The last-hurrah iteration of the Evo IX was a very special machine; launched 12 months prior to the Evo X, Mitsubishi didn’t hold back with creating the ultimate Evo IX.

Called the Lancer Evo IX MR FQ-360 HKS, it was the new pinnacle of the Evo IX range and was seen as something of a successor to the Evo VIII FQ-400 (the FQ-360 producing less power, but importantly more torque, making it easier to drive and allegedly quicker from A to B).

With more driveability and better road manners, the FQ-360 combined the firm’s most potent engine, aerodynamic styling tweaks, suspension updates and interior extras and is now rightly considered one of the best Evo models ever made.

With a UK production run limited to only 200 models, it was certainly exclusive.

At £35,539 new, it was £7,500 more than the FQ-300, which was itself pretty special.

As the name suggests, this Evo packs a considerable punch; notably – and it is not lost on the collectors of Japanese performance cars - the Evo IX MR F...