This time around, we’ll be doing something different. Instead of doing a render of a future vehicle, we’ll do a restomod. We chose an ’80s icon that was very popular in our market: the legendary box-type Mitsubishi Lancer. Of course, we had to give it a motorsports twist. Think of it as the Japanese equivalent of those European restomods.
To be more specific, our restomod is inspired by the Mitsubishi Lancer EX 2000 Turbo rally car. In road-car spec, the homologation special’s turbocharged SOHC 4G63 engine made around 168hp. The rally car version that competed from 1981 to 1983 got a hotter 276hp version of the boosted 4G63. The concept for our virtual build is to combine the comfort of the EX 2000 Turbo road car with the performance of the rally car and refine it with modern technology.
Up front, it features mesh upper and lower grilles. The lower main intake has a slightly widened opening to scoop in extra air; this is flanked by intake slits for the oil cooler and cold air intake. I also added a front splitter. A pair of round Cibie Oscar Mini driving lights sits above the bumper as a nod to the car’s rallying heritage. Our lightweight hood incorporates a pair of heat extractors to help with engine bay heat management.
Moving on to the sides, it has rally-inspired wide arches to hide the wider 225/45R16 rubber. The front pair is integrated into the lightweight fenders while the rear fiberglass pair is bonded. At back, I gave it a taller ducktail spoiler and removed the badges for a cleaner look. The larger tailpipe opening you see there is a functional part of the performance exhaust system.
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What’s under the hood? A turbocharged DOHC 4G63 mill mated to a six-speed ZF transmission. Its projected power output is over 285hp and over 390Nm of torque. Our Lancer, with its estimated sub-1,010kg weight, should be able to sprint to 100kph in the 5sec area, in theory. What goes fast has to stop quickly, too, so our EX 2000 Turbo’s braking system has also been upgraded to larger two-piece rotors. The steering system has been improved with a quicker ratio of three turns lock to lock. Power assist is optional.
The stock turbocharged Lancer EX is said to have a bit over 60% of its weight over the front wheels, at least according to information floating around the Internet. My goal is to improve the weight distribution to a more decent 57:43 target. The new hood and fenders are now carbon-fiber pieces. The front lower suspension arms and knuckles are aluminum. Another modification is the lighter custom stainless steel exhaust manifold. The battery has been relocated to the trunk in a sealed battery box. Some additional figures: It’s 4,268mm long, 1,772mm wide, and 1,365mm tall. Wheelbase is unchanged at 2,440mm.
What do you think of our Lancer box-type restomod? Let us know in the comments.
