With the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution gone since 2016 and Subaru having recently announced the new WRX isn’t getting an STI version, there’s still a way for these rally-bred heroes to live on. And we’re not refering to the broad sense in which the Toyota GR Yaris/GR Corolla carry the AWD pocket rocket torch. Instead, the aftermarket world is keeping the JDM toys under the spotlight and we’re here to discuss the world’s fastest Evo X, as well as an equally capable Evo VIII.
In a world dominated by R35 GT-Rs and Lamborghini V10s, the Evo isn’t a drag racer’s first choice. However, this didn’t stop the pair of Mitsus we have here from delivering stellar quarter-mile passes at last month’s TX2K event, with the Evo X even coming second in the stick shift class (more on this below).
When Mitsubishi introduced the final Lancer Evolution X back in 2007, this was a big deal. It rode on a new platform, which many disliked due to the increased weight, and came with an all-new 2.0L turbo-four.
Gone was the 4G63 2.0L turbo that had served every Evo since the 1992 original, with this being replaced by the said motor, codenamed 4B11T.
And, in the That Racing Channel YouTube video below, Myles Kerr, the shop manager of racing crew English Racing, explains how Washington-based shop Extreme Turbo Systems bought the car brand new more than ten years ago and they had to learn the ways of the then-new 4B11T together.
English Racing has been running both cars and the team naturally brought these to TX2K last month.
Evo X vs. Evo VIII
The Evo X, which was the first to break into the 7s range back at the 2020 TX2K via a 7.93s run at 185 mph (298 km/h), sports a built engine with a GSC valvetrain that uses a Precision 7685 turbo, Motech engine management featuring a JRR development pack and a five-speed Graf manual tranny.
As Kess stated in the clip, getting the thing off the line with a clutch and AWD isn’t the easiest path to quarter-mile glory, but it’s certainly rewarding. For the record (no pun intended) this is a close-ratio tranny, with the driver going from 4th to 5th around the 1/8-mile point.
And if it hadn’t been for the said four-year turbo’s rage quit furing the 2022 TX2K final, this Evolution X, which tips the scales at around 2,600 lbs (1,180 kg) would’ve probably been the stick shift champion.
As for the Evo VIII, its engine bay accomodates a billet-block 4G63 with the factory crank and aluminum connecting rods. Once again, there’s a GSC valvetrain, a Motec ECU with the said JRR pack and a Precision 7685 turbocharger.
The engine makes 1,400 horsepower. As such, this also-stich-shifted toy, which tips the scales at 2,380 lbs (1,079 kg) with the driver, delivered a high-7s run at the Texas event.
To this day, the Evo crowd is split between the X and its predecessors, with this adventure allowing everybody to pick their poison.
