It’s been years since Mitsubishi pulled out from the World Rally Championship (WRC) and the rally landscape is currently dominated by smaller B-segment hatchbacks. Keeping in-line with the times and with WRC’s new and affordable R5 regulations, Mitsubishi will return to the WRC after years of hiatus with the unveiling of the Mirage R5 rally car.
The Mirage R5 was designed and developed by Tomas Weng of Mpart AB (Ralliart Sweden) and based on WRC’s R5 regulations. The car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged unit producing 280bhp at 450Nm of torque, which is around the figures of a standard Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. A five-speed Sadev transmission is mated with the engine and four-wheel-drive system moves the wheels. It has MacPherson suspension all-round, consist of Öhlins dampers and Docal sub-frames.
Mitsubishi will sell the bespoke Mirage R5s to customers to participate in rally events next year, with the car will undergo an extensive test programme in October. The car will set to compete with Ford Fiesta, Citroen DS3, Skoda Fabia R5 and Peugeot 208 T16 R5 in the WRC-2 class next year.
[Source: WRC, Image Source: Rich Sams]
