1992 MITSUBISHI Lancer Evolution I 2.0L 16V Turbo 5MT (250 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Mitsubishi was very active in the rallying world with the Gallant VR4, but that awesome car had a huge disadvantage: it was too big, so it came down to this: the first Lancer RS.

When the Japanese introduced the Lancer RS, nobody called it an Evo, but after the second evolution came to replace it, people started to call this 1992 Lancer RS as the Evo I. Basically, it was renamed after it was withdrawn from the market.

While the car was based on a smaller platform, also used for the Colt, it was shorter than the Gallant VR4. Thus, it didn’t need the all-wheel steering system from its bigger brother, and it could tackle the tracks just as well as its main opponents from Ford, Lancia, Subaru, or Toyota.

In the post-Group-B era, FIA (the world’s motorsports federation) promoted a smaller class named Group-A. Vehicles from that racing category had to keep the basic features of a production model but with some specific set of modifications. Thus, the cars from that category had to keep their engine and transmission system. The Gallant VR4 also followed those rules, but it proved to be too big for narrow rally stages, so Mitsubishi transferred most of the technology from that car into the Lancer, resulting in the Lancer RS or its better-equipped sibling, the Lancer GSR.

RS came from Rally Special, and that’s exactly what this car was. A base model for a rally car fitted with cheap seats ready to be thrown away, steel wheels, and no comfort amenities inside. The GSR, on the other hand, featured power windows and locks, air-conditioning, and a stereo.

Power came from the famous 4G63 two-liter turbocharged engine and was sent in all corners via a five-speed manual only.