M3, 911 Turbo and 360M drivers be afraid, be very afraid! To celebrate its 30th birthday Mitsubishi has given us a rather special present. Yes, another new Evo has landed but rather than extending the range downwards this new variant is very much a step up.

The FQ400, and yes that does mean 400bhp (405bhp to be precise), is set to be sold in a limited run of 100 cars priced at £46,999. Until now the FQ series has been just that 'king Quick. This one is Stupidly FQ boasting a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds. To put that number into context, it is quicker than any supercar currently on the market and will put the Evo up on the all time list ahead of the Enzo, Zonda and Ferrari F40; all from a 4-cylinder turbocharged 2-litre engine.

Obviously the standard unit has been heavily reworked with new rods, pistons, cooling system and crank as well as a bespoke turbo and improved breathing thanks to work on the inlet and exhaust. The names involved in this work include tuning specialists Rampage, Owen Developments, Flow Race Engines and Japanese tuning gurus HKS.

As befits a 175mph supercar the changes extend to uprated brakes courtesy of Alcon, and a driver-training course is included in the price. The FQ400 also comes with all the wizardry found elsewhere in the Evo range including the active yaw control and uprated Bilstein suspension honed on the Nurburgring.

The appearance has also been tweaked with a new front spoiler and "shark's tooth" vortex generator on the trailing edge of the roof said to improve the aerodynamic performance of the rear wing. Some evil looking black wheels are the icing on the overtly aggressive cake.

Internally the FQ400 features the usual Evo sporting interior with Recaro seats and a Momo wheel, as well the special numbered plaque and carbon fibre trim. To back up its credentials as an all-weather everyday supercar the FQ400 features electric windows and mirrors and climate control.

And worry ye not about the potential bang to end your whiz; the FQ400 has been engineered to such a high standard that the usual 36,000 mile/3 year warranty still applies.

We are not sure if the UK press fleet will have an example of the FQ400 available, but in a selfless act in your interests we will do our best to get our hands on one to test... In the meantime, check out the FQ300 review. We will also be driving the MR 260 before the end of the year, so watch out for that review in the main Road Tests page.

Dave Jenkins - 29 Oct 2004