Low flyer
Of course, Mitsubishi wanted to get in on the action too. Toyota had the Supra, Nissan had the Z series, and Honda had been known since the mid-1980s to be working on something big (yes, the NSX), so Mitsubishi didn’t want (or couldn’t) stand back and also developed a reasonably thoroughbred sports car, the 3000 GT (known as the GTO in Japan), which was launched in 1990 at virtually the same time as the NSX. It was a powerful machine, with a 3-litre V6 turbo (as was usual for Japanese cars in those years, with 286 hp), all-wheel drive, an early form of four-wheel steering, electronically controlled shock absorbers, active aerodynamics and ABS – a technical treat at the time. It performed well, going from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 6 seconds and reaching a top speed of 280 km/h. At the same time, there was also an American version, called the Dodge Stealth, which was also built entirely in Japan.
It wasn’t just good on paper, but also in practice, with the 3000 GT outperforming all Toyotas and Nissans. But the car, which weighed at least 1.7 tonnes, had a big problem in Europe: it cost a good 90,000 Swiss francs in Switzerland – and as much as 120,000 marks in Germany. That was a bit much for a brand that primarily sold Colts for 16,000 Swiss francs at the time. The Honda was significantly more expensive (and didn’t sell well either), but Mitsubishi simply didn’t have the customer base that was willing to spend that kind of money. The 3000 GT was actually really good, seriously and cleanly developed, high quality and reliable despite its extensive electronics. But perhaps it was simply too early for so much technology at that time.
In 1994, a second series was launched, this time without pop-up headlights, but with a 6-speed gearbox from Getrag (0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds) and an electrically retractable hardtop. In 1998, further improvements were made, but by 2000, after around 86,000 Mitsubishi and 65,000 Dodge models had been produced, it was all over. For a long time, the market completely ignored these Mitsubishis, but now there seems to be a hype surrounding them. The model we are showing here, a 3000 GT VR4 from 1999, was recently sold on Bring A Trailer for $122,000.
More exciting Japanese cars: Sayonara. And then there’s the archive.
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