Autoblog

This weekend, Mitsubishi will return to the circuit with a race-prepped Evolution X competing in the 24-hour Britcar Championship and piloted by former BTCC ace James Kaye, along with two other unnamed drivers. The Evo has been given its competition work-over with the help of ADR Motorsport, the same firm that currently campaigns two works Mitsubishis in the British Rally Championship. A number of undisclosed tweaks have pumped up the 4B11T/C, delivering around 400 hp to the Evo's all-wheel-drive system.

If the ADR Evo meets expectations, Mitsubishi would consider making a dedicated Evo X series. According to Paul Brigden, General Manager for Ralliart, "Mitsubishi UK has not been involved with circuit racing for many years, so this new initiative is a great opportunity for us."

Racing will get underway on Saturday, and Kaye plans to compete in the full 2009 Britcar Championship, along with a handful of other endurance races throughout the year. Press release after the jump.

Click for a hi-res gallery of the Mitsubishi Evo X

Some cars look bad-ass, while others have a bad-ass image. The latest Mitsubishi Evo ticks both boxes, and ticks them off with a big X. Despite being based on the run-of-the-mill, work-a-day Lancer sedan, the Evo X has all the attitude you could ask from a performance icon, with the actual performance to back it up.

With the Evolution X now upon us, Mitsubishi has released no fewer than 35 new jumbo images of the beast, which we've added to our ever-growing high-resolution gallery for a total of 89 images to thrash your desktop into submission. Check out what happens when the Evo comes to town by clicking the thumbnails below.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Click the image above for more shots of Tokyo Auto Salon's assortment of Evos.

There were three main show pieces gracing the halls of the Makuhari Messe over the last few days: the GT-R, the new Subaru Impreza STI and Mitsubishi's Evolution X. Autoblog Chinese snapped off a random assortment of pictures showing several different interpretations of the Evo X from a variety of tuners.

From what we can see, some of the aftermarket firms weren't able to get parts fabbed up before the show, but several of the companies featured revised suspensions, strut tower braces, new intake and exhaust components and a few other choice bits. We're sure next year's Tokyo Auto Salon will be far more important to the aftermarket and its customers.

In the meantime, we were able to find out that ARC brought a modified Evo X to the show fitted with a new intercooler, a complete coilover suspension and upgrade brakes. The team of HKS and Camp featured an Evo with an exposed carbon fiber splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser, but, more impressively, Camp integrated its new Computerized Automobile Multi Player, which acts similar to the GT-R's dash-mounted screen that displays a variety of engine parameters in lieu of a row of analog gauges.

Finally, Team Orange's D1 Evo X was on the show floor and at a Mitsubishi Ralliart shindig. The team's all-wheel-drive drifter came sporting a full carbon fiber body kit and wing, a new set of Enkeis and Lord knows what else.

Check the gallery below for more live shots from the Tokyo Auto Salon.

click either image to view complete high-res gallery

Though print mags bearing the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X as their cover car have already hit newsstands, the car isn't really official until Mitsubishi says it's official. As of early in the AM on Monday, the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is official, complete with a dandy new press release and pics of the JDM version. There's tons more info about the new Evo X in the press release after the jump that the print mags didn't have space to cover, so make sure to read through it.

The trims Mitsubishi specifically announced were the GSR, which is the standard Evo X now, and the RS model. The stripper RS model has always been a favorite of ours, especially with the giant rear wing deleted and all those foo-foo features like a radio and power whatever tossed to save weight.

While the old car's 4G63 engine was legendary, the new car's 4B11 mill is lighter thanks to an aluminum block and more powerful at 295 HP and 300 ft-lbs. of torque. We're also especially excited about the new Twin-Clutch SST 6-speed automated manual (think DSG from Audi), though those that prefer a proper snick can still order a 5-speed manual, which is the only option on the RS.

Pricing has been set at ¥3,495,450 ($30,473 USD) for the GSR 5MT, ¥3,750,600 ($32,697 USD) for the GSR with the Twin-Clutch SST 6-speed and ¥2,997,750 ($26,134 USD) for the RS. Enough talking, read on and view the new pics below.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Click either image for a full gallery of the brochure.

A member of the Lancer Register forum apparently scanned a 14-page brochure revealing a host of details about the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The only rub: it's in Japanese.

Although our Kanji decoder ring is in our other pair of pants, the pictures that accompany the text show a revised exterior that tones down the styling concepts that we've seen in the past. Gone are the LED headlights and integrated fog lamps, while new side vents and mirrors will be fitted to the production GSR model that makes its debut in Japan this October.

On the inside, we see a much more production-ready interior, complete with paddle shifters that control the dual-clutch gearbox, along with a revised instrument cluster with an integrated LCD displaying all manner of pertinent information.

Far easier to decipher are the power figures, which reveal that the new 4B11T engine produces 206 kw (or 276HP) at 6,500 RPM and 311 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,500 RPM. The dyno chart on the right shows the torque curve getting upwardly mobile around 2,000 RPM and then plateauing until 4,100 RPM before the power band smoothly drops off.

We expect the official horsepower figures to crest the 300 mark when the Evo makes it Stateside next year, but we'll wait for official confirmation when we're on hand in Tokyo less than two months from now.

[Source: Lancer Register via Motor Authority]

Click image for high-res gallery of the new Lancer Evolution X design study

The press release Mitsubishi released today is ostensibly about the new naming scheme for the JDM Lancer, details of which can be found in paragraph 2 below. Of far greater importance, however, is the fact that the photos included with the release reveal the closest look yet at a production Evo X. They're officially described as a "design study," but we probably expect this to be a near-100% representation of the production car's appearance. There are differences between it and the Prototype X that was shown in Detroit earlier this year. These include a new grille, foglights, different mirrors, more detailed taillamps, slightly different headlamps (note the amber indicators), and new wheels. The hood from the Prototype X is carried over, as is the vent aft of the front wheel well. Like the show car, the production design study sports Brembos with red-painted calipers. Keep in mind that nothing is officially official until Mitsubishi pulls the wraps off the final production car. This is as close as we'll get until that happens, and we think it looks excellent. You can compare the Prototype X to the Lancer Evolution X via the galleries below. Now, on to the naming scheme.

In Japan, the redesigned Mitsubishi Lancer has been renamed Galant Fortis. We're sure Mitsubishi has a reason for this other than the fact that Fortis in Latin means "strong, steadfast and courageous," but they don't spell one out in their press release. The release also contains news that the highly-anticipated Lancer Evolution X will indeed be called -- wait for it -- the Lancer Evolution X when it arrives in Japan. (In Europe and the US, it'll be called the Lancer Evolution.) There's also word that in Europe, a 5-door Lancer will bow in September.

So, to summarize: In Japan, it looks like the Lancer nameplate has been reserved solely for the go-fast rally-style road carver. Fine by us (like it matters) -- and just for clarification, in the US, the Lancer is still called the Lancer. The Galant name is reserved for that big sedan with the funny-looking steering wheel.

PR after the jump.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Soon Volkswagen won't be the only automaker with a dual-clutch transmission on the market. Word from British auto mag CAR is that Mitsubishi will fit its upcoming EVO X super sedan with a similar six-speed transmission that employs two clutches. The transmission simultaneously allows one clutch to engage and another to disengage making for faster and smoother shifts than normal sequential gear boxes. VW's Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) has been on the market since 2002 and some believed the automaker would hold a monopoly on this type of transmission for some time since it developed the technology completely in-house. Any rival gearbox will probably run the risk of stepping on a few of VW patents, but CAR reports that Mitsubishi likely tapped an outside supplier to develop its version. Mitsubishi's six-speed dual-clutch transmission will also need to be one beefy piece of hardware in order to handle the supposed 300+ horsepower the EVO X is expected to generate. A traditional six-speed transmission will also be offered with the car for traditionalists.

[Source: CAR]