Mitsubishi Lancer Evo FQ-400: 403bhp, 0-60 in 3.8!

With 293bhp and tenacious four-wheel-drive grip, most people are usually satisfied with the performance of a stock Lancer Evolution. However, "most people" and "car enthusiasts" are two entirely separate groups.  I mean, Consumer Reports would probably give the Evo two thumbs up for acceleration out of the box.  The comments from car guys usually go something like this: "It's a good start, but how about 100 more horsepower?"

For those dedicated horsepower junkies (at least, those living in the UK) there is hope for you!  Introducing the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution FQ-400, which is almost fast enough to tear a hole in the atmosphere and go into orbit.

The FQ-400 (and yes, FQ stands for "F***ing Quick") is a product of Mitsubishi's Ralliart arm, and it has a long list of mechanical upgrades over the stock Evolution to give it the sort of alarming performance that some people are looking for.  Under the hood, they've fitted a larger twin-scroll turbocharger with a stronger thrust bearing and other internal changes, higher flow-rate fuel injectors and a stronger fuel pump, a larger intercooler (air-to-air, front mounted), a new exhaust and of course a retuned ECU.  Total power swells from 293bhp to 403bhp, and torque jumps from 311lb-ft to 387lb-ft (525nM).

To keep this absurd amount of power in check, Ralliart has also upgraded the stopping and turning parts of the Evo, too.  The track has been widened front and rear, and the standard suspension has been lowered with Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers.  The brakes are high-tech floating caliper design with more aggressive, track-oriented pads.  The FQ-400 rolls on lightweight 18" 9-spoke alloy wheels with barely-legal Toyo T1-R rubber, which should provide the sort of insane dry grip that will make your eyeballs hurt in conjunction with the Evo's raft of electronic nannies and abbreviations.

On the outside, the FQ-400 receives a few tweaks to differentiate it from more "tame" Evo's (as if such a thing existed.)  The front bumper has been redesigned to incorporate NACA brake ducts and a carbon-fibre front splitter.  The hood has sprouted some additional ventilation, and there are also HID headlights up front.  Then there's the carbon-fibre side skirts, the redesigned rear bumper with carbon-fibre diffuser, the rear spoiler with a Gurney flap, and the trademark "Vortex Generators" on the roof.  So now no one will mistake your FQ-400 for a regular Lancer, which would be hilarious.

Inside... it's a Lancer, what'd you expect?  There are grippy Recaro seats and special FQ-400 handbrake and gearknob trim, but it's still dark, depressing and plastic.  Dash-stroking was not this car's main goal.

With 403bhp and a kerb weight around 3300lbs, the FQ-400 will rocket to 100km/h in a scant 3.8 seconds and top out at an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.  This giant-beating performance can be yours for only £49,999 - or about $80,000 USD.  While this seems like a questionable value - after all, it doesn't take $40,000 to make 400bhp from a standard Evo - the FQ-400 is a well-rounded, limited edition and fully developed package that carries with it a full warranty and support from Mitsubishi.  That's gotta be worth something.  It also comes with a lot of high-end goodies that are options on the regular Evo, like a 30GB integrated hard drive for music and media storage, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation, and other niceties.

I think if they removed some of the luxury goods - and thus some weight AND some cost - this would be a lot more appealing package.  Still, it's certain there are some people out there nuts enough to pay nearly $80k USD for a Mitsubishi.  And at least they know that almost nothing on the road can keep up with them...