This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2025 on Saturday the 8th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. Please note this lot is subject to vendor approval and may change. The Evo VIII had some big boots to fill, following on from its hugely successful predecessors and with the ongoing rivalry with Subaru’s Impreza, but it’s safe to say the Evo VIII succeeded with flying colours. First released in March 2003, the Evo VIII was the very first Evo model to have full UK factory approval. Prior to the VIII, Evos were imported on a bit of a nudge and a wink basis through third parties such as Ralliart and therefore weren't covered by Mitsubishi's normal warranty and servicing deals, however, things became fully official when Ralliart was brought in-house, forming an integral part of the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors Europe. The Evo VIII was offered in a few guises, the 260, FQ-300, FQ-320, FQ-340, and FQ-400 variants with the number denoting the rounded power figure the specific car produced. The FQ-400 was in a league of its own, conceived as the ultimate road-going iteration of Mitsubishi’s rally lineage. It was not only the rarest, with just 100 ever made, but also the fastest, most powerful, and the most expensive at £47,000 new. It pushed out 405bhp from its 2-litre turbocharged 4G63 inline-four, making it a seriously quick motor car offering 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and topping out at 175mph. Equally capable when the going gets twisty, it infamously humbled a 620bhp Lamborghini Murcielago around the Top Gear test track without breaking a sweat. To achieve those figures, the FQ-400 received extensive mechanical enhancements. A HKS twin-scroll turbocharger, uprated fuel injectors, bespoke intercooler, revised ECU mapping and a high-flow titanium exhaust system combined to extract every ounce of potential from the 4G63. The chassis was equally honed, with Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, Alcon brakes and Mitsubishi’s Active Yaw Control (AYC) working in concert to create one of the most capable and communicative all-wheel-drive systems ever fitted to a production car. Car number #33 of the 100 built, this particular example has covered just 34,502 miles from new with our vendor and four former keepers. Finished in the stealthy A39 Gunmetal Grey, it presents beautifully and remains pleasingly original and unmodified inside and out. It comes complete with its full set of factory authentication and confirmation paperwork, verifying its genuine FQ-400 status, an essential inclusion for these highly collectable cars as all Evo VIII FQ-400s are listed on HPI as FQ-320s as that is how they entered the country before Ralliart worked their magic and transformed them into FQ-400s. Its maintenance history is equally impressive, accompanied by a substantial history file containing service stamps, invoices and bills documenting careful ownership and diligent upkeep. The car has clearly been cherished throughout its life, retaining its correct specification and benefitting from the attention of marque specialists familiar with the complex systems that make the FQ-400 such a precise, driver-focussed machine. With low mileage, documented provenance and a complete history, this FQ-400 represents an increasingly rare opportunity to acquire one of the most desirable and authentic examples of Mitsubishi’s modern-era halo car, a road-going rally weapon that still commands deep respect over two decades later.