I like the idea of a high performance turbo-diesel in a small car, as long as they keep the weight down.

 

You mean not jump the gun on all the rumors! Novel Idea!

 

hoping for a high revving (6kish) and lightweight diesel is the same as hoping for a fuel efficient and reliable rotary motor. Sure in theory it might exist, but it never actually happens.

Diesel fuel has a physical delay in the combustion process where a fraction of a second is required to initiate combustion. This is the reason for the relatively low rpms, as the pistons spin faster the fuel has less time to combust, eventually encroaching on that physical limitation. The R10 is probably within a few percentage points of max rpm in a diesel app, for a road car we'd be lucky to see a useable 5k.

And as far as i know, no one has found a way to make lightweight diesels. It's unfortunate, but after driving diesel cars in europe, the hype for diesel in the states is just that, especially in sports cars.

 

Well lightweight I agree wont happen in comparison to what we have now. The TDi weighs a portly 441 lbs in the R10, but it is a 5.5 liter 12 cylinder with a relatively small bore. The Duramax does have a few drag motors turning nearly 7k (lets assume 6800) in a 6.6l V8 with a large bore (we saw this at the NDHRA race in Pdx last year). The secret to high revving diesels is bore size and injection pressure. Heck there are nearly 20L Cat motors that turn 5500 in drag race form (3408, dual compound turbo)

Specs on the 335D soon to be here-

http://wardsauto.com/ar/bmw_diesel_us/

4220rpm isnt too bad with a factory 5k rev limit-

http://www.gazettes.com/lifestyle/au...d1b22fe3c.html

I'm just saying that regardless of where it ends up factory, it can always be improved, the DMax is a prime example, crap the 12v is a better one. If its geared right and I throw a compound setup on it I'll have fun even if it does top out low.

 

redline wont matter if they have a SST type box with 8+gears

 

better get one while you can, before they stop maken em, and then prices shoot up like it did for the supra

 

I don't think this will be the last Evo, but then I didn't think they'd ever kill off Ralliart, either. Still, I think it would be a mistake to kill off or neuter the Evo. It's Mitsubishi's halo car. Nissan has the GT-R, Chevy has the Corvette, Lexus has the LF-A, and I think there's a good case to argue that the Genesis is Hyundai's now. They're not the biggest sellers compared to the less expensive models, but they drive up interest in the brand by giving car nerds something completely awesome to talk about. Even the "Toyotafied" Subaru I hear people whine about all the time hasn't killed off the STi in some ill-advised attempt at greenwashing.

Whenever someone's talking about a Mitsu, they're usually talking about the Evo (at least in my experience). It would be horrible for them to kill off their most recognizable model at a time when they're trying to gain more market space in the U.S.

I don't mind the idea of a TDi (or even a hybrid, now that Porsche has proven that hybrids don't necessarily have to suck), but I have to wonder how that fits with the Evo's reputation as the most fun you can have with a 4-banger. Part of me thinks it would fit in for being technologically awesome to make a different engine actually work well for the Evo XI, but part of me still defines Evo = turbo 4-cylinder gasoline-powered whee.

 

Agreed, there's no question mitsu should keep the evo around even if just for name recognition like the M3 has turned into. I really don't know what their product plan is for the US - but they have to do something different, and i'm not sure if a diesel sports car won't turn an already niche vehicle into a 2 year failed idea in the US.

There's no question diesels can be made fast, and i've bee shocked by what the duramax and propane injection can do, but outside of a drag strip I just don't see an enthusiast enjoying the diesel characteristics in a car.

Yes, the Audi's and Peugs are fast but that has as more to do with taking advantage of the class restrictions in ALMS than it does with diesel being a good road course platform.

 

One thing to add to the diesel argument.

It seems it's harder and harder to find diesel fuel. I don't want to have to worry about where I'm going to get my fuel. Availability is varies in different areas, but in my immediate area, there is 1 station, and I don't necessarily trust them for quality fuel.

 

Well, see that's the thing. The global recession caused a lot of companies to leave motorsports and a few to close their specialty shops, however Mitsubishi did both and doesn't compete in anything at all right now - no WRC, no Dakar Rally. They want to change their focus and worldwide perception to a maker of small, efficient, green cars - so the Evo would not fit as a flagship of that movement. The upcoming i(-MIEV) for this country would.

 

We had this discussion a while back. Extremely clean IXs are now selling for the same percentile of their original price as Supras. This is before true scarcity had a chance to set in. Frankly, I would have never guessed that the demand for the car would still be this high, this close to the end of the production run.

If Mitsu stops production with the X, it has a good chance of going up in value. Of course, I'm talking long term. It's the last of the Evos and its sales numbers are relatively low. The more street cred can be added to the equation, the better its shot.

 

This the 1997 mitsubishi eclipse gsx all over again not cool

 

I agree.

For now, the topic of whether or not the price for Evos will one day be like the Supras is irrelevant. However, the "Supra Effect" is what we would be dealing with at the moment if Mitsu says they're killing the Evo.

For example, I can see myself selling the Evo for some muscle car some day. Never had one, but always wanted to see what it's like. But, if they killed the Evo, you better believe I wouldn't give it up for anything, because the bottom line is, they are only going to get harder and harder to find.

In the end, only time will tell.

 

Even then, I think that would be a mistake. Even Toyota's looking to bring something sporty back into its line right now, so axing the sportscar would be the complete opposite of what most of the other major companies are doing. The economy's (hopefully) recovering and more of the folks who've always wanted a [insertcarhere] are going to be able to actually buy them again.

I really wish would go back into motorsports. Sure, private teams run the Evo X on their own all the time, but that's not nearly the kind of advertisement for the car that a factory team that's doing well or that had some recognizable drivers would be. See also: Ford/Ken Block. He doesn't even win in the WRC, but he's recognizable enough to every guy who's seen the Gymkhana videos to effectively market the Fiesta as "ooh! that's Block's car!"

Start back up a factory team, stick a major name in the Evo XI and I think it'd sell well--even with a different engine that met the specs of [enter series here]. (Never mind that I don't think that'll happen, but it's a nice thought.)

 

Those companies that are on a stronger more lucrative footing, better dealer support, more positive customer base and perception then Mitsubishi have sports cars. Toyota went to Subaru and is using their engine and a hacked Impreza platform to build their affordable sports car and also put out 500 examples of a supercar which will mostly be collecting dust in sheiks' private collections. I don't call that a strong headwind in that direction. Only Nissan can say they are more committed to the market in my opinion. The fact that the Evo can so easily be built and developed right along side the companies best selling vehicle is the only thing that keeps it hanging around. I think getting rid of it is a mistake too, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did cut it.