Evolution VI came to be, and, in the latter-half of 1999, Mitsubishi unleashed a special edition to celebrate its favourite son’s four consecutive WRC drivers’ titles from 1996-1999 – the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI ‘Tommi Makinen Edition’ (TME). The Evolution VI was already a technological tour de force, but the TME had a more responsive titanium turbocharger, uprated and lowered suspension (‘tuned to give improved initial response on tarmac surfaces’), quicker steering, a different exhaust, a new ECU, beefed-up transfer case internals, a redesigned front bumper for even better cooling and authentic 17-inch WRC Enkei alloy wheels. Plus, there was a special interior, featuring embossed Recaro seats, a MOMO steering wheel and red stitching. The performance upgrades saw the 0-60 mph sprint obliterated in 4.4 seconds and a maximum top speed of 150 mph. Power was rumoured to be over 300bhp, rather than the 276bhp ‘agreement’.

Widely regarded as the finest Lancer to wear the Evolution badge, it was now available in five colours, with Passion Red and Canal Blue joining Scotia White, Pyrenean Black and Satellite Silver. Only 250 TMEs (across the five colours) were officially imported into the UK, with 100 examples going to Australia, and the rest sold domestically in the Japanese Market. Official figures show that of the UK’s allocation, only 50 examples were in Canal Blue, perhaps the more discreet colour for a TME.

The car presented here is one of those in Canal Blue, so not only is it a genuine Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition (CP9A / SNGF2) car, but it is also an official UK-market example. This means it was officially imported by Mitsubishi-affiliated ‘Ralliart UK’, hence it would have been professionally SVA’d and is supplied with UK service books, a calibrated speedometer, an unleaded-spec fuel restrictor, cold-climate battery and an alternator, plus it is individually numbered with a plaque in the cabin, reading #119.