Not many cars can turn a grown man into a dribbling idiot, but the Mitsubishi Evo is enough to lead petrolheads straight to the padded cell.

 

Sure, it might be based on a budget Japanese saloon car, but Stuart Milne reckons the Evo's performance puts it alongside the world's greatest engineering feats.

 

I'm writing this in Auto Trader Towers with a huge grin on my face. But if I were a less responsible driver, I could equally be talking to you from a hospital bed or a police cell.

 

This week I have been mostly driving a Mitsubishi Evo – a Lancer Evolution IX MR FQ-360, to be precise.

 

Aficionados of Japanese speed machines will instantly recognise from this random list of digits it’s the last hurrah for the current Lancer Evo, which can trace its roots back the original model in 1992.

 

The next model promises to be faster, grippier and better looking – if it looks anything like the concept we've seen at the Paris and Geneva motor shows – but until then, the bewinged motor parked outside is the ultimate.

 

And you don't need to look much further than the top-line performance figures to find out why.

 

Flat out, the Evo will hit its limiter at 157mph – without it, I reckon it could manage something on the dark side of 170mph. Zero to 62mph? That'll be 3.9 seconds.

 

That means from a standstill, the Evo is almost a second faster to 62mph than a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, which costs twice as much.

 

On the 50 mile drive home from the office, the ubersaloon felt as much at home in stop-start traffic as it did on winding country lanes and high-speed motorway runs.

 

And that's the great thing about the 'Bishi – whatever the road, whatever the conditions, you'll still be able to drive it like your hair is alight.

 

If it starts to rain, or you end up on a gravely road, simply push a button to slip it into Gravel mode and it alters some mechanical gubbins to increase grip further.

 

Starting to snow? No problem; just stab the button again for Snow mode.

 

Make no mistake; this is a serious bit of kit, not some chavved-up wannabe. Look at the rear window, and you'll see a series of tiny shark fin-like bumps to aid high speed stability.

 

Look down between the seats and there's a switch to operate an intercooler water spray – that's to cool the air being sucked through the radiator-like unit in the front bumper to feed the turbo.

 

Why? Because cooler air is more dense than hot, allowing a bigger explosion in the cylinders which makes more power.

 

You don't get that on many McDriveThrough hot hatches.

 

Mitsubishi know this only too well. Why else would they give it a moniker including the initials for Mitsubishi Racing, and Fantastically Quick?

 

Speak to some in the know, and 'Fantastically' is often substituted for a word far less savoury.

 

I've driven enoughfast European exotica to know a quick car when I see one, but I'm not sure any Italian supercar this side of an Enzo could keep up with an Evo with a loon behind the wheel.

 

And of course, it's a fully-functioning four door saloon with a big boot, air-conditioning and cupholders. The clutch is pleasingly light too, so it doesn't require the power of a circus strongman to change gear.

 

Sadly only 200 of these puppies are coming to the UK. Mine is number 29, so look carefully for the other 199 drivers contemplating lunacy, injury or prison to get their fix of Evo.

 

But even if you've missed the boat on a £35,000 '360, there are still plenty of cheaper ways to get into Mitsubishi's superstar. Early ones can be had for just £1,500, rising to a shade over £30k for a hot 320bhp model with delivery mileage.

 

But if you’re taking the plunge, get a good one because they usually get driven hard. And don't forget to set aside a few grand for the insurance.

 

L.A.T.W.O.T. Video of the Week

 

It's a video double bill this week, kneeling in the greatness that is the World's fastest Evo – Simon Norris' 927bhp green monster.

 

A 'nine second' car is the difference between a really fast car and something which is quick enough to bend time – here's Simon clocking a 9.8 on the drag strip at Santa Pod.

 

 

And here he is again, blasting from 30 to 130mph in just 6.1 seconds and on to a v-max of 201mph!

 

 

 

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