There are few car model rivalries out there that are extremely famous. The biggest one is probably the Ford versus Chevrolet (Mustang versus Camaro). One particular rivalry that comes very close however, is the one between Subaru and Mitsubishi, or the WRX STi versus the Evolution to be exact. A rivalry born in the best way possible. Through rallying.

Both cars were introduced in the early 1990s, when both Mitsubishi and Subaru started competing in the WRC (World Rally Championship). From this point on, they have been on each other's heels right up until the discontinuation of the Evo in 2014. Both of them were spawned at about the same time the companies decided to ditch big sedans as WRC cars, and introduce smaller, more compact sedans. Mitsubishi replaced its big bulky Galant with the Lancer platform, and Subaru replaced the Legacy with the Impreza. 

The first company to offer a high-performance version of its sedan was Mitsubishi. They needed a road-going car so that they can meet the Group A homologation requirements. With this, the Evo was born. It was an immediate success. The Evo's original 2500 units production was sold out in the first three days, so the company had to build a second 2500 units. There have been 10 generations of the Evolution, but really only 3 major facelifts. The first big facelift was introduced with the VII (seventh) generation, and the car featured the 4G63T engine, carried over from the first generation, but now with more horsepower. It's such a good engine, that it was kept in production all the way from 1992, to 2007. Then, finally, with the debut of the new Lancer Evo X, a new engine debuted as well. The 4B11T, producing 360 horsepower in its most powerful form. These engines were known for their reliability, and the fact that they responded to mods very well. It isn't uncommon to get an Evo up to 400+ horsepower with just some simple modifications.

Subaru realized what a huge success the Evo was, and decided to build their own version of it. And so, in 1994, the WRX STi was born. The customer's demand for the Impreza WRX STI surprised even Subaru's performance division, STI (Subaru Technica International). The factory in which the STi was produced couldn't keep up with demand. One thing that was really different from the Evo, was the engine in the STi. It featured a flat-four horizontally opposed engine, known as a boxer engine. While it made the engine a bit less reliable than the Lancer's according by some people, as well as the fact that it didn't have the same ease of modification, it was still a great engine. One huge benefit of such an engine, was the low center of gravity. Because the cylinders are so much lower inside the engine, the car's center of gravity is substantially lower than the Evo's, giving it a faster change of direction.

The actual rivalry between both brands was born through rallying. Rally legend Colin McRae piloted an STi rally car in the WRC, and Finnish rally expert Tommi Mäkinen piloted the Evo. Both drivers drove so well, that there was very little in it. The cars and drivers went head to head, one winning a rally stage, and the other the next. The rivalry reached cutthroat levels, spawning die hard fans of both models.This naturally boosted sales of both cars immensely. 

Whether you're an Evo fan or an STi fan, there's no denying both are incredible machines. Furious Customs offers lots of parts for both cars, so if you're an Evo or STi owner, check out our offer here:

Evo 03-05    Evo 05-08    Evo 08+

WRX STi 04-07    WRX STi 08+