Looking at Mitsubishi's current US lineup of bargain-basement compacts like the Mirage and reliable but dull SUVs like the Outlander, it's easy to forget that the Japanese marque once made enjoyable sports cars like the stunning 3000GT. Some diehard JDM fans haven't given up and have envisioned what a modern interpretation of the 3000GT could look like. Another Mitsubishi legend is the Lancer Evolution, undoubtedly one of the best-handling four-door sedans ever conceived. While there's no sign of the Lancer Evolution making a comeback anytime soon, render artist Enoch Gabriel Gonzales has imagined an up-to-date version of the hot sedan as a 2023 model.

In February, Gonzales revealed some realistic renders of a regular modern Lancer sedan and the Lancer Evolution builds upon those. The artist has given the Evolution a much more elaborate headlight shape with a notch in it that reminds us of the latest BMW 3 Series. There is a massive intake lower down, a lower lip, and LED spotlights integrated into the front bumper. Like older Lancers, the license plate isn't centered but rather positioned to the right. Side, skirts, bigger wheels, and red brake calipers highlight the side aspect. At the back, there is a huge rear wing that you won't find on many sedans outside of a Subaru STI.

Lower down, the LED lighting strip stretches across the width of the body and there are large quad-exit tailpipes. Whereas so many designers are talented but struggle to get the proportions right, Gonzales' Lancer Evolution looks perfect. There aren't any tacky details to distract and is exactly what you'd expect a modern Lancer Evo to look like. If Mitsubishi did revive the Lancer Evo, a turbocharged four-pot with electric assistance could be a great solution. It's difficult to imagine a fully electric Lancer Evo and it'd be needlessly heavy for a car that has always been superbly agile. Subaru hasn't given up on the WRX STI yet so we'd still love to see a Lancer comeback.