Drag race: Mitsubishi Evo VI TME vs Toyota GR Yaris

Tommi Makinen is a name most rally fans will get a little bit excited by. He was so good, he had a car dedicated to him – the Mitsubishi Evo 6 Tommi Makinen Edition. Recently, he’s been keeping himself busy helping Toyota develop the brilliant new GR Yaris. But which of these cars is best?

Tap the video to find out.

If you’re not familiar with the famous Finn, he’s one of the best in the rallying business. Starting his career way back in 1987, Makinen competed in 139 rounds of the World Rally Championship, took victory in 24 of them and lifted the title of World Rally Champion four times in the ‘90s.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition is arguably the most sought-after version of the famous Evo. It built on the sixth version of this iconic Japanese performance car in 2000 with some chassis improvements, Recaro bucket seats and a now-iconic red paint job with stickers to match the car Makinen won his final title in.

It has the performance to match the rally car looks, too. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces  276hp and 275Nm of torque and sends this power to all four wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. Considering this whole package weighs just 1,360kg, this 20-year-old car is still a force to be reckoned with.

Though the Evo VI is the car Tommi Makinen is most famously connected to, it’s not the only car he’s had a hand in developing. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or a covid-secure bunker) for the last 12 months, you’ve likely heard of the Toyota GR Yaris.

This potent hatchback was born out of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division – a team of engineers tasked with developing Toyota’s world-rally cars under Makinen’s guidance.

It’s about as close to a ‘90s homologation rally car as you’ll find on sale today. The Yaris is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine that’s good for 261hp and 360Nm, sent to all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. It weighs less than the Evo too, at just 1,280kg.

Sadly we can’t pit them head-to-head through a Welsh forest, so it’s a drag race that’ll decide which of these two is best on this occasion. Which one of Makinen’s legacy legends will come out on top? You’ll have to watch to find out…

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