WASHINGTON — Mitsubishi Motors plans to abandon its failed policy of pursuing the mainstream. That means, as publicly announced in Automotive News and other industry trade journals, Mitsubishi will stop production of its midsize Galant sedan at its assembly plant in Normal, Ill., after the 2008 model year.

That is a good thing. The Galant is a bread-and-butter car served in what amounts to an exotic foods market, thanks to numerous Mitsubishi rivals that offer more appealing products. Bread and butter, as a result, tend to get picked over, or forgotten altogether on more interesting tables, which has long been the case for the Galant — a good car that gathers little attention and even fewer sales.

Instead of producing easily ignored mass-market automobiles, Mitsubishi plans to use its Illinois facility to do what the company does best — turn out low-volume specialty products that command fanatically loyal support from consumers worldwide.

Consider, for example, this week’s subject automobile, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. It is a super-performance car, currently assembled in Mizushima, Japan. It is sold in the United States for what, to many driving enthusiasts, is an “affordable” price under $40,000.

A word of caution: “Driving enthusiasts” are hereby differentiated from “normal drivers.” In their quest for ultimate driving pleasure — speed, handling, power — driving enthusiasts often downplay, or otherwise redefine things that are of major importance to normal drivers, such as cost, comfort and convenience.

Accordingly, the Lancer Evolution MR and its more gut-wrenching sibling, the Lancer Evolution GSR, are not cars for everybody. They are low-slung, hard-riding automobiles of breathless acceleration and handling that seem more suitable for racetracks than they are for daily commuting. That, in fact, is their heritage. Now in their 10th-model generation, they were developed to compete in the World Rally Championship races, which they often finished victoriously.

Mitsubishi, in that regard, is an odd company. It is a conglomerate — a maker of many things, a provider of multiple services. Perhaps, because of its diversity, Mitsubishi often honors both mediocrity and exceptionality, turning out truly boring products — the Galant is a good example — and beating the pants off all comers when it has a mind to do something special.

Look at the Lancer Evolution MR. Mitsubishi takes fast driving seriously. The 18-inch diameter, low-aspect-ratio Yokohama tires are expressly designed for dry, paved-road speed and handling. They even come with a consumer advisory pasted to the interior panel of the front, driver’s-side door, telling the owner to switch to snow tires, or something more appropriate, for winter motoring.

It’s the kind of thing that most normal drivers would ignore, or certainly find unnecessarily expensive, or annoying. But the Lancer MR and GSR are made for more demanding types, people who want peak automotive performance in all seasons and who don’t mind paying or doing a bit more to get it.

For those people, the Lancer Evolution MR — with its turbocharged, 291-horsepower, four-cylinder engine; its double-clutch, six-speed transmission that can be shifted automatically or manually; its Brembo performance brakes; and waist-hugging Recaro seats — is an absolute bargain.

I never thought I’d see anybody smile over a Mitsubishi car with a base price approaching $39,000. But, as I said, “driving enthusiasts” live in a different world.

They gathered around the Lancer Evolution at suburban parking lots, asking about its “specs” and performance, angling for a drive, praising its pricing. That was a stunner.

The spectators were mostly young men, many of them gainfully, albeit not richly, employed. But they said they would figure out a way to get the bucks for the Lancer Evolution — probably for the less-expensive, less-tufted GSR. All of that power and all of that speed and handling — at that price!

Apparently mistaking me for a salesman, they wanted me to sign them up. They were smitten.

To me — an elder befuddled by youthful infatuation with a $39,000 car that consumes premium unleaded gasoline in an economy that has gone to hell in a handbasket — the would-be Lancer Evolution buyers offered the following bits of logic: “Cheaper than a Ferrari” and “more fun than a Porsche” and “I can get $40,000 faster than I can make $50,000.”

Yeah, Mitsubishi should turn its Illinois plant into a specialty shop. I’ve got a hunch that, with enough sparkle, power and pizazz, offered at the right price, it will sell whatever rolls out of there — even in a down economy.

The bottom line

Complaint: This is more “consumer-aware” than anything. The Lancer Evolution GSR and MR truly are cars for people who love driving fast, don’t mind giving up some creature comforts — ingress and egress can be difficult for hefty or older types — and don’t mind changing tires when the snow falls.

Ride, acceleration and handling: This one offers exceptional performance in all three categories. Apparently, it’s also high on the “stop-or-follow” lists of every police department in the country. I was police-monitored so much during my week in the car that I was beginning to feel downright presidential.

Head-turning quotient: The 10th generation of the Lancer Evolution is much more visually appealing than its predecessors, which were borderline adolescent in exterior design. I still can do without that high rear spoiler. But the rest of the car now looks like something an adult would buy.

Capacities: There are seats for five people — with cramped seating in the rear. Luggage capacity is 6.9 cubic feet. Fuel capacity is 14.5 gallons of premium unleaded gasoline recommended for best performance.

Safety: Standard equipment includes ventilated Brembo disc brakes front and rear with antilock control; head and side air bags; electronic stability and traction control … and one of the best sports-car suspensions there is.

Purse-strings note: “Cheaper than a Ferrari … more fun than a Porsche.”

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR

Base price: $38,290.

As tested: $43,514

Type: The Lancer Evolution GSR and MR are compact, front-engine, all-wheel-drive, high-performance sedans.

Engine: The standard 2-liter, 16-valve, double-overhead cam engine with electronically timed valve lift and control.

Mileage: 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway