We don’t know the identity of the man hiding behind the white racing helmet at the ‘Top Gear Festival 2011’, but The Stig sure knows how to work the steering wheel. Of course, being that the black London Taxi Cab you see in the video after the jump is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, does help a bit. You see, what looks on the outside like a normal black London taxi cab, is in fact a re-skinned Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 crafted by the folks over at SHP Engineering. The company started with a Lancer EVO 9 with just 1,500 miles on the odo and stripped it down to the bare bones. The body shell of a London Taxi Cab was then dropped on top creating the most innocent EVO we have ever seen to date. Follow the jump to watch it in some awe-inspiring donut action.
The Mitsubishii-MiEV is the first ever plug-in electric vehicle to be tested by Euro NCAP and marks the start of a series of EV crash-tests planned for this year. Besides the i-MiEV, the European safety institute also rated five conventional models: the BMW X1, Hyundai ix20, Dacia Duster, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Juke.
The EV obtained an overall four star rating, the same score being awarded to the i-MiEV's sister models, the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn, which have the same design and safety equipment. The result was judged as "creditable" by the Euro NCAP.
"We recognize the efforts done by Mitsubishi to demonstrate that plug-in battery powered cars can be as safe as others. It shows that a future 5 star accolade for EVs is not unthinkable," said Dr. Michiel van Ratinge, Euro NCAP's secretary general.
The testing procedure was similar to the that for conventional cars, with special attention being given to the battery integrity after the crash and the functioning of the battery cut-off switch, which isolates the high-voltage battery in the event of a crash. Fortunately, no electrical or fire hazards were detected during the testing of the i-MiEV.
The other cars tested were all rated with five stars, with the exception of the DaciaDuster. The small off-roader achieved an overall rating of three stars, because of scoring only 28% in pedestrian protection and 29% for safety assist. However, protection offered to adult passengers was better in the Dacia than in the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (74% vs. 73%), while child protection was at the same level (78%).
"It is disappointing that a mother company like Renault does not give safety the same priority in Dacia cars as it does in cars sold under its own brand”, concludes the Euro NCAP press release.
After tuning several American and European cars, Vilner has now turned its focus on a Japanese model, the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X. For this project, the Bulgarian tuning house joined forces with a company called Overdrive, which took over the performance upgrades.
As you can see in the two videos after the jump, (the exterior photo was shot before the light modifications), Vilner replaced the standard Lancer EVO X's headlamps and tail lights with brand new LED units.
Inside, the Bulgarian studio gave the Lancer a black leather upholstery treatment with white colored accents and stitching, along with a black alcantara roof lining and carbon trim on the steering wheel and gear lever. A pair of OMP front bucket seats and the piano black decorative trim round off the interior changes.
On its part, Overdrive fitted the Japanese sports sedan with carbon elements on the outside along with 18-inch Weds Sports alloy wheels, a Greddy exhaust system, an adjustable K-sport suspension and finished up with a power kit that boosts the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine's output to 400-horses.
In the beginning of the year, we showed you a very production-like concept study for a new generation of the Colt sub-compact called the Concept CS, which was created by Gábor Farkas. The independent designer has now sent us yet another Mitsubishi study, this time for a replacement to the Galant sedan.
The concept is named GalEA and is said to draw its inspiration from the previous, sharper-looking eighth generation Galant of the late 1990s, while sharing similar design cues with the smaller Concept CS. In a 180 degree turn, the designer re-imagined the Galant as a more distinct and aggressive looking four-door coupe model with a long hood, sloping roof, pillarless doors and a stumpy rear end.
Follow the jump to read Gábor's description of the project and to get a closer look at the sporty Mitsubishi saloon in our high-res gallery and CGI videos.
MITSUBISHI GALEA [From Gábor Farkas]
Mitsubishi GalEA is a design study that uses styling elements of the recent Mitsubishi 'jet-fighter' design language. It was born to revive the 1997 Galant EA as a four-door coupé. The EA inspired the 'jet-fighter' design language and now it returns as a four-door sportcoupé.
This time, the design of the car was teased via the Mitsubishi GalEA Facebook page and the final result has been refined at some point according to user-reactions.
At the front you can recognize some details that were borrowed from the Mitsubishi Concept RA but the other parts of the body have an individual new styling with waving lines which have already been introduced on the Mitsubishi Concept CS.
The wheelbase and the proportions of the body also hint at a front engine with rear wheel drive layout. In the inside you can see premium materials and four individual seats. The dashboard has clear and elegant styling.
About the name: it refers to the Galant EA but also has another meaning. A galea was a Roman soldier's helmet. Some gladiators also wore a bronze galea with a face mask and a decoration, often a fish on its crest.
Main dimensions
length: 4745 mm (186.8 in) width: 1948 mm (79.7 in) height: 1343 mm (52.9 in)
front track: 1722 mm (67.8 in) rear track: 1706 mm (67.2 in) wheelbase: 3070 mm (120.9 in) length/wheelbase ration: 1.55 wheels: 205/40 R 18
The company started with a Lancer EVO 9 with just 1,500 miles on the odo and stripped it down to the bare bones. The body shell of a London Taxi Cab was then dropped on top creating the most innocent EVO we have ever seen to date. Follow the jump to watch it in some awe-inspiring donut action. 
