40 MODERNCLASSICS
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Why you want one
Dispense with your rose-tinted
glasses and you may find that the
performance of many a modern
classic leaves much to be desired.
Sometimes, this issue is washed away
by facets such as noise, styling or
outright character – but, once you’ve
acclimatised to the performance or
seen what a more modern car can do,
you may be left wanting.
Similarly, you might need
something with a few more creature
comforts or a fractionally more
practical edge. If so, and you’ve some
money to hand, then a car such as the
lengthily titled Lancer Evolution IX
MR FQ-360 could be just the ticket.
While by no means inexpensive,
this all-wheel-drive brute is capable of
sprinting from 0-60mph in just
3.9sec. Only a handful were ever
offered in the UK alone, too, ensuring
that they’ll command a premium and
take pride of place in many an
enthusiast’s garage for years to come.
What the experts say
A total of 200 Evolution IX MR
FQ-360s were reputedly offered by
Mitsubishi UK and there were only
two key options: a car with fabric
seats, costing £34,539, or a car with
leatherseatsthatretailedfor£35,539.
Youcould,however,picksilver,grey,
redor whiteexteriorcolours.
Today,onlysome66 areleftonthe
DVLA’sbooks;the‘HowManyLeft’
fi guresshouldn’tnecessarilybe taken
aswrit,but–whicheverwayyoucutit
- the MRFQ-360is a seriouslyrare
pieceof machinery.And,eventhough
theywerenotcheapwhennew,some
usedexamplesarenowbeing
advertisedfora higherprice.
‘Thethoughtsamongus is that
maybe,inthewaythatFastFords
tookoff,thatthelaterJapanesefast
carsmightpickup–as thosewho
aspiredto thema fewyearsagogetto
the agewheretheyhavethemoneyto
buy themnow,’saysDunne.
‘I ’m from the fast Ford era and I
remember watching them as a kid,
and now they’re bigger money,' Dunne
adds. 'The Subarus, the Evos –
especially in limited numbers – might
do the same thing.
You’ll have to pick up a perfect
example for it to retain that appeal
to collectors, though. ‘The market
two-and-a-half years ago was
completely different to what it is now,’
says Dunne. ‘Many people got into
the classics at auctions on the basis
that they thought they were going to
make fortunes, like an investment,
whereas now – undoubtedly – the
auctions are doing very well for the
cars that are the right cars but a
very average car tends to fetch very
average money.
‘The exceptional, the very limited
editions, the ones that have been well
looked after, are across the board the
ones that are attracting good
premiums. The collectors are
choosier then perhaps they were a
couple of years ago.’
‘I think they also suffered the way
that a lot of the Ford Escorts and
Cosworth Sierras used to suffer
from very heavy modification,
obviously putting a strain on lots
of the components,’ says Ostroff.
‘There does seem to be a huge
market swing back to unmodified,
unsullied cars.’
If you’re considering modifying
your potential Evo purchase, that
said, perhaps it’s best to skip straight
to a more conventional model and
make it your own. ‘You can turn an
FQ-300 or 320 into a 360 very easily,’
says Daniels.
JONATHAN OSTROFF HEXAGON CLASSICS
‘THERE DOES SEEM TO
BE A HUGE MARKET SWING
BACK TO UNMODIFIED,
UNSULLIED CARS'
2007-2008
MITSUBISHI EVO IX FQ-360
Engine 1997cc, 4-cyl, DOHC
Transmission AWD, 6-speed manual
Power 361bhp@6687rpm
Torque 268lb-ft@3200rpm
Weight 1400kg
PERFORMANCE
0-60mph 3.9sec
Top speed 157mph
Economy 19.6mpg
X MR FQ-360
