Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Mitsubishi FTO
Welcome to the NZPC Fantasy Factory, a place where we build cars exactly how we would want them, but without the empty pockets, skinned knuckles or tears on the workshop floor. Although the key word is ‘fantasy’, the idea is to create vehicles that may not be the cheapest or most sensible option, but are none the less completely achievable.
Although a few readers out there will disagree, we can’t help but feel sorry for Mitsubishi’s FTO. On paper the mid-’90s sports coupe seems as though it should have been a wildly popular choice for enthusiasts and modifiers. In reality, its appeal fell well short of competitors’. Many put it down to Mitsubishi’s unfortunate styling choices — just place it next to a contemporary Honda Integra if you don’t know what we mean.
With a throaty 6A12 V6 Mivec motor powering the top-of-the-line GPX, the FTO certainly had potential. But so unpopular is the FTO, a tidy example can now be picked up online for a couple of thousand dollars — great value indeed, even if aftermarket support is non-existent.
All is not lost, however. For our Fantasy Factory project this month, we decided to save the FTO from the murky depths of online one-dollar-reserve auctions and build a project that plays to the car’s strengths. Considering its sleek profile and aerodynamically impressive shape (once you remove those god-awful Shrek-ear wing mirrors, that is), the FTO is a perfect candidate for a high-powered front-wheel-drive drag car.
Chopping off the front end, we’ve replaced the factory chassis with a tube frame. Upon that we have longitudinally (north-south) mounted a Mitsubishi Evolution 4G63T 2.0-litre motor, taking build cues from a few of Speedtech Motorsport’s own 1000kW-plus drag cars. The 2000cc motor, which revs to 11,000rpm, is mounted far forward of the front wheels. This puts as much weight to the front of the car as possible, aiding in traction, while also allowing for the Fortin Racing FRS5 drag transmission — one of the few front-wheel-drive transmissions that can handle the sort of power figures this motor puts out.
Using custom-made axles from The Driveshaft Shop, the FTO spins massive 32x14x15-inch Mickey Thompson drag slicks. With some serious weight saving and a dose of top-notch driving, the FTO has potential for easy eight-second quarters, making it the fastest front-wheel-drive in the country. If someone actually built it, that is…
ENGINE WORK
North-south mounted 4G63T 2000cc 4-cylinder, STM custom O-Ring solid filled block, custom JE Pistons, alloy rods, CNC ported head, Kelford 298-degree camshaft, 2mm Ferrea oversize valves, L19 head studs, Garrett GT45 turbocharger, Hypertune intake plenum, Sinco custom stainless exhaust manifold, Cometic head gasket, 8 x Injector Dynamic ID 2000 injectors, Aeromotive mechanical fuel pump, Motec M48 ECU, 1000kW @ 44psi
DRIVELINE
Fortin Racing FRS5 5-speed sequential transmission, Driveshaft Shop custom axles
SUSPENSION
Koni adjustable shocks and springs, wheelie bar
BRAKES
Wilwood Superlite callipers, Wilwood Superlite vented and cross-drilled rotors
WHEELS/TYRES
15-inch Weld double beadlock front wheels, 32x14x15-inch Mickey Thompson drag slicks
EXTERIOR
Half-chassis tube frame front end, one-piece fibreglass nose cone, fibreglass doors, fibreglass boot, modified rear bumper, fibreglass rear wing, Lexan windows
INTERIOR
8-point roll cage, Racetech seat, Willans Harness, Nardi steering wheel, alloy dash, Motec dash, Motec shift light
Post Title
→Mitsubishi FTO
Post URL
→http://car-perfomance.blogspot.com/2011/11/mitsubishi-fto.html
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