A 1999 Evo VI GSR with 48,000 miles sold for $43,500 on Bring a Trailer in July 2026, and a 30,000-mile 2000 Tommi Mäkinen Edition went for $46,000 there a week earlier. CLASSIC.com still benchmarks the TME $22,256 above a GSR, but in this summer's US sales the gap was $2,500. Our view: buy the cleanest, least modified Evo VI you can find, and treat the TME badge as the tiebreaker, not the reason.
$34,910: CLASSIC.com benchmark for an Evo VI GSR (October 2026)
$57,166: CLASSIC.com benchmark for a Tommi Mäkinen Edition
$20,500 to $51,000: what Evo VI GSRs sold for between November 2025 and July 2026
4,092: Tommi Mäkinen Editions built, per Wikipedia
12.5%: US duty on a Japan-built car 25 years or older, entered since July 24, 2026
Mitsubishi aimed the sixth Evolution at cooling and durability, not headline power. It got a larger intercooler, a larger oil cooler and new pistons, and the RS came with a titanium-aluminide turbine wheel, the first in a production car (Wikipedia).
Engine: turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four
Power: 280 PS (276 hp) at 6,500 rpm
Torque: 373 Nm (275 lb-ft) at 3,000 rpm
Versions: GSR, the stripped RS, the RS2 (an RS with some GSR options) and the Tommi Mäkinen Edition from December 1999
The 280 PS figure was the Japanese industry ceiling of the day, so the Evo VI did not win on paper. It won on the stage. That is why we rate it above the Evo V for a buyer who plans to drive the car: same output, better cooling.
| Car | Miles | Sold | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 GSR, San Diego | 23,000 | Cars & Bids, Feb 2026 | $51,000 |
| 2000 TME, Thousand Oaks | 30,000 | Bring a Trailer, Jul 2026 | $46,000 |
| 1999 GSR, Newport Beach | 48,000 | Bring a Trailer, Jul 2026 | $43,500 |
| 2000 TME, Hong Kong | 39,000 | Collecting Cars, Apr 2026 | $54,800 |
| 2000 TME, Hong Kong | 82,000 | Collecting Cars, Feb 2026 | $39,500 |
| 1999 GSR, Huntington Beach | 72,000 | Bring a Trailer, Jan 2026 | $28,000 |
| 1999 GSR, Loveland | 56,000 | Bring a Trailer, Nov 2025 | $25,000 |
| 1999 GSR, Hong Kong | 68,000 | Collecting Cars, Jun 2026 | $20,500 |
Sale records from CLASSIC.com, read October 21, 2026.
Mileage moves the price more than the edition does. A 23,000-mile GSR beat a 30,000-mile TME by $5,000, and the two cheapest cars on the list both had more than 55,000 miles. In the UK, a 63,000-mile TME made £58,500 at Iconic Auctioneers in July 2026, so the British market still pays for the badge.
Our take on each version: the GSR is the buy for a driver, the TME is the buy if you want the car that carries Tommi Mäkinen's name and the white Enkei wheels, and the RS is for a buyer who wants the lightest car and doesn't mind wind-up windows.
Modifications: most Evos have been tuned. Ask what was changed and whether the original parts come with the car, because stock cars set the top of the market.
Rust: look under the car, in the rear wheel arches and around the strut towers, and ask for photos of the floor before you bid from overseas.
Active Yaw Control: on cars that have it, get a scan for warning lights and test it on a drive.
Paperwork: the Japanese export certificate and any service records. A TME should be verifiable by its chassis and build documents, not only its bumper.
NHTSA lets a car in once it is 25 years old, counted to the month of manufacture, and EPA exempts cars 21 years or older in original configuration. Every 1999 and 2000 Evo VI qualifies, and so does a 2001 TME once its build month is 25 years back. See our 25-year rule guide.
Duty is 12.5% in total for a Japan-built car 25 years or older entered since July 24, 2026: the 2.5% base rate plus Section 301 (HTS 9903.05.49). On a $46,000 car that is $5,750, plus a $159.34 Merchandise Processing Fee and a $57.50 Harbor Maintenance Fee, $5,966.84 before shipping. Our classic car duty guide has the rules.
We ship door to door, by ocean or air, and our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey cover all of the US for imports and exports. Our Japan import page shows how it works.
Tommi Mäkinen won Mitsubishi four WRC drivers' championships, and the Evo VI was the car of the fourth. The TME, released in December 1999, added a lowered ride height for tarmac stages, a titanium turbine and its own front bumper (Wikipedia).
That story is why the TME will stay collectible. Production numbers are a different matter: Wikipedia counts 4,092 cars and CLASSIC.com says 2,500, so we would pay for condition and documents, not for a rarity claim.
The Evo VI is a 27-year-old rally homologation car, and the US market has stopped paying a large premium for the TME. Buy the most fully documented car, check the build month, and budget 12.5% duty plus fees on top of the hammer price.
Yes. A car 25 years old to the month of manufacture can be imported under NHTSA's 25-year rule, so every 1999 and 2000 Evo VI qualifies, and 2001 cars qualify once their build month is 25 years back.
CLASSIC.com benchmarks a GSR at $34,910 and a Tommi Mäkinen Edition at $57,166 (October 2026). US sales from November 2025 to July 2026 ran from $25,000 to $51,000.
280 PS (276 hp) at 6,500 rpm and 373 Nm (275 lb-ft) of torque at 3,000 rpm, from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four.
Wikipedia gives 4,092. CLASSIC.com gives 2,500, so sources disagree.
12.5% in total for a Japan-built car 25 years or older entered since July 24, 2026: the 2.5% base rate plus Section 301 (HTS 9903.05.49). The Merchandise Processing Fee and Harbor Maintenance Fee come on top.
A GSR from a Tokyo auction, a TME you won online from Hong Kong, or a car you found at a UK sale while you were there for the weekend: we ship it door to door, by ocean or air, to our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey. Contact our Japan import specialists for a quote and see how simple it can be.
It's your dream car. Let's bring her home.