Free Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X

Yes, you read that correctly. Courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors Japan, Automobilia Japonica is providing all its readers with a free Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. Just think of it as an お年玉 or New Year's gift.

Just follow the link below for more performance than you can shake a stick at:

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/special/papercraft/pdf/color/evo.pdf

Caveat: some self-assembly may be required.

New Mitsubishi Lancer - Make That Galant

In recent months rumours of the reintroduction of the Galant to Mitsubishi's vehicle line up in Japan have been gaining increasing currency in the local motoring press, with certain publications - including Automobilia Japonica - positing that the new vehicle would be dimensionally similar to the North American market Galant in slotting into Mitsubishi's range above the Lancer. However, to the consternation of many, in an unforeseen and outlandish move Mitsubishi Motors Japan today issued a press release, which, somewhat unsurprisingly, confirmed that the latest Lancer Evolution will indeed be named "Lancer Evolution X" in Japan when it goes on sale in the Autumn, but which, more surprisingly, also introduced the name of a further sporting saloon Mitsubishi plans to introduce to the Japanese market at the same time as the Evo - the Galant Fortis.

The New Mitsubishi Galant Fortis

However, in a bizarre act of corporate branding it would appear that the new Galant Fortis is in fact a Lancer, the new Galant being all but identical in appearance to the Lancer GTS already on sale in the North American market, only minus the GTS' rear wing and with the addition of some extra detailing on the front grille. Further details of the Galant Fortis are somewhat scarce at this juncture, with Mitsubishi's marketing blurb merely describing it as a high powered sporting saloon, which while being fun to drive also offers comfort, economy and high levels of safety - most revealing. The press release also states that the Galant Fortis will be equipped with Mitsubishi's newly developed aluminium block 2-litre MIVEC engine as found in American-spec Lancers, so a similar power output of 152hp is to be expected.


On the Lancer Evolution X front, Mitsubishi's latest press release didn't really provide any new information, bar the appearance of two new official photos, merely confirming that the new Evo will be equipped with Mitsubishi's latest S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) system, and be powered by a turbocharged version of the new aluminium block 2-litre MIVEC engine mated to a six-speed clutch-less manual gearbox.



The Latest Official Photos of the Lancer Evolution X

So thus, in a strange twist of fate, it looks like the rumours are true, and the Galant is making a return to Japan, only this time it’s making its comeback as a Lancer.

The Return of the King - New Galant VR-4 To Appear in 2009?

Despite plying its trade in the rally world throughout the 70s and early 80s with the likes of the Colt, Lancer and Pajero, it was perhaps the Group A Galant VR-4 of the late 80s as piloted by monosyllabic 'Flying Finns' such as Pentii Airikkala and current European Parliamentarian Ari Vatanen, which truly established Mitsubishi as a rallying tour de force. Although the first of the VR-4s (1988-1992), a turbocharged two-litre version of Mitsubishi's 6th generation Galant with a not inconsiderable power output of between 200 and 240ps, was arguably less highly coveted than other road-going Group A machines of the day such as Lancia's Delta Integrale and even Toyota's Celica GT-Four, the VR-4, equipped as it was with speed-sensitive four-wheel steering and full-time all-wheel-drive, did however introduce Mitsubishi to the world as a manufacturer of highly advanced turbocharged performance saloons. Indeed, the VR-4 pipped the Subaru Legacy Turbo/GT to the post in furnishing Japanese manufacturers with a reputation for producing frantic Q-cars with rallying pedigrees.

The VR-4 was also instrumental in bringing that other infamous rally-bred Mitsubishi, the Lancer Evolution, to fruition. In the early 90s, as manufacturers began to utilise smaller, more agile vehicles as the foundations for their rally machines, Mitsubishi too began to phase out the oversized Galant from international competition, instead installing its turbocharged 2-litre powerplant and 4WD drivetrain into the more compact Lancer. Thus, in 1992, the first generation Lancer Evolution entered the fray as the spearhead for Mitsubishi and Ralliart's WRC campaign.

However, despite being retired from international rallying and being usurped by the Lancer Evolution as the flagship of Mitsubishi's motorsporting activities, the VR-4 continued to evolve as a unique performance model as the Galant entered its seventh and eighth generations, only ceasing to exist after production of the Japanese market Galant was halted in 2002, in the wake of Daimler Chrysler gaining a controlling stake in MMC. Although VR-4 versions of the 7th and 8th generation Galants were solely for the Japanese market (with the exception of 200 VR-4s based on the 8th and final generation Galant that were officially imported into the UK by Ralliart), at the time of its demise, the VR-4 was every bit the high-performance technological showcase the Lancer Evolution was, boasting a 280bhp, 2.4 litre twin-turbo power unit and AYC (Active Yaw Control) from the Lancer Evolution IV. Indeed, as a result of the grey import market, the 8th generation Galant, in VR-4 spec, still enjoys a cult following in New Zealand and the UK.

Although, Mitsubishi still markets a large sedan in America as the Galant, even offering a Ralliart version powered by a normally aspirated 3.8-litre MIVEC V6 emitting 258 horsepower, the Japanese and European market Galants have now been extinct for close to five years, and it has been widely assumed that the JDM Galant and VR-4 will not be resurrected due to Mitsubishi's restructuring efforts.

However, this may not be the case, as speculation is rife in various Japanese car magazines that plans to revive the Galant for the Japanese market are a current top priority for Mitsubishi Japan, following a raft of successful new model launches over the last year. Allegedly, according to Best Car Magazine, these plans to revive the Galant include blueprints for a new VR-4, set to launch in 2009. Although details are somewhat sketchy, it is thought that the new VR-4 may employ a 4WD system with an electronicallycontrolled LSD, however it is not certain whether this will be carried over directly from the Lancer Evolution X. It seems that Mitsubishi may be planning to market the new VR-4 as a luxury sports saloon, as opposed to a technical showpiece, in which case it may well do without AYC, ACD (Active Centre Differential) and other electronic frippery.

In addition, various engine options have been mooted, including a 250-300ps unit based on the 2-litre 4B11 turbo unit from the Lancer Evolution X, and a 300ps incarnation of the 2.4-litre 4B12 turbo engine found in the Outlander SUV. Meanwhile, aesthetically, computer generated images of the 2009 Galant VR-4 show a vehicle which bears more than a passing resemblance to the current American market Galant, albeit with the addition of an oversized rear wing and an obtrusive bonnet bulge, complemented by front grille treatment similar to that seen on the Lancer Evolution X. Despite stylistic similarities with the American Galant, current speculation places the Japanese market Galant's dimensions as being marginally smaller than those of its US counterpart.

The Current American Market Galant In 260ps Ralliart Spec

Fingers crossed that current speculation regarding the revival of the Japanese market Galant is founded on something more concrete than mere rumour, so that the village elder of turbocharged Japanese Q-cars can once again see active service.