US spec EVO VII sighted last night in So Cal (have pic)

[smolvar]

US SPEC EVO VII SIGHTED!!!!

I was on my way to the movies last night in West LA (westchester) and I saw a bright yellow Evo VII with the CA plate labeled "dist" for distributer. I didnt have much luck with the pics as it was dark, but I do have one that came out decent.

This model was most likely a US protoype model, as I could tell the intercooler size had been reduced and moved about 5 inches back from the front bumper. (As discussed by previous publications, the problem getting the EVO VII into the US is the 5MPH crash law, which states that major damage can not occur when the front or rear bumpers strike an object @ 5MPH or less. This was an issue with the Euro / Japan model EVO VII b/c the intercooler is so close to the front bumper facia.)

Most of the rest of the car looked very similar to the Euro / Japan model.
This is very exciting b/c most publications said it could be a year still before we see this model. In reality it looks as if they are into the US conversion pretty deep.

SIGN ME UP, might be here early next year


Here's the pic -- http://www.carmods.org/images/mitsu-evo.JPG

[JeffWels]

That brings a tear to my eye. I am going on Monday to talk to my dealer about deposit on one.

Jeff

[smolvar]

Remember dont believe ANYTHING your dealer tells you. They are the LAST to know anything. Insist to see the manager of sales and even then the chances of them knowing anything about the real release date is slim to none.

There IS indeed at least one (see photo from orig post) US converted model of EVO VII so you know its less than a year away.

When I bought my last car I knew 10X's more about the car than my salesman did.

(No offense to any dealers out there, but you really should know everything about your vehicles if you intend to sell them most effectively.)

-- My 2 cents

[JeffWels]

Trust me, I have researched these cars for a damn long time. The only thing I am going to talk to my dealer about is how to make the deposit and make sure i get one ASAP. I gaurantee i know a ton more then the dealer knows cars. I too had to deal with a unknowledgeable dealer when i bought my S2000, they didn't know a damn thing about the car.

Jeff

[Shelby VNT]

Great Balls of Fire!!!! Good hard evidence! Nice photo. I'm happy to hear the front mounted Intercooler is still there. I've heard...and it's merely speculation, that the Evo VII will hit the US in the fourth quarter of 2002. What ever they call the fourth quarter.

Thats so cool.

[Jay!]

Why did you black out the plate?

[rEVOlution]

How did that guy get the US prototype, and doesn't the reduced size of the intercooler being smaller mean its been downgraded???? Cause...the ja/uk version had a 16G turbo in there...you should get a hold of that guy and look underneath his hood.

[JeffWels]

I hope they didn't drop change anything, maybe it was dark and thats why you couldn't see Anyway if the intercooler is noticably smaller then the turbo probably also is. but i REALLY hope not.

[Shelby VNT]

Why did you black out the plate?

He didn't. The car has no plate. It's just the plastic frame holder for the plate.

[Carpie]

The only question I have is: Is it a REAL Evo VII, or is it a 2002 Lancer (rebadged Mirage) with a body kit and a paint job?

I'm not going to knock it, it looks good, but I've already seen one kid here in MD driving around in an Evo V... it was really an older 4-door Mirage with some ground effects.

If it is the real thing, did they 'dumb it down' like Subaru did the WRX?

Myself, I have a 2001 Mirage DE Coupe that I'm going to build up slowly but surely. I've been researching it and figure that in about a year or so I should be able to have a worked engine. But no body mods until after I've got the engineering aspects of the car done.

Anyhow, before I got to babbling... if it's real, how did he get it? If it's not, that's a damned good impersonation!

[hawk724]

do you know if it was right hand drive or left smolvar? And on the note of it being just a rebadged base lancer it has the flared rear quaters, the standard us Lancer doesn't have those. I definetly is a true Evo, all i wanna know is when can i have mine?

[rEVOlution]

He blacked it out because he didn't have the consent of the driver to put his picture on here...iz agaaainst da laww.

[Shelby VNT]

Yes it's definatly not a re-badged base Evo. It's the real deal. The base models sit much higher or at least look that way because of the ground effects being different. The front grill is entirely different. I thought it might pass for a OZ Racing Edition Lancer at first as well, but then I saw that the grills of those cars and bases are actually chromed, or have a vertical chrome piece that runs in the middle. Also, there are the small slits in the bumper that run horizontally. I don't think base models have that either.

[Raveen69]

I defanatly like that.
The Color is mad phat.....
But i do agree, it does look like the Lancer.

Again that looks phat.....

but im still lookin for my Celica:sun:

[Raveen69]

Originally posted by smolvar
Remember dont believe ANYTHING your dealer tells you. They are the LAST to know anything. Insist to see the manager of sales and even then the chances of them knowing anything about the real release date is slim to none.

There IS indeed at least one (see photo from orig post) US converted model of EVO VII so you know its less than a year away.

When I bought my last car I knew 10X's more about the car than my salesman did.

(No offense to any dealers out there, but you really should know everything about your vehicles if you intend to sell them most effectively.)

-- My 2 cents

I totally agree, Dealers just want you to buy the car.

They dont know shit about them.

I went into Toyota to ask about the Matrix and a few of them didnt even know what i was talking about.

It is sad when us customers know more about the car than the Salespeople.

I'd rather buy the car directily from Toyota itself so i dont have to deal with them stupid asses.