Imagine the thrill of discovering a rare and coveted sports car, sitting untouched in a dusty garage with no owner in sight. That’s exactly what happened to a Reddit user named u/evolutionized, who stumbled upon an abandoned Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR while searching for a new place to rent.
The Evo 9 MR is one of the most sought-after models in the legendary Lancer Evolution series, which spanned 10 generations from 1992 to 2016. The MR, which stands for Mitsubishi Racing, was a special edition featuring a six-speed manual transmission, Bilstein shocks, BBS wheels, and a revised front bumper. Only 1,600 units of the Evo 9 MR were sold in the US, making it an incredibly rare and valuable find.
According to u/evolutionized, he was looking for a new place to rent in his city, and came across a listing for a garage with an apartment above it. The landlord told him that the previous tenant had left a car in the garage, and that he could have it if he wanted. He agreed to check out the place, and was shocked to see what was inside.
‘I opened the garage and saw a layer of dust over a shape of a car,’ he wrote on Reddit. ‘I walked over and wiped the dust off the rear quarter panel and saw the words Evolution IX MR.’
He quickly contacted the landlord and asked him about the car. The landlord said that the previous tenant had left the car behind when he moved out, and that he had no idea what it was. He said that he had tried to contact the tenant, but he had changed his phone number and email address. He also said that he had checked the VIN number of the car, and that it had no liens or loans on it.
‘I asked him if I could have the car, and he said yes,’ u/evolutionized wrote. ‘He said he just wanted it out of his garage, and that he would give me the title and the keys.’
He then proceeded to sign the lease for the apartment and got the car for free. He posted some pictures of the car on Reddit, showing its dusty exterior but otherwise pristine condition. He mentioned that the car had only 21,000 miles on the odometer and came with a Cobb Accessport, an aftermarket exhaust, and a carbon fiber hood.
Others’ reaction
The Reddit community was amazed by his lucky find and congratulated him on his new ride. Some users also offered him advice on how to restore the car and warned him about the potential problems of leaving a car unused for a long time.
One of the users who commented on his post was Rob Ferretti, a YouTube personality and the founder of Gotham Dream Cars, a luxury car rental company. Ferretti said that he had a similar experience with an abandoned Evo 9, which he found in a storage unit in New Jersey. He said that he had bought the car for $15,000, and that he had tried to start it, but it had failed.
One user invited u/evolutionized to join him in his attempt to revive the Evo 9 and offered to help him with his own car. He mentioned that he had a mechanic who specialized in Evos and could fix any issues that the car might have.
‘I’m happy to help you out with your car, and maybe we can get both of them running,’ Ferretti said in a video.
U/evolutionized accepted his offer, and said that he was looking forward to meeting him and working on the cars. He said that he was grateful for the opportunity, and that he was excited to drive his Evo 9 MR.
‘I still can’t believe this happened to me,’ he wrote. ‘I’ve always wanted an Evo, and now I have one of the best ones ever made. It’s like a dream come true.’
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Rob Ferretti Tries To Save Abandoned Evo 9, Attempts to Start It
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