Boasting
perhaps the largest grille opening of any midsize truck that’s ever
been customized, the Mitsubishi Street Raider was unveiled at the SEMA
Show.
Created by
the Mitsu design center in Cypress, California, the Street Raider was
built to demonstrate design possibilities for the new Mitsubishi Raider
pickup, which is built off the Dodge Dakota platform.
Based on a Raider double cab configuration, the Street Raider has a “clean
shaven” appearance with the door handles and fuel filler door smoothed
over. Front and rear bumpers are blended flush with the body.
But nothing
draws your eye like the massive grille opening that is split with the
signature Mitsu crossover bar. Accenting the grille is a nice mesh screen
and a black chrome surround. PPG White Tech paint coats the body panels.
The interior
features 2-tone leather trim and premium Rockford Fosgate sound system.
The ride
height was lowered two inches and rides on a custom air suspension. Mitsu
squeezed 305/40-22 tires in back and went with 265/40 rubber up front.
All four corners sport 22-inch 7-spoke wheels.
Mitsubishi also announced the rollout of a new Ralliart performance parts
and accessories program for North America. Ralliart is the motorsports
arm of Mitsubishi.
The program
follows the trend of other Asian manufacturers that are leveraging their
racing divisions, such as Toyota’s TRD and Nissan’s Nismo,
with parts and special editions for their pickups. Mitsu did show off
a hot-looking Eclipse Ralliart concept but only hinted of a Rally Raider.
There was a 40-percent scale model of the Rally Raider that looked like
the Dakar Rally vehicles the company runs in the African race but no word
if such a theme would be applied to a production Raider.
