Back in March Mitsubishi announced they will be fielding an electric car – the i-MiEV to be precise – at this year’s Pike Peak hill climb. Here it is, the i-MiEV Evo, featuring wider tracks and a longer wheelbase to it can go round a corner without falling over. It also four-wheel-drive and three electric motors with total output of 240 kW (80 kW x 3).

So it should have enough go juice to at least make it to the top of the hill. But it lacks the sparkle, the one thing in a racing car that make people go wow. It just doesn’t look right! Cars like this and Nissan LEAF are going to make Pikes Peak boring. Just give them their own separate hill – a small one of course – to keep the green peas happy.

The Evo basically uses the same motor, drive battery and other major components as the production i-MiEV fitted to a specially-designed racing-specific body which uses a tube-frame chassis and a carbon fibre cowl among other features designed to reduce weight and improve aerodynamic performance.

The i-MiEV Evo will be driven by Hiroshi Masuoka – the first Japanese driver to post consecutive overall victories in the Dakar Rally. Mitsubishi also enters a normal i model – with one electric engine and rear-drive – to be driven by Beccy Gordon, a winner in the Score International Off-Road Racing Series.

Mitubishi i-MiEV Evolution Specs: