MOTOR

IN

BRIEF

Final Evo

gets 353kW

MITSUBISHI is giving the

venerable Lancer Evolution

a fitting send-off, unveiling

the ‘Evo X Final Concept’

at the recent Tokyo Auto

Salon. Power from the 2.0-

litre turbo four is boosted

to a whopping 353kW, fed

through the five-speed

manual gearbox. Other

improvements include

HKS Hipermax coilover

suspension and lightweight

RAYS 19-inch alloy wheels

with Yokohama Advan

Neova tyres. The car is likely

to remain exclusive to the

Japanese market, with a few

cars escaping to the UK and

United States.

Merc’s 335i

fighter

BRIDGING the gap between

the C-Class’s sedate C

and the full-house C63 AMG

variant is the new C450 AMG

4Matic. A rival to the Audi

S4 and BMW 335i M Sport,

the C450 is powered by the

same twin-turbo 3.0-litre V

as in the E400 but thanks to

extra boost pressure, now

makes 270kW/517Nm. It will

dispatch 100km/h in 4.9sec.

AMG has also fettled the

chassis and suspension to

complement the newfound

power. The AMG Sport model

is also all-wheel drive, which

will make it the first C-Class

to be offered in Australia

that doesn’t send its power

exclusively to the rear when it

arrives later this year.

Wild Horses

HPE700 will dash from 0-60mph

(97km/h) in just 3.6sec and

dispatch the quarter mile in 11.2 at

210.9km/h. The kit almost doubles

the price of a base Mustang GT, but

does include lightweight wheels, a

body kit and, crucially, a three-year

warranty. Just 500 will be built.

Only slightly further down on the

insanity scale is the new Shelby GT,

packed full of Ford Racing parts

such as a 468kW supercharger

kit, performance handling kit and

Wilwood six-piston front brake

calipers. There’s also a full array

of carbon-fibre exterior bits,

including bonnet, rear spoiler and

diffuser. The base GT is US$39,

(not including the donor vehicle),

but if that’s not enough, Shelby

offers further upgrades, including

a 522kW-plus power upgrade,

adjustable suspension and even

bigger brakes.

This is the first Shelby GT to be

developed for international markets,

but it’s not yet clear if it will be

offered as a complete vehicle in

Australia. What is certain is that

you’ll be able to buy all the various

parts through local tuner Rob

Herrod, who has been appointed

the Australian distributor of Ford

Racing Parts.

A number of Aussie tuners have

the new Mustang high on their

wishlist, so expect locally-modified

version to pop up shortly after the

car’s local release in late-2015, ready

to tackle Hot Tuner 2016! M

W

HILE Ford is happy

to slowly trickle out

ever-faster factory

versions of the

new Mustang (see page 38), the

aftermarket industry, as usual, is

taking matters into its own hands

and skipping a few steps.

Leading the charge is Texan tuner

Hennessey Performance, famous

for extreme examples of the Dodge

Viper and, of course, the crazy

Hennessey Venom GT supercar.

Hennessey is not known for doing

things by halves, and its 2015

HPE700 Mustang is no exception.

Thanks to a 2.9-litre supercharger

feeding the 5.0-litre Coyote V

7.25psi of boost, outputs rise from

325kW/543Nm to 535kW/856Nm.

And given US mag Road & Track

reported an HPE700 cranking

out 494kW/734Nm at the rear

wheels on the dyno, either the new

Mustang has an extremely efficient

drivetrain, or those claims might be

a little conservative.

Regardless, Hennessey claims the

Modifi ed Mustangs hit the streets

A supercharger lifts the Coyote V8’s

outputs to a hefty 535kW/856Nm

he streets