FTO stands for "Fresh Touring Origination". The name recalls the Galant FTO coupé of 1971, one of the company's first sports cars.
The only body style was a 2-door coupé, and all FTOs were front wheel drive. Either a straight-4 or a transversely mounted V6 engine was available, mated to either a 5-speed manual or INVECS-II semi-automatic transmission. Earlier models had a four-speed version, whilst the post-facelift versions had a five-speed.
October 1994–August 1997
In commemoration of its win at the Car of the Year Japan awards in 1994, Mitsubishi introduced a limited production of the GPX Limited Edition model. It can be indentified by its dandelion yellow paint scheme and "'94–95 Japan Car of the Year" emblems on the outer surface of the car's C-pillar. It also has a rear screen wiper and limited slip differential as standard. Less than 500 of these are believed to have been produced.
The Nakaya-Tune FTO was a limited edition introduced in early 1997, and only 300 cars were sold. The car was tuned by Akihiko Nakaya, driver of an FTO in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship in 1998–1999. The main differences over the standard model are a sports silencer, uprated brake pads, carbon fibre lip spoiler, and uprated suspension with Öhlins shock absorbers.