10 Times Mitsubishi Built Awesome Sports Cars

Mitsubishi focused on making SUVs, but the other cars participated in rallies and off-road endeavours. It went into Dakar and WRCs to compete and won the former 12 times.

By Carandbike Team

1 mins read

Published on April 14, 2022

Highlights

Winners of WRCs and other rallies are strewn with Mitsubishi car drivers
Company had set records in the era when Toyota and Nissan ruled the world
Lancer Evolution is a famous child, and no wonder 2 of them are on list

If we talk about Mitsubishi's most famous sports cars of all time, the following ten editions of Evolution come to mind. But this Japanese car company has so much more. The sales of the vehicles have always been a little low, but they made up for it in design and technology. Below is the list of a few cars that left the world mystified— Lancer 1600 GSR in 1973 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org To start the list, the legendary first rally car of the Japanese company comes to mind. 1600 GSR was all the glory back in the 70s, and there was a good reason why. Available exclusively in two-door Sedan style, this sports car went off to win twice in the Safari Rally of Kenya, followed by four rallies in Australian Southern Cross Rallies. Galant VR-4 in 1988 Photo Credit: www.flickr.com A mid-size Sedan was all Mitsubishi needed to launch its sales and stand with Honda and Toyota. The Galant VR-4 was alive for over 40 years. Not only this, it brought pride to the Japanese when it took part and won in WRC rallies. In three years, it bagged six wins, standing out in the Finnish race of 1000 lakes. 3000GT VR-4 in 1990 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org For an affordable version of a sports car, Mitsubishi launched 3000GT VR-4, which went 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds. It left all the race-heads amazed when presented in all its glory. It resembled supercars in having four-wheel drive and aerodynamics. Later upgrades added a twin-turbo engine, electrical suspensions, and a spyder version. Starion in 1982 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org One of the most excellent and most underrated Japanese cars is the Starion. It was sold in the US by Conquest by Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge. The most outstanding feature of the car was the addition of electronically powered fuel injection and turbocharging. Starion brought a revolution for the Japanese cars in the world. Eclipse in 1989 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org In Japan's history, a model inspired by and replacing Starion was the longest-running sports car, Eclipse. It was sold in the US with the badges of Eagle and Plymouth flaunting. This model was upgraded thrice to meet the expectations, and it did that very well. Lancer Evo X in 2007 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org The end of the Evolution series marked the end of an era! When Mitsubishi launched its final - the tenth - edition of the legendary Evolution, it made the fans emotional. Its features mostly resemble the now modern technology used in sports cars. Being a limited edition, this model can be acknowledged by the unique badge on the front and the alloy wheels. Colt GTi-16 Turbo in 1988 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org Fighting the top contender line with the smaller Peugeot 205 GTi and Renault 5 Turbo, Colt GTi-16 Turbo was the most performing car, if not the best looking. It had the vibe of being a small family-oriented car, but with the sporty touch that everybody loved. Lancer Evolution VI (Tommi Mäkinen Edition) in 1999 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org The famous limited edition dedicated to Tommi Mäkinen for winning the WRCs for four years straight with different Evolution models. This special one mainly looked like the other Evolution models except for slight changes- a titanium turbine, a Momo steering wheel, 17 inches of Enkei wheels, and a unique "T. Makinen" logo on the seats. Pajero Evolution in 1983 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org Do not be fooled by its simple looks, folks! This homologation model was built especially for the races, and it made Japan proud by winning in Paris-Dakar many times. The multi-link double-wishbone suspension made it completely different. It remained in the business for two years while selling only 2500 units. Minica Dangan ZZ in 1968 Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org This mini sports beast is based on the Kei car principle, which generally means a small turbocharged displacement engine. The lightweight chassis of Minica Dangan ZZ enables the car to speed up to 100 mph. However, the car only survived for four years.