Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition sets record in UK auction history

The Mitsubishi Motors heritage auction that was recently held in the UK has come to a close, and the car that was expected to garner the most attention, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition, was indeed the most sought-after car in the auction.

With a top bid of £100,100 (RM573k), the Mäkinen Edition broke the record previously set by the delivery-mileage Evo IX that went for around £99,000 (RM567k) back in 2017. Mitsubishi said there was a flurry of last minute bids as the auction deadline approached, which is expected for such a prized vehicle.

In second place was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR FQ-360 by HKS with a winning bid of £68,900 (RM394k), likely to be the third highest-value Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution ever sold at an auction. Two other Lancer Evos were sold at the auction as well – the Evo X number 40 (final model of the FQ-440 MR special edition), went under the hammer for £58,100 (RM333k), while the Lancer Evo IX Group N Works Rally Car (two-time championship-winner driven by Guy Wilkes and co-driven by Phil Pugh) sold for £61,700 (RM353k).

Just the sale of these four Lancer Evos alone accounted for 60% of the total amount generated by the heritage fleet auction. The rest of the line-up saw the Mk1 Colt Lancer 1.4 Standard 2-Door (the first ever Mitsubishi registered in the UK) sold for £15,000 (RM86k), while its Colt Galant 2000 GLII stablemate went for £11,600 (RM66k).

Other models sold include the Galant GLSi rally replica (£12,500, or RM72k), a completely pristine and original Mk1 Shogun (£16,000, or RM92k), Jeep J27 (£20,600, or RM118k), Mk2 Shogun V6 SWB (£9,600, or RM55k), plus a 2015 Outlander PHEV (£16,000 or RM92k) and the L200 Desert Warrior, which went for £30,100 (RM172k).

Iconic Mitsubishi “supercars” such as the Starion and Mitsubishi 3000GT were also part of the auction. Both models are in mint condition and sold for £21,100 (RM121k) and £24,500 (RM140k) respectively. Both vehicles went for record values at a UK auction.

Last but not least is the 7/10th working replica of a 1917 Mitsubishi Model A, the first ever vehicle produced by Mitsubishi, which sold for a record £13,700 (RM78k). In total, the heritage auction generated £627,100 (RM3.59 million) and attracted a total of 1,287 bids across all 51 lots.

Mitsubishi UK operations director, Paul Bridgen said: “These vehicles represent not only a huge part of Mitsubishi’s heritage and history in the UK, they are also very special vehicles in their own right. They each have a unique story to tell and they have been cherished and cared for from the day we acquired them.”

“I have overseen the development of some of these vehicles personally so it is difficult to say goodbye to them but the values they have achieved assures me that they will all go to enthusiastic new owners who understand the provenance and importance of these cars and who will cherish them and preserve them for future generations,” he added.