The Mitsubishi Mirage Ralliart is your new favourite hot hatch*

It’d be fair to say we aren’t the biggest fans of the Mitsubishi Mirage here on TopGear.com. Amazingly though, on the very day that we publish this, Mitsubishi in Thailand unveils the Mirage Ralliart that you see above. Coincidence? We think not.

Looks fantastic, doesn’t it? And with the iconic Ralliart name attached to it there must be some serious World Rally Championship pedigree, right? 

Well, erm… no. Sadly Ralliart has been reduced to a mere trim level these days (and Mitsubishi has pulled out of the UK market altogether of course), which means those wheel arch additions are made from fake carbon fibre and the engine is Thailand’s standard 77bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder. Ouch. The red mud flaps are probably the most sporting thing on it. 

Let’s not forget the special two-tone red and black seats, though, and there’s even some Ralliart-branded floor mats in there. They’ve got to be worth at least an extra 20bhp.

Sad to see what has become of Mitsubishi, isn’t it?