Final-Year Mitsubishi Lancer Evo on BaTBring a Trailer (Bring a Trailer)A longtime rival to Subaru's WRX STI, the Lancer EVO went extinct a decade ago.For 2015, Mitsubishi sent over 1500 Final Edition models, which had the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine's output bumped up to 303 horsepower.This incredibly preserved example has just 722 miles on the odometer.Darwin's Theory of Evolution posits that the most successful forms of life are perhaps not the most powerful, but the most adaptable. Sadly, at least in terms of gravel-spitting rally machines for the road, ol' Chuck was right. Mitsubishi now sells crossovers, and none of them are particularly performance-oriented.Bring a Trailer (Bring a Trailer)Once, though, velociraptors walked the earth. Over at Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), we've turned up the last of an extinct species that shredded tarmac a decade ago, a long-missed 2015 Lancer Evolution Final Edition with basically delivery mileage. For a car that's as dead as the dodo, it's still filled with ferocity.Bring a Trailer (Bring a Trailer)The Lancer Evolution first appeared in the early 1990s as a rival to Subaru's WRX, though it didn't make the trip stateside until the early 2000s. Both cars benefited from this rivalry, and if the Lancer Evo were still around, arguably the current WRX would be a far sharper scalpel. All through the 1990s and into the 2000s, these all-wheel-drive, turbocharged compact sedans sought to outrun each other on gravel, duking it out for WRC supremacy.Bring a Trailer (Bring a Trailer)The tenth-generation Lancer was a more resolved car than its more tinny predecessors, and the Evo version was a genuine four-door alternative to contemporary sports cars. The recipe was the same: a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive to get power to the ground, and a practical four-door sedan layout.AdvertisementAdvertisementLancer Evos have always been slightly sharper than their Subaru rivals, as if the latter were made for gravel stages and the Mitsus for tarmac competition. This tenth-gen car fits that same ethos, with Mitsubishi's clever Super All-Wheel Control system, featuring three differentials, each with its own tuning. The rear diff even takes into account the amount of oversteer or understeer when apportioning power.Bring a Trailer (Bring a Trailer)The Lancer EVO X came with an optional dual-clutch transmission, which is technically the quicker solution, but the Final Edition came only with the five-speed manual. Trading a little speed for more driver involvement seems like a fair deal. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four was rated at 303 horsepower, and delivered power in a completely different way from its Subaru rival. A short final drive and massive boost made the EVO far more hyperactive than the STI, combining with twitchy steering and touchy Brembo brakes.As a whole, the car was as raw as sashimi and provided a driving experience on the level of a dollop of wasabi straight up the nose. Not the green paste stuff either, but freshly grated root, high test, and sinus-clearing.There's a tinge of sadness to this being the last hurrah for Mitsubishi's performance aspirations, at least for the foreseeable future. These days, Mitsubishi is more focused on survival, which means delivering the kind of vehicles that have a broader appeal. The Lancer Evo was always a niche offering for the Fast and Furious crowd, the kind of car that was more about a tachometer sweeping to redline than about keeping the balance sheet in the black.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut until it went extinct, it made things a great deal more exciting. Put it this way: a pet Velociraptor would be a lot harder to care for, and probably wouldn't let you ride it. Sometimes even the fittest don't survive. But you can go dig them up.The auction ends on May 21.You Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029