Mitsubishi's speed evolution continues...

The all-wheel drive Evolution series is the Japanese equivalent of the venerated Monaro here in Australia, or perhaps the Ford Mustang in the States.

And, for the first time anywhere in the world, Mitsubishi has unveiled the eighth iteration of the legendary rally-bred road car at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show.

Why would the Japanese manufacturer do this instead of launching it in the Nihon, it's domestic market? Simple: The Evo VIII will be part of a new product offensive in the US of A.

Luckily for us, Australia got the nod too.

100 units of the Evolution VI were released here in 2001, but sadly, along with most of the world, we missed out on the Evo VII.

Rather than mulling over what could have been - and it is fair to say that the Evo VII was quite the giant-killer - herein we'll look at the what, why and how (fast!) of the Evo VIII.

The Evolution series has evolved over the years as a result of competing in the World Rally Championship and other leading motorsport events worldwide.

It has attracted a wide following of enthusiast drivers and the production model is currently in its 7th edition in Japan and has been shipped in limited numbers to other world markets by Ralliart (MMC's motorsport affiliate) as a base model for use in competitive driving and rallysport.

Evolution VIII marks the introduction of the series in the U.S. and, over time, into other new markets where there has been considerable interest in the series.

Having commenced shipments of Evolution VIII to the United States, Mitsubishi decided to give the model its world debut at the Los Angeles Show ahead of its unveiling on the Japanese domestic market, scheduled for early 2003.

The U.S. market specification Evolution VIII derives many parts from the Japanese market Lancer Evolution VII GSR, which is essentially the base-model Evo.

While sharing major parts and components with the upcoming Japanese market Evolution VIII too, the U.S. model has been developed exclusively for the U.S. to meet crashworthiness and emissions requirements, user needs and preferences, plus road and traffic conditions in that market.

The big news is that it has a price tag of under US$30,000, which is roughly $52,000 in local currency and a far cry from the $80,000 asking price of the Evolution VI here in Australia.

Evo VII top, VIII bottom

The first and most obvious changes over the Evo VII are cosmetic and, in genereal, the new Evo VIII has a much less angular look to it, with more smooth lines and curves.

Take the new front air-dam that houses the intercooler, for example: Much curvier than its predecessor's.

Mitsubishi reckons the restyling improves intercooler performance and, in turn, engine cooling, thanks to a larger air intake aperture on its underside.

As for eye-candy however, debate is already rife as to whether it's an improvement, with many preferring the harder, more aggressive lines of the Evo VII.

The new model is some 80mm longer than the Evo it replaces, and the front grille marks the new Mitsu design identity with a raised triangular base in the center of the grille embellished with a rather spiffy chrome silver 3-diamond logo.

The trademark duel bonnet cut-aways are gone, replaced by a similarly shaped single jobbie, collectively bigger than the twins it replaces. The outlets in aluminum bonnet are location optimized to give better radiator cooling performance and also help to reduce front lift, which is handy when you're pushing 185km/h round a tightening, off-camber corner.

The rear spoiler is a tasty pice of kit, making use of weight reducing carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for both horizontal and vertical wings - a world-first for a production 4-door sedan. Furthermore, the wing section design has been optimised to generate greater downforce without increasing drag.

While we don't have any images of the latest Evo's interior, Mitsubishi informs us that all the usual suspects will be there: Sports instrument panel with central tachometer, full-scale speedometer (reading up to 170mph), leather 3-spoke Momo steering wheel, shift knob, parking brake grip and the Evolution VIII is fitted with Recaro front bucket seats.

The Lancer Evolution models are the spiritual nemeses of the Subaru Impreza WRX STi, but at it's core, the performance characteristics of the Evo's have always been slightly better than their Japanese brethren.

This is due not to so much to raw power - both are fairly similar in this respect - but instead torque, and also the delivery of said Newton metres.

The Evo VIII packs a 2.0-litre (1997cc) inline four-cylinder mill, with four-valves per cylinder, designated the 4G63. It makes use of forced induction provided by a turbocharger linked to frontally-mounted intercooler. The US-spec Evolution VIII cranks out an assertive 370Nm of toque @ 3500rpm, while peak power of 202kW hits @ 6500rpm.

Such a long power band is one way in which the more recent Evo models reach 100km/h from rest faster than Subaru's hero car, and 27Nm more torque than the STi helps too. As you can see from the table below, the US-spec power band of the new Evo is some 33% longer compare to the Australian-spec 2003 WRX STi.

While Mitsubishi hasn't yet released performance figures, the Japanese-spec Evo VI managed the sprint in 4.4 seconds, so about 4.6-seconds would make sense for the slightly plumper Evo VIII.

The Mitsu's turbo engine drives all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, as does the STi. The Evo also gets a few gearbox improvements over the VII, making for slicker and smoother shifting.

It gets a viscous limited slip differential in its center differential from the Evo VII models, with a mechanical LSD on the rear axle providing excellent traction and control for outstanding driving pleasure over all surfaces.

Because a lot of the parts from the US Evo VIII are sourced from the entry-level Evo VII GSR model, the 'Active Yaw Control' (AYC) won't make the cut. This funnky piece of techno-engineering essentially monitors the 'actual' course of travel relative to the 'intended' course of travel.

Then, taking advantage of two wet-plate, multi-disc clutches in the rear differential, AYC adjusts torque automatically, transmitting more to the side of the car with greater traction during cornering. If only all cars had AYC...

Ludicrous speeds are all well and good, but without the proper footwear and brakes, such power would go to waste. As such, the new model is fitted with Brembo brakes, which have been used in the series since Evolution V.

Four-piston calipers float over 17-inch ventilated discs at the front and 16-inch ventilated discs with twin-pot calipers at the rear deliver positive and reassuring stopping power.

Advanced ABS software regulates braking force at each wheel independently for consistent and predictable braking and control, reassuring when pushing the car to its limit, while EBD optimises braking force distribution between front and rear wheels to deliver progressive and predictable stopping performance.

To improve handling characteristics and ride quality, Mitsubishi decided that the American version needed improved body and suspension stiffness. Both aspects have been uprated through the strategic placement of reinforcements (though at the cost of increased bulk) and reinforcements have also been added to conform with U.S. crash regulations.

Suspension is by McPherson, strut at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear. Optimised damping characteristics combine synergistically, as Mitsubishi types say, with the stiffer body to improve handling stability at the limit, while enhancing the driving experience and the ride quality at all speeds.

The Evo VIII rides on aluminum (sic) alloy road wheels, shod with 235/45ZR Advan A046 high grip tyres, de-veloped specially for the U.S. market.

So there you have it - the Evo VIII in all its glory is finally breaking out of its domestic market. With the next-generation R35 Skyline also earmarked for European and American consumption, perhaps Japanese automotive culture is moving aside for, well, big bucks.

Mitsubishi America wants to sell 6500 of them in the first year after launch, which happens to be early 2003. Sorry, no specific dates... Yet. While no launch date has been officially announced by Mitsubishi in Australia, word is that a late 2003 shipping date is on the cards. How much? Expect the same $79,000 price point as the Evo VI.

As it stands, the new-look Evo VIII will still be one of the most-wanted four-cylinder sportscars in the world and, now with a much broader customer base, the future of the Evo looks even healthier than ever. Evolution IX here we come!