Back when Ben X of Sydney purchased this 1996 CE Mitsubishi Mirage second-hand, it was for nothing more than humble day-to-day work duties. "I hadn't intended modifying the car when I bought it, but I got tired of it being a factory standard dog," says Ben.
The first thing Ben did was improve the Mirage's handling and poise. Adjustable Koni Sport dampers and lowered springs can be found at each wheel, with a Whiteline heavy-duty rear swaybar (and beefed up mounts) balancing the car's natural tendency to understeer.
With the lowered ride height improving aesthetics, the next move was to a set of Momo 17 x 7 inch rims wearing 205/40 Falken tyres. Aside from a tint job, the car remains very stock looking even to this day - Ben doesn't want to advertise the fact that the car now has more than twice the power of the stock 1.5-litre powerplant...
Instead of going for a more common turbocharger fitment, Ben elected to treat his Mirage to one of Mitsubishi's hottest (yet most underrated) six-pot screamers - the 6A12 2.0-litre MIVEC V6 from the Japanese market FTO GP-X. MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve and Lift Electronic Control System) is Mitsubishi's answer to VTEC technology and it obviously works bloody well - the 2.0-litre V6 is factory rated with 150kW at 7500 rpm and 200Nm at 6000 rpm, without a turbo or supercharger in sight!
Take a look under the lid and the MIVEC V6 conversion into the Mirage looks incredibly factory - it's no surprise that the conversion was relatively straightforward.
With an engine, 5-speed manual gearbox and driveshafts supplied by RPW in Western Australia, the guys at MRT were handed the transplant task and found that a combination of Mirage and FTO engine and gearbox mounts worked perfectly. The gearbox, however, required some linkage work and the car currently runs an Evo-spec short-shift mechanism. Interestingly, the factory FTO driveshafts could be connected to the standard Mirage outer CV joints. Oh, and a heavy-duty clutch went in while the conversion was taking shape.
The factory radiator is retained - though now moved forward slightly and wearing an additional thermo fan - while the factory power steering and air conditioning system has also been adapted.
The exhaust fit up sees the engine wearing a pair of RPW 'intermediate' headers leading into a MRT-fabricated 2½-inch exhaust with a high-flow cat converter, centre resonator and rear muffler.
The air intake arrangement was kept simple with a Unifilter Rampod unit providing a restriction-free flow of induction air.
Since no factory management system came with the engine package, MRT wired in a current generation Link Plus programmable ECU; this works with the standard fuel and ignition system. The Link computer is operating the MIVEC system, while the butterfly valve that's incorporated as part of the 6A12's variable intake manifold is currently being sorted out. Once working, this valve will give maximum torque spread through the revs. At present (without the valve working) low rpm performance is a bit mushy. Approach the 8200 rev limiter, though, and say "bye-bye VTEC"!
With the Momo rims pulled off and the car bolted to MRT's new DynaPack hub dyno, Ben's Mirage has proven that this is indeed a very worthwhile conversion. A peak output of 150kW at the hubs has been recorded, which is more than enough let the 1000-odd kilogram Mirage hit you with some serious speed.
There are no official performance times as yet, but Ben is hopeful of sub 6-second 0-100 km/h passes once the intake manifold is sorted out and the chassis is tuned. A stickier set of tyres might also be required.
The braking department has also come in for a big upgrade, making this Mirage much more than a simple straight-line hauler. The front-end flaunts relatively massive Corvette calipers biting 330mm DBA discs, while the stocko rear drums have been replaced by Japanese-spec CK Lancer discs. According to Ben, an Evolution 1-inch bore brake master cylinder gives increased pedal effort but more appropriate brake force distribution. There's no ABS fitted to this car.
Since the MIVEC motor was slid in, a Whiteline front and rear suspension tower braces have gone in. "These have tightened the car no end," say Ben.
The standard poverty pack interior (Ben's words, not ours!) comes void of a tacho but you'll now find an Autometer monster tacho mounted at the base of the driver's A pillar. Certainly, it's useful to see at a glance how hard you're spinnin' that crankshaft (not to mention all the valvegear etc). Driving feel has also been stepped up with aluminium pedals plus a Momo steering wheel and gearknob, which are finished in standout yellow.
The factory audio system has sound quality on par with a string-and-two-can telephone, so Ben has started from scratch with a Kenwood CD/tuner, a Sony EQ (giving "proper frequency control compared to DSP systems"), a pair of amps, Infinity front splits, Philips 6 ½-inch 2-way rear fill speakers and a thumpin' Philips sub in a sealed enclosure. This hides beneath the factory fold-down parcel shelf.
So with a massive hike in power, oversize brakes, custom suspension and a proper sound system you'd reckon Ben wound be happy to cease spending any more cash on his daily ride. Well you're right and wrong - he's extremely happy with the car in its current guise but, having delved into some Mitsubishi mechanical background, it appears possible to swap the MIVEC heads onto the longer stroke 2.5-litre version of the 6A V6.
"I probably won't look at doing that for a while," says Ben. "I really wouldn't mind having an Evo..."
Contact:
MRT Performance
+61 2 9809 2110
www.mrtrally.com.au
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