Mitsubishi MMR25, Wheel-y different

Mitsubishi's entry into the LA Design Challenge is a farmer's dream - assuming we still need farmers in 2025 - because it will breeze past the kind of terrain usually only tread by military tanks - but at Formula One speeds. To save you the trouble of counting all those wheels, there are eight at each corner, which of course adds to 32.

The 'omnidirectional rally concept', as the Japanese maker calls it, looks more like a deranged robot than a car thanks to those wacky wheels, but, as with much of Mitsubishi's racing output, form takes high priority over function. It might be ridiculous, but only the company who brought us the Evo IX's 'vortex generator' could have come up with something so pragmatic. The MMR25's body can be moved independently of the wheels, meaning corners can be attacked more effectively, utilising the massive traction of all that rubber. Where the driver sits among all those wheels, however, is not clear.

In addition, the car has something Mitsubishi calls 'Oblique Aerodynamics', referring to the central spoiler, which can be pneumatically raised and lowered, and front and rear wings that function as adjustable suspension blades. There are no plans as yet to introduce those features on the next Evo, though we wouldn't put it past Mitsubishi...

Mark Nichol

Tuesday October 28