Classic pearls of the future - Mitsubishi 3000 GT
01/07/2018
With the 3000 GT, Mitsubishi responded to the challenge posed by the Honda NSX, Mazda Cosmo, Nissan Skyline, Toyota Supra and Subaru SVX.
As the Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4, it offered almost everything that the Porsche 959 had offered a few years earlier, or even a little more: a six-cylinder engine, four valves per cylinder, two turbochargers, all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering and brake anti-lock system, plus electronically controlled shock absorbers and speed-sensitive front and rear spoilers. A real technology package.
In the USA, the Mitsubishi 3000 GT was sold as the Dodge Stealth. The first version of the front-engined coupé was available with folding headlights from 1990 to 1994, and a second version was built from 1994 to 2000.
In addition to the top version, there were also simpler variants available, e.g. without all-wheel drive and without a turbocharger, but what they all had in common was the transaxle design and the six-cylinder engine installed transversely at the front.
In total, over 150,000 3000 GT/Stealth models were sold in ten years, but the VR-4 was only built 15,539 times as a Mitsubishi. The Spyder variants are even rarer.
Back then, the good-sounding 3000 GT VR-4 cost DM 98,500 or the equivalent in Swiss francs.
Until now, the coupés have been comparatively cheap to buy, but the car pictured with just 4881 miles on the clock is expected to fetch USD 75,000 to 90,000 at the Mecum Kissimmee auction on January 13, 2018 . That would be quite an announcement! This interesting car from Japan certainly has upward potential.
More classic gems can be found in the dedicated theme channel.
