2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Tommi Makinen

Welcome to our auction for a genuine UK Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition. Number 107 in the series and finished in silver, it was first registered on the 30th of June 2001 and shows just four previous keepers.

In the care of the vendor for the past six years, it is fresh from a £7,000 rear chassis rebuild, service and cambelt change. Completely standard bar a change of exhaust, it is MOT’d until March 2021.

Only being sold because he’s looking to consolidate it, along with his early Elise, into an Exige, this wonderfully original Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition is one for the enthusiast with an eye to protecting their investment in the coming years.

The silver coachwork is very good indeed with tight panel gaps, ripple-free flanks, and an above average finish to the paintwork. There are no car-park dinks, scratches or other damage at all, which leads us to conclude the car’s previous owners went to extraordinary lengths to keep it out of the reach of the general public and their carelessly opened doors.

The adjustable, twin-blade rear spoiler is present and correct, as are the correct Tommi Mäkinen Edition badges. The light lenses and glass are all in great shape too.

The 17-inch, ten-spoke white Enkei/Ralliart alloy wheels were refurbished only recently so show only minor paint peeling in a couple of tiny areas and absolutely no scuffs or damage.

They also show off the red Brembo brake calipers to perfection and are shod with matching Yokohama Advan Sport tyres, all of which have very good tread as the owner estimates they were fitted less than 1,000 miles ago.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems seem to be limited to the need for new number plates, as the old ones are past their best, and the fuel filler recess could do with cleaning and smartening up.

There are, of course, a few stonechips and other marks but none of them are anything to worry about or need attention in our view bar the scratch inside the nearside rear door shut and a small patch of light surface corrosion under the tailgate in between the number plate lights. Neither is urgent but we can see that they will need attention to prevent a very small problem getting any worse.

Oh, and if you don’t like the sticker kit, it could, of course, be very easily removed.

The red and black Recaro ’Tommi Mäkinen Edition’ front seats are in great shape, with only the very gentlest signs of wear. Still as firm and supportive as the day they were fitted, the rear seats are in an even better condition than the fronts.

The black Momo steering wheel, complete with obligatory red stitching, is still like new as well; just take a look at the close-up of the stitching and tell me that that looks like a car that’s in its 20th year?

It’s the same story with the carpets. The glovebox still has its original Ralliart warning sticker too, and while many TMEs have suffered the indignity of having additional gauges and switches installed by oafish owners, this one is still factory standard.

As are the door cards, headlining, and dashboard. Everything is in a remarkably good condition but then cars like the TME do tend to attract slightly OCD owners. (Heh, we’re not judging; you should see the lengths we go to top protect our classics.)

The only issue we’ve found is that the central locking doesn’t work on the front passenger door.

Astute readers will have checked the online MOT history, and discovered (probably to their dismay) that last year’s MOT revealed underbody corrosion.

Well, fear not because the owner has addressed that. At a cost of £7,000, including a service and cambelt change.

The work, which was carried out by well-known Evo specialists Auto Torque in May 2019, was extensive and comprised a full rear chassis leg replacement restoration that included the replacement of both rear chassis legs and the centre member, new fuel lines and underbody seal, the seams sealed and cavity wax applied. So confident is Auto Torque on the quality of its work that it gives a ten-year warranty.

It also had a full wheel alignment at Auto Torque in May 2019, a new three-piece clutch in April 2016, new front and rear brake discs in March 2015, and an impeccable servicing regimen over the years throughout.

So, freshly rebuilt, serviced and fitted with a new cambelt, the Evo is standard bar a replacement performance exhaust. Again, purists will be relieved to hear that the OE item comes with the car should the new owner prize originality over performance (and an epic exhaust note…).

The owner says of it: “mechanically it cannot be faulted. The service history is long and comprehensive, as is the provenance of this rare UK non-import car.”

The Mitsubishi’s MOT certificate expires in March 2021. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a folder full of service records, invoices and bills, the fully stamped service history booklet, and various car magazines featuring the TME.

The Evo also has a clear HPI certificate dated the 20th of March 2015; potential bidders will want to carry out their own due diligence checks of course, but it is reassuring to note that the car had no accident damage recorded at that time, something that is always a worry with cars like this.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

With a verified mileage of under 53,000 miles, this wonderful Tommi Mäkinen Edition could be taken one of two ways: either modestly fettled to bring it back to showroom condition and then kept in a collection as an investment, or driven long and hard as the engineers intended, free of the fear of gaining the odd stonechip.

Robust, solid and mechanically strong, the lucky winner is also going to find out why the TME is one of the most iconic road-going cars of the 21st century. Still highly prized today, even when measured against much newer and more expensive machinery like the Ford Focus RS.

Because their values still lag behind where we think they should be: With a guide price of between £19,000 and £25,000 this beautifully maintained example should look after your hard-earned money for you very nicely; at a time when the classic and modern-collectible market has noticeably dipped, the price of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution still manages to rack up a 23% increase over the past 12 months - and while past performance is no guarantee of future appreciation, it’s got to be a solid indicator, surely?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Also, localized paint repairs are common with collectable and classic cars and if they have been professionally carried out then they may be impossible to detect, even if we see the car in person. So, unless we state otherwise, please assume that any vehicle could have had remedial bodywork at some point in its life.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.