To quote a line spoken by Doc Brown in the classic 1985 movie, Back to the Future: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
Michael Latimer of Chandler, Arizona, can say the same thing. Michael is the proud owner of an eye-catching 1994 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II sport sedan that looks like it is ready to spring into action on the backroads of a World Rally Championship (WRC) race course.
Michael explains, “As a Mitsubishi fanatic who has had the privilege of owning three previous Evos from various generations, a Pajero, and a Galant (as well as currently daily-driving a Delica), this project was the culmination of hundreds of hours of research, parts-sourcing, and work. It is an ongoing project, so it isn’t perfect, but I’m still very proud.”
Here is the video where we were able to have a Q&A session with Michael during a recent Future Collector Car Show (FCCS) at the Barrett-Jackson auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Evo Basics
The Evolution (or Evo) rally car was based on the Lancer compact sedan and went into production in 1992. All ten subsequent generations – identified by Roman numerals I through X – were powered by turbocharged inline-four engines and propelled via all-wheel drive systems. The Evolution II went into production in 1994 and shared chassis elements with the fifth-generation Lancer.
Under the hood, Evo II power came from a 2.0-liter turbocharged “4G63T” DOHC inline-four mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The engine was shared with various other Mitsubishi models of the time, including some variants of the Galant, Montero, Delica, and Eclipse. A ventilated hood, grille inlets, and other aerodynamic treatment served to provide both function and fashion.
In rally racing, traction is paramount, so the Evo II came with a mechanical limited-slip differential an was engineered with a torque split of 50-50 between the front and rear wheels. Speaking of grip, the Evo’s Recaro bucket seats were heavily bolstered to keep front occupants locked in place.
There were just 5,000 examples produced of the Evo II, and all were sold in Japan.
Michael’s Ride
As of 2018 (and the federally-mandated “25 Year Rule”), the 1994-model-year Evo II had become legal for United States importation and was brought stateside from Japan around that time. Michael first learned about his Evo via a Donut Media video that was published in April 2019 (that video, incidentally) has since amassed over 1.2 million views).
Following his initial purchase, Michael spent the last several years painstakingly modeling the Evo II in what is known as “Group A” livery. “My first goal with the car was to get it to where I could daily drive it,” he said. He went through the inside and outside of the car to replace things like rubber seals. Michael later made changes to the fuel rail, injectors, airbox, and intake, and he added an HTA68 turbo.
The white and orange exterior has an unmistakable rally-racing look to it, complete with auxiliary lighting, a spoiler, and livery pulled from the World Racing Championship of 1996. Footwork comes from a set of color-keyed 17-inch OZ wheels wrapped in white-letter Toyo tires. On the interior, the factory stereo bezel has been replaced with a “ghost box” stereo system, and Michael uses some of the available console space for auxiliary gauges.
Rally and Join Us
The level of detail in Michael’s Mitsubishi build are top-tier, and we are thrilled he brought the Evo II out for us to admire. Now, if only there was a dirt path in the vicinity, he could have stirred up a little dust.
Stay tuned to the AutoHunter Cinema YouTube channel for news on upcoming events like the Future Collector Car Show, and join in on the fun!