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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII

2003–2005 · CT9A · sedan

Eighth-generation Evolution and the first sold officially in the United States. Evo VIII landed for the 2003 model year. 4G63T 2.0L turbo I4 (271hp / 273 lb-ft in US spec). 5-speed Getrag manual; the 2005 Evo VIII MR added a 6-speed manual and Bilstein dampers. Full-time AWD with Active Center Differential (ACD); MR added Active Yaw Control (AYC). Steel body shell (no aluminum yet). The pure-mechanical Evo era, no SST gearbox, no electronics getting between the driver and the chassis.

Watch out: Two well-documented patterns. (1) The 4G63 piston-ring crevice, modified cars push it hard and ringland failures are common above 350hp. (2) The 5-speed transmission has fragile 3rd/4th-gear synchros; abused cars need a rebuild. The 6-speed MR is more robust. Also: most Evo VIIIs have been modified, and many of those modifications were done badly. Buy a low-mile, lightly-modified, well-documented example or commit to a full inspection.