The engine itself is closely related to the 2.0-litre unit from the current Evo VIII. New items include the crank, con-rods, pistons, turbo, manifolds and electronic management system, the latter supplied by Magneti Marelli for the first time. Further down the drivetrain, a new four-wheel drive system from Ricardo features a transversely-mounted five-speed manual gearbox and three passive mechanical diffs. 'The power curve and torque are so good that it makes it possible to use a five-speed,' says Fornaris. 'Why have six gears when you can have five? We will analyse different possibilities as we develop the car and will introduce new features as necessary.'
As for the passive diffs, these reflect Mitsubishi's desire to 'ensure that the chassis is fundamentally sound and effective before introducing refinements.' Active units are under consideration, but 'are not an immediate priority' - higher up the list is a semi-automatic gearchange, though this won't come in until Mitsubishi is 'satisfied that the Lancer WRC04 is living up to its potential, in terms of both performance and durability.'
This highlights the fact that Mitsubishi will be treating the 2004 season as the testing ground on which it intends to build for serious success in subsequent years. 'We are not expecting too much from the car at first,' says Fornaris. 'At the moment, it is too early to say anything about performance. I hope it will be a little bit faster than the old car at first. We will try to develop the car step by step, and I hope in the second half of the season that the car will become more competitive. We can make progress faster this way - but we are not expecting instant results.'
Full Story and Pics:
www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/547/My comments:
the rear spoiler seems to be positioned too near to the center. Looks kind of weird.
