I think it's the same size, just the endplates are completely carbon this time. They say black clothes are slimming.. guess the same goes for rear wings

 

here's the MR without the small roof spoiler...

 

Does the MR also get a little bit of a cool aero crease on the rear bumper as well?

It's all the little things that add up that make it so cool.. Tint, blacked out bits headlights, taillights, CF rear wing sides, Bright Red, bring it on MR badges....

 

Where'd you get this text blurb? link to source.. Subaru Corp?

 

sadly enough, i bet when it comes there will be some evo MR impersonators, rocking the badge on their normal evo

 

i'm gonna laugh my *** off if I see one of those

 

I'm sure it won't take long for some Civics, Integras, M3s, S4s, Eclipses, and Z06s to start putting some MR badges on their backsides...

 

Nope. That's the standard rear bumper in all markets except the US, we get bigger ones to meet US bumper regulations. That bumper has been the same since the VII. I agree that it looks awesome... but since it was designed with the VII's bodywork in mind it looks a bit angular on the organic lines of the VIII, designed by Olivier Boulay. In fact, only people in the US get the true Evo 8 bumper, since it was designed to reflect the shape of the front bumper. The smaller JDM and EDM bumper is carryover from the VII.

 

What's the little tube bolted to the turbo heat shield?

 

Looks like the hoses for an Anti-Lag system? I know that the Evo IV and later had them (albeit disabled) for Group A homologation. Since the WRC evo is no longer a Group A car, I'm not sure if that is really it, but it wouldb e cool if it was. Incidentally, I see no reason why a well heeled evo owner wouldn't be able to get an MR over here and drive it on public roads without any problem.

All one would have to do is get it physically over here for off-road/competition use only. Then use the USDM car as a donor and swap the components for LHD, moving the VIN plate over. As long as the MR and the Evo are the same color, I doubt insurance or the authorities would notice anything amiss.. just make sure you don't sell the original evo.. you'd have to keep it as a RHD track car and off the street.

 

Which part?

 

Listen, you don't have to flame me, all I said was that the people who want the evo the most are fairly young and can't afford it... the economic realities being what they are, the people who actually buy it are older, but I'd say that a large reason for the unsold evos on dealer lots now is due to the fact that the people who are interested can't swing the payments. This happened in the mid-1990's where the automotive press and young enthusiasts everywhere were raving about the 300ZX twin turbos, the supra, and the RX-7, but by that time prices were in the mid 40's and none of these people could afford it. And guess what- those cars all died out around the same time, in 1996-1997.

The cars we're seeing now were conceived during the economic bubble of the late 90's, and if the cars were out then I think they'd be selling like gangbusters. What I did not say was that evo drivers were all 20 years old.. quite the contrary.. but when the people buying the car aren't aligning with the demographic to whom the car is most appealing, you have a pricing and positioning problem. There just aren't enough people in their late 20's and up who are willing to shell out 30K today for a car with limited creature comforts in the USA, when you can buy a G35 or IS300 with a lot more luxury and curb appeal to the average joe than the Evo, which gets zero respect from just about anyone except car fanatics and kids in the teens and early 20's.

Also, compared to Subaru dealers, which generally sell cars at the 18K price point and up, Mitsubishi sells to people of limited means, as evidenced by their recent problems with bad debt. The dealer experience sucks at most Mitsu dealers, and a lot of them have wisely picked up Hyundai as an additional franchise because the buyers who buy the typical Mitsu are very likely to choose a Hyundai instead.. that's how bad the picture is for MMC right now in the USA. We're at the point where Chrysler is engineering a Dakota based Mitsu small truck and the next Lancer on the next generation Neon chassis. I never thought I'd say this, but using chrysler parts may actually be an improvement for their existing low-midrange products.

Speaking of the product lineup, the problem is that people coming in to look at an Evo have zero interest in anything else Mitsubishi has to offer. The Evo might as well be made by a different company, for all the similarities it has to the rest of the lineup. Compare this to Nissan, who sells quite a few Z's, but also a person who is drawn by the Z's halo can look at an Altima or Maxima and see a sedan with the same engine, similar interior design, and generally top or near top of the segment power and performance. The Lancer RA is a BIG step in the right direction, but the new Galant is an embarrassment next to Honda or even the Camry. YOu might buy a Mitsubishi just to be different, but Joe Schmoe doesn't care about being different- he cares about resale value and quality and price and Mitsubishi doesn't offer enough of any to compete.

In Europe or Asia where WRC is a popular sport, I think the car has a more mature image, so you can sell at a higher price point. I just think that moving the pricing up is not going to be a smart move for Mitsu. I hope the MR comes, because choice is always good, but I can't see the reasons for doing it right now.

 

Who's flaming??!

I was wondering which part of what you had said stuck out in his mind the most..

Thats all..

Thanks for the long dissertation though..

Seriously, you have a lot of interesting points! Thank you!

 

In case anyone missed it in the MONSTER MR thread, here are the facts regarding the MR, straight from Mitsu:

http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/p...detail992.html

 

What's misleading? The article clearly states he went to Japan to drive an MR there, hence the right-hand drive. He also states that based on his sources he is predicting/guessing that the car is coming to the states. Nothing misleading about that, he is saying that HE thinks so. What's misleading? Maybe the fact that too many people don't understand what they've read. He could be right or he could be wrong, until Mitsubishi makes an announcement we just won't know.