Mitsubishi GTO
Encyclopedia
The Mitsubishi GTO is a sports car built by Japan
ese automaker
Mitsubishi Motors
between 1990 and 2001. In most export markets it was rebadged as a Mitsubishi 3000GT. It was also sold by Chrysler
in North America
as a Dodge Stealth captive import
from the 1991 to 1996 model year
s with only minor detail/appearance differences. It took its name from the Galant GTO
, a two-door hardtop
coupé
sold by the company in the early 1970s, which got its name from the Ferrari GTO
, which means Gran Turismo Omologato.
and Mitsubishi HSX concept cars at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show
, Mitsubishi developed the new GTO as a technologically advanced 2+2 seater sports coupe to compete with the Honda NSX
, Mazda RX-7
, Nissan 300ZX
, Skyline GT-R
, and the Toyota Supra
. They resurrected the GTO name, and the car went on to serve as Mitsubishi’s flagship for the remainder of the decade. However, despite the cachet of the badge at home, it was known as the Mitsubishi 3000GT outside Japan
; the company was concerned that connoisseur
s would object to the evocative nameplate from the highly regarded Ferrari 250 GTO
and Pontiac GTO
being used on a Japanese vehicle. However, regardless of its badge or eventual target market, every car was built on the same production line at Mitsubishi's plant in Nagoya
, Japan.
A Dodge Stealth was initially to be used as a pace car for the 1991 Indianapolis 500
race. The United Auto Workers
(UAW), however, did not like the idea of a Japanese-manufactured car being a pace car for the race, and a prototype Dodge Viper
was substituted.
, four-wheel steering, active aerodynamics
featuring automatically adjusting front and rear spoilers
, sport/tour exhaust modes and electronically controlled suspension
(ECS). Visually, the cars featured pop-up headlights and noticeable "caps" on the hood to accommodate the ECS controllers at the top of the strut
turrets.
manual transmission
. Bigger wheel/tire combinations were provided beginning in 1995. The base and SL model received 16" wheels in silver or chrome with 225/55 tires, while the VR4 now had 18" chrome wheels with 245/40 tires (the Spyder had the standard 17" with higher profile tires from 1994 to handle the additional 400 lb (181.4 kg)).
As the price of the cars increased, many of the "gadgets" on the car were discontinued. The tunable exhaust was phased out after model year 1994, the ECS disappeared after the 1995 model year, and the active aerodynamics disappeared after 1996. Finally, Chrysler ceased sales of the Dodge Stealth captive import, and for the remainder of its life only Mitsubishi-badged versions were available.
In 1995 and 1996, special edition retractable hardtop convertible models of the 3000GT SL and VR-4 were sold in the USA. Customized by ASC in California
, these cars had retractable hardtops which could be opened or closed at the touch of a button. It was the first of its kind in America
since the 1957–59 Ford Skyliner
, and although it was abandoned after two years because of slow sales (1618 units), it presaged a market which would eventually mature the following year with the Mercedes SLK
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese automaker
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
between 1990 and 2001. In most export markets it was rebadged as a Mitsubishi 3000GT. It was also sold by Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as a Dodge Stealth captive import
Captive import
Captive import is a marketing term and a strategy for an automobile part or entire vehicle that is foreign-built and sold under the name of an importer or by a domestic automaker through its own dealer distribution system....
from the 1991 to 1996 model year
Model year
The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
s with only minor detail/appearance differences. It took its name from the Galant GTO
Mitsubishi Galant GTO
The Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO was first shown as the Galant GTX-1 showcar at the 1969 Tokyo Motor Show. Sales began in November 1970, when it was the flagship hardtop variant of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries's then-new Colt Galant sedan....
, a two-door hardtop
Hardtop
A hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. It has been used in several contexts: detachable hardtops, retractable hardtop roofs, and the so-called pillarless hardtop body style....
coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
sold by the company in the early 1970s, which got its name from the Ferrari GTO
Ferrari GTO
Ferrari has made three models named GTO:* 1962-64 Ferrari 250 GTO GT racing car* 1984-86 Ferrari 288 GTO Group B racing car* 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO...
, which means Gran Turismo Omologato.
Overview
Following the successful showing of the Mitsubishi HSRMitsubishi HSR
The Mitsubishi HSR is a range of concept cars exhibited by Mitsubishi Motors through the late 1980s and 1990s...
and Mitsubishi HSX concept cars at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show
Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association , it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs...
, Mitsubishi developed the new GTO as a technologically advanced 2+2 seater sports coupe to compete with the Honda NSX
Honda NSX
The Honda NSX, or Acura NSX, is a sports car that was produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. It is equipped with a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, powered by an all-aluminium V6 gasoline engine featuring Honda's Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control ...
, Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
, Nissan 300ZX
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
, Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
, and the Toyota Supra
Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
. They resurrected the GTO name, and the car went on to serve as Mitsubishi’s flagship for the remainder of the decade. However, despite the cachet of the badge at home, it was known as the Mitsubishi 3000GT outside Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; the company was concerned that connoisseur
Connoisseur
A connoisseur is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts, cuisines, or an expert judge in matters of taste.Modern connoisseurship must be seen along with museums, art galleries and "the cult of originality"...
s would object to the evocative nameplate from the highly regarded Ferrari 250 GTO
Ferrari 250 GTO
The Ferrari 250 GTO is a GT car which was produced by Ferrari from 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the FIA's Group 3 Grand Touring Car category....
and Pontiac GTO
Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac Division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is considered an innovative, and now classic muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s...
being used on a Japanese vehicle. However, regardless of its badge or eventual target market, every car was built on the same production line at Mitsubishi's plant in Nagoya
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan.
A Dodge Stealth was initially to be used as a pace car for the 1991 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
race. The United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
(UAW), however, did not like the idea of a Japanese-manufactured car being a pace car for the race, and a prototype Dodge Viper
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
was substituted.
1990–1993
The first generation model incorporated many of Mitsubishi's contemporary performance-enhancing technologies, such as full time four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
, four-wheel steering, active aerodynamics
Automotive aerodynamics
Automotive aerodynamics is the study of the aerodynamics of road vehicles. The main concerns of automotive aerodynamics are reducing drag , reducing wind noise, minimizing noise emission, and preventing undesired lift forces and other causes of aerodynamic instability at high speeds...
featuring automatically adjusting front and rear spoilers
Spoiler (automotive)
A spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...
, sport/tour exhaust modes and electronically controlled suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
(ECS). Visually, the cars featured pop-up headlights and noticeable "caps" on the hood to accommodate the ECS controllers at the top of the strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
turrets.
| Model name | Engine | Peak power | Peak torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Stealth (USA, Canada) | SOHC 12v V6 | 119 kW at 5500 rpm | 250 newton metre at 4000 rpm |
| Mitsubishi 3000GT, 3000GT SL (USA); Mitsubishi GTO; Dodge Stealth ES, Stealth R/T (USA, Canada) | DOHC 24v V6 | 164 kW at 6000 rpm | 272 newton metre at 4500 rpm |
| Mitsubishi GTO twin turbo, GTO MR | DOHC 24v V6 twin turbo | 206 kW at 6000 rpm | 427 newton metre at 2500 rpm |
| Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, 3000GT (Europe), Dodge Stealth R/T twin-turbo (USA, Canada) | DOHC 24v V6 twin turbo | 221 kW at 6000 rpm | 415 newton metre at 2500 rpm |
1994–1996
Second generation models are identified by a revised front bumper to accommodate projector beam headlights and small, round projector fog lights. The caps on the hood were replaced with integrated blisters, and the side air vents and rear bumpers were modified. The interior was redesigned with dual air bags, a new audio system, and revised air conditioning refrigerant. The engines in the twin-turbo models received a slight boost in torque from 307 lbft to 315 lbft. To complement this, the VR-4 now included a six-speed GetragGetrag
Getrag is a leading manufacturer of automobile manual transmissions. The company was founded on 1 May 1935, in Ludwigsburg, Germany, by Hermann Hagenmeyer; as the Getriebe und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG...
manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
. Bigger wheel/tire combinations were provided beginning in 1995. The base and SL model received 16" wheels in silver or chrome with 225/55 tires, while the VR4 now had 18" chrome wheels with 245/40 tires (the Spyder had the standard 17" with higher profile tires from 1994 to handle the additional 400 lb (181.4 kg)).
As the price of the cars increased, many of the "gadgets" on the car were discontinued. The tunable exhaust was phased out after model year 1994, the ECS disappeared after the 1995 model year, and the active aerodynamics disappeared after 1996. Finally, Chrysler ceased sales of the Dodge Stealth captive import, and for the remainder of its life only Mitsubishi-badged versions were available.
In 1995 and 1996, special edition retractable hardtop convertible models of the 3000GT SL and VR-4 were sold in the USA. Customized by ASC in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, these cars had retractable hardtops which could be opened or closed at the touch of a button. It was the first of its kind in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since the 1957–59 Ford Skyliner
Ford Skyliner
The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner is a full-size two door automobile with a retractable hardtop which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States for the model years 1957, 1958 and 1959. Part of the Ford Fairlane range, the Skyliner had a complex mechanism which folded the front of...
, and although it was abandoned after two years because of slow sales (1618 units), it presaged a market which would eventually mature the following year with the Mercedes SLK
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
The SLK is a compact roadster manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in three generations; R170 launched in 1996, the R171 in 2004 and R172 in 2011....
.
| Model name | Engine | Peak power | Peak torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge Stealth (USA, Canada) | SOHC 12v V6 | 119 kW at 5500 rpm | 250 newton metre at 4000 rpm |
| Mitsubishi 3000GT, 3000GT SL, 3000GT SL Spyder (USA); Mitsubishi GTO; Stealth R/T (USA, Canada) | DOHC 24v V6 | 165 kW at 6000 rpm | 277 newton metre at 4500 rpm |
| Mitsubishi GTO twin turbo, GTO MR | DOHC 24v V6 twin turbo | 206 kW at 6000 rpm | 427 newton metre at 2500 rpm |
| Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, 3000GT VR-4 Spyder, 3000GT(Europe); Dodge Stealth R/T twin-turbo (USA, Canada) | DOHC 24v V6 twin turbo | 320 hp at 6000 rpm | 427 newton metre at 2500 rpm |
1997–2001
The SOHC engine, previously only available in the base model Stealth, was added to the Mitsubishi range after the Dodge version was discontinued. Slower sales in the American sports car market led to a planned facelift for 1997 being abandoned in favor of minor cosmetic adjustments, including a new front bumper and hoop wing. In 1999 the car received a partial exterior makeover, including new front bumper, headlamps, turn signals, sail panels, and a large wing for the 1999 VR-4 to distinguish it from previous models. Production for the Japanese domestic market finally ceased in 2000, with the last two cars sold the following year.| Model name | Engine | Peak power | Peak torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi 3000GT (USA) | SOHC 12v V6 | 119 kW at 5500 rpm | 250 newton metre at 4000 rpm |
| Mitsubishi 3000GT SL (USA); Mitsubishi GTO SR (Japan) | DOHC 24v V6 | 165 kW at 6000 rpm | 277 newton metre at 4500 rpm |
| Mitsubishi GTO twin turbo, Mitsubishi GTO twin turbo MR | DOHC 24v V6 twin turbo | 206 kW at 6000 rpm | 427 newton metre at 2500 rpm |
| Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 | DOHC 24v V6 twin turbo | 320 hp at 6000 rpm | 427 newton metre at 2500 rpm |
External links
- GTO press release, Mitsubishi-motors.com, August 25, 1998 (Japanese)