2003 Mitsubish Lancer Evolution VIII

The Mitsubishi Evo is a road-legal rally car, it's as simple as that. Outside you see a four door sedan, admittedly with a ridiculous looking wing, a honking great vent in the (aluminium) bonnet and the very visible intercooler in the front bumper. On the inside is Recaro moulded racing seats, LATCH in the back for strapping down your kid's car seat, elsewise a fairly plain-jane interior, with the further exception of the Momo steering wheel.

Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0 litre four cylinder engine throwing out a rather dizzying 275 horsepower transmitted through a five speed manual gearbox (my first manual in many, many years) and an All Wheel Drive system. Seriously good fun.

Unfortunately the day after I bought it, driving it some 200 miles back from it's city of origin (Minneapolis, Minnesota) it snowed and then the wind blew, hard, packing the top of my driveway in snow and making roads impassable. Actually enjoying the Evo would have to wait for another weekend. Meanwhile, after spending hours shovelling the snow out from the undercarriage and scraping it from the snow-packed open alloys, I drove the vehicle to work each day, as it was purchased for, with my son in the back seat. 275HP? That had nothing to do with the purchasing priorities, honest.