ilPistone.com

da http://www.autoexpress.co.uk... un po' di inglese per tenersi in forma  ;D

Squatting threateningly over huge 22-inch alloy wheels, sunlight glinting off its gunmetal grey paintwork and brutally sculpted body. The Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution concept looks every inch the road-legal rally weapon. Those wildly flared wheelarches and V8 badges aren't just for show, either, for the radical-looking coupé/SUV hybrid is based on a cut-down Shogun four-wheel-drive platform and is all set to blast into action at the infamous Dakar Rally in 2003.

More importantly, it also gives us our biggest clue yet to the design of the next-generation Shogun - a fact that provided us with the perfect reason to hop across the Channel and put the Evo through its paces at the Abbeville Circuit near Paris.

Muscular, individual and utterly outrageous from any angle, the Pajero is wild enough to make even the car maker's Lancer Evo VII look restrained. The 2+2, which appeared in two-seater form at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, is the brainchild of Erwin Himmel of Fuore Design in Barcelona, whose previous works include Audi's Avus concept and the SEAT Bolero coupé.

Himmel says that the car's dramatic front end, with its prominent chrome badge, double grille and unusual elongated vertical spine, is almost identical to that of the forthcoming range of Shogun off-roaders. It will also appear on all 12 of the new cars which the marque plans to unveil during the next five years, closing the gap between the manufacturer's rally and road machines.

The motorsport connection is immediately apparent in the cabin. The cockpit has a hi-tech, almost industrial feel which blends superb levels of comfort with minimal clutter. In front of the body-hugging seats sits a chunky, four-spoke steering wheel, behind which you'll find only the speedo, rev counter and a digital display indicating which gear is selected. All other data displays, such as the sat-nav and climate control, appear on a large screen in the middle of the dashboard. During its default setting, the image is of the road ahead, relayed through a roof-mounted camera.

To fire this prototype's 3.5-litre V6 engine into life - the final version will have a 4.7-litre V8 - you simply press the starter button situated in front of a sequential gearlever. Chaperoned by a development engineer and warned to keep throttle inputs smooth and progressive, we moved off around the twisty track for a brief sample of the car's driving talents.

The Evolution features meaty, direct steering as well as impressive roadholding and powerful Brembo brakes for serious cross-country action. And just in case the sophisticated, traction-boosting Active Yaw Control and Active Centre Differential should fail to get you out of trouble, simply look in the boot. You'll find an integral survival kit with flares, a hand-held GPS and even a hip flask for those cold desert nights... Euan Sey


(http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_12/car_portal_pic_6033.jpg?9718)

(http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_12/car_portal_pic_6034.jpg?8993)

(http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_12/car_portal_pic_6035.jpg?9518)

Uuhhh questa si che e' tamarrite acuta...
;D ;D 8) 8) :'(