When the Brilliance Coupe was launched back in 2007 it was only the second homegrown Chinese coupe on the market, after the Geely Meirenbao. I liked the Brilliance a lot, it looked great and it came cheap. Unfortunately not many others liked it so almost nobody bought one and neither did I.
There are however some people who really, really, love the Brilliance Coupe. Some love it so much that they change the standard 4-cylinder for a Mitsubishi 2.5 Twin Turbo V6, like the men from tuning company DreamPower BJ.
They didn’t change too much on the outside. A very neat job it is. You can see it is fast, much faster than the normal car, but nothing is too big or too loud.There are new spoilers everywhere, big new wing on the back, great looking blacked-out BBS alloys and the car sits lower on its feet. Now, to the engine:
Mitsubishi’s 6A13TT, for Twin Turbo, with standard 280hp but tuned up to 330 in the Brilliance Coupe, and all that power goes to the front wheels only… The normal car has a 1.8 turbo with 170hp. The manic 6A13TT engine was used in, among others, the great Mitsubishi 3000GT which was rebadged Dodge Stealth in the USA. In the Brilliance Coupe, it is good for a 250kmh top speed, if you dare.
Almost no changes in the interior, no bullshit extra dials, even the wheel is standard!
The original body by la way was designed by non other that Pininfarina.
Me love that intercooler in the bumper. Well, a truly brilliant Brilliance. Nice job by DreamPower BJ, hope to hear more of ‘m in the future.
Via: Autohome.
WOW!, a good looking Chinese car!
6A13TT was used in Galant VR4, instead of the Stealth as mentioned. correct me if wrong
do they have a website ?
This is a really unique car for those who really have passion and knowledgeable enough to be able distinguish what is required in a sports coupe.
I am still keeping one , in Guangdong, China.
in fact,this is proud to be the first “sports” car ever built in China in this new era of Chinese auto industry in this decade. whereas the Geely meirenbao is just a joke!
to be fair, bear in mind that this is not a super car, so it should not be compare with Porsche, Ferrari,lambo.
yet it is a coupe which can deliver “sporty” feel and handling on road,my normal cruising speed is below 140km. still comfortably driving at 160km-180km on highway S43.
Drawback –I ve did a bit of research and discovered that the ZF gear box in standard version can not substain over 200hp engine output power , and even the newer gearbox which they are manufacturing in their Namjing plant for the 1.8 turbo can only substain up to 240hp. !
besides, there is likely to end up”burning” your Clutch with increased power.
you need to improve the brake as well, even the 330mm disc is too small for a 280hp engine. the standard caliper has only 2 piston!
my objection in swaping into a bigger engine may need carefull reconsideration.
What I have done to my car is :
1)a tower bar.
2)adjustable suspension.
3)a set of 18″ wheels and low profile tire.
4)a most unique Electronic Gearshift device for my manuel gearbox ,which I do not have to step on the clutch in changing gear, thus giving me all the joy of a manuel with the comfort of a semi automatic.
although extra “cage” is integrated in the chasis and doors,this car became a bit too heavy, so do not expect the 4G93 engine can be a rocket on traffic lights, but it is reasonably efficient on 3rd-4th gear in city as well as highway driving.
this car deserve respect as the pioneer in joint venture design and engineering , which points the direction , motivates and speed up the car mfg industry industry in history.
If comparing to the Korean Coupe, this car is Muscle and mandom, whereas the korean became sexy and juicy.
you will got lots of curious enquiry on “what is this car?” in gas station if you clean up all the ugly badges on the body.
This car is also a “head turner” on road because it is rare! for years to come , it will be some one of a kind “pink rabbit”
This car is not for everyone but exclusive for those who have experienced quite a lot of more expensive sports cars, and who knows what to look for in the pleasure of driving.
I also have a 2007 brilliance coupe, love it although its rusting and seems to always have the check engine light on, I am about to do a restoration over the holidays, good to see there is an interest out there. It certainly gets the looks, and yeah what an ugly badge
I hope they could launch a Convertible version.! and upgrade their interior, as well as the seats which is stiff and not comfortable in longer hours driving.