This Former WRC Legend-Owned Car Is Auctioned, Predicted To Reach IDR 2 Billion

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V S500 TMR once owned by the late Richard Burns. (Doc. Iconic Auctioneers)

JAKARTA - Mitsubishi as it is known has a myriad of successes in the world rally arena from 1973 with Galant, Starion, and Lancer Evo. However, in 1992 they were seriously committed to winning the prestigious World Rally Championship (WRC) competition.

In the end, the manufacturer with the 'three diamonds' logo won the constructors' title in 1998 with Lancer Evolution V, using S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control) technology developed by the company.

As a celebration of this phenomenal feat, the manufacturer launched a model with the code 'S500 TMR' specifically for the British market. One of these models will be auctioned off by Iconic Auctioneers.

This Pyrenean Black car, apart from having impressive performance, also has a history as belonging to the late Richard Burns, a WRC legend who contributed to winning the constructor title for the team.

Reporting from the auction house page on Monday, January 8, the car experienced a significant increase, including the latest Brembo brakes, a 4-cylinder DOHC 2.0-liter engine with an increased intercooler, and an impressive turbocharged, capable of generating up to 280 bhp of power.

Although Burns himself has never been seen driving this model, this is not surprising considering that Burns in the 1999 competition season signed a contract with Mitsubishi's competitor, Subaru, and won the WRC champion the following two years with the team.

Burns' family and colleagues then founded the Richard Burns Collection, where the S500 TMR unit became one of the important collections over the years. This car then changed ownership in February 2020 with an odometer recording 1,269 km.

Furthermore, the Lancer was sent to the Mitsubishi specialist repair company, Auto Torque Ltd in Buckinghamshire, England, for a thorough examination. The car underwent thorough maintenance at a cost of around 16,500 or around Rp. 325.3 million.

The work will be completed in May 2021, and currently the car is stored in a special facility owned by Iconic Auctioneers as a collection item, with a distance of only 1,277 km.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V S500 TMR is scheduled to be auctioned on February 24 at Coventry, England, with an estimated price of between 80,000 and 100,000 (around Rp. 1.5 billion to Rp. 1.9 billion.