Autoblog

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]

There once was a man named Dave who had a '91 NSX and loved it. The problem was it cost too much to maintain, and he was petrified of the car receiving the slightest nick. When the money and the angst got too much, after 1,800 miles, he got rid of it. The car he replaced it with is far, far more interesting: a mid-engined RWD mash-up of a 97 Prelude VTEC and 94 Integra GSR.

His only goal was to build a car that rode and handled well with decent performance. Call it an NSX that wouldn't slaughter the piggy bank and that can be parked in a mall lot without its owner breaking into a sweat. After two months of R&D, the Frankenstein began. Dave doesn't give exact numbers but does indicate a budget of $10K, a total weight of 2,700 lbs, and 45/55 weight distribution.

Check out the link for finished pictures, and you can read the entire conversion story with pics written by Dave himself here.

[Source: Team Integra]