Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

Speaking of rally cars, sneaking in under the radar is the Mitsubishi Evolution X, which was last available new in 2016. While we realise that’s a little more than half a decade so we’re breaking our own rules, we’ll allow it because that’s the whole point of the Mitsi Evo – it’s a car that’s historically broken all the rules. From the very beginning, the brief was clear: to offer supercar slaying performance in what was, let’s face it, a reasonably boring saloon car. And with all the bells and whistles added, such as the big wings, deep bumpers, bonnet vents, all-wheel-drive and a snorting turbocharged engine, the Evo took the humble Lancer to the next level – and on to the WRC. The Evo X (the ‘X’ of which denotes that the car is the 10th generation of the Evolution moniker) may not have been as popular with the modifying hardcore as the other nine iterations. This is mostly down to the surprise discontinuation of the 4G63 engine, an undeniable tuner favourite that constantly evolved from the inception of the Evo I in 1992 to the Evo IX in 2007. But the X represents something more: a performance car swansong from a time when Mitsubishi weren’t quite as focused on EVs and crossovers. As the years have shown, too, the specially-developed 4B11T engine is still quite the piece of kit. With power that varies from around 280 horsepower in the base models to an almost ludicrous 440 in the all-singing, all-dancing FQ-440MR, every single one of them offers stunning performance. Even the UK police ordered more than a couple as their hot pursuit cars. According to many, they were never outrun by standard road cars either. Of course, there’s no doubt that the Evo X looks amazing too, in an anime-inspired kind of way. It’s a far cry from the relatively sedate styling of most fast European saloons, and will still turn heads and snap necks in equal measure. But perhaps the best news is that, although they’re not exactly cheap (they never were), you’ll find that the vast majority of these cars are enthusiast-owned and well looked after. So don’t go thinking that age is the main consideration here; plenty of these are still practically brand new.