Mitsubishi 3000GT

Overview

A two door / four seat grand touring sports car made by the Japanese firm Mitsubishi through-out the 1990s. The car was unique in being one of the few performance cars of the era that could be had with all-wheel drive. It was known in the Americas and Europe as the Mitsubishi 3000GT (or in Japan as the Mitsubishi GTO), but was sold concurrently as the Dodge Stealth in North America.

History

First produced in Japan in 1990 as the Mitsubishi GTO, the U.S./European version was showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1990 under the name HSX¹. Its goals were to replace the Mitsubishi Starion (and the Chrysler Conquest) and to create a contender for Mitsubishi in the sports car arena of the Nissan 300ZX, Mazda RX-7, and Toyota Supra, while following the Japanese tradition of under pricing and outperforming more expensive, luxurious cars. The first American and Canadian 3000GTs were produced at the Nagoya plant in Okazaki, Japan and publicly distributed in the fall of 1990. At that same time, Dodge released the sister car of the 3000GT, the Dodge Stealth. The Dodge Stealth was mechanically identical to the 3000GT. The only differences were the body and some options. While the Stealth was only distributed in the US and Canada, the 3000GT was never sold in Canada. The GTO in Japan lasted from 1990 to 2001, the 3000GT in the US and Europe lasted from 1991 to 1999, and the sister car, the Stealth, lasted only from 1991 to 1996 (1995 in Canada). Here is an excerpt from the book "Japanese Supercars" (c) 1992, Mallard Press: