2005 Toyota Celica - Four One One
We Wave Goodbye To Mr. Two And His Boo, Pitch The WRX And Evo At Each Other Again, And Search The World For More Saabarus.
Fresh off the boat from Mitsu this year will be an updated version of the Evo VIII, tagged the MR. The MR brings with it a larger turbo for more horsepower, but minus the intercooler that sprayed refreshing water on the plumbing. The adjustments add five horsepower and 13 lb-ft of torque to the turbo four, for a total of 276 hp and 286 lb-ft. In MR Evos the engine is harnessed by a six-speed manual tranny.
The Evo's all-wheel drive gets tweaks to equal its rival's, too. A new front helical limited slip differential is coupled to an electronic active center differential. The addition of the electronically controlled diff took up room otherwise needed by the intercooler, which is why it's been deleted.
And to trim some more weight from the already bantamweight Evo, Mitsu's turned to an aluminum roof and side-impact beams, cutting weight slightly and lowering the center of gravity slightly. Topping off the package are BBS one-piece forged alloy wheels, quick-responding Bilstein shocks, standard high-intensity discharge headlights and aluminum and carbon-fiber trim for the cockpit.
On the Subaru side of the trenches, the upgrades to the WRX STi are many. Like the Evo it also gets a helical-type limited slip front differential, but no more power-its 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque were deemed suitable enough.
Underneath, the STi wheels gain a half-inch in tread-they're now 17 x 8 inches versus 17 x 7.5 inches on the '04 model. The rear end has been widened slightly to swallow the tires. And some of the suspension changes wrought when Saab turned the WRX into its own 9-2X have shown up here including aluminum suspension bits and a redesigned interior, here penned by Subaru for a richer feel.