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David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/3/24 8:55 a.m.
feature_image

Not a Dodge Stealth, not a Mitsubishi 3000GT, but the one we didn’t quite get stateside: a 1997 Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo.

It has all-wheel drive, the six-speed manual box and, as the name strongly suggests, a pair of turbos.

The ad paints a good picture: no rust, no smoke, no lifter ticks. Doesn’t sound too modded, either: Tein coil-overs, …

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bmw88rider
bmw88rider GRM+ Memberand UberDork
9/3/24 9:06 a.m.

Little much for a 3000GT VR4. It's the same car. They just couldn't use the GTO name in the US.

 

That's all the money for one of these. You can get a good one landed for 23K right now but you'd have to wait. One of my aquaintances has a 98 in stock that has 54K KM on the clock and is pretty minty that could probably be 23K landed. 

j_tso
j_tso Dork
9/3/24 10:54 a.m.

I was wondering why it's RHD but the brake master is on the left.  It uses a "torsion bar" brake pedal.

Mitsubishi GTO Brake Pedal 1992

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/3/24 11:51 a.m.

In reply to bmw88rider :

Yeah, it’s a bit on the high side, but nice to see these cars getting their due. 

NickD
NickD MegaDork
9/3/24 12:14 p.m.

I went to college with a guy that simultaneously owned three Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4s. There was never an instance where more than one was operational at the same time, and whichever one was operational at the time was never 100% functional.

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo UberDork
9/3/24 12:24 p.m.

3KGT VR4s are a bit on the uptick, but like anything Mitsu, parts are essentially unobtainium at this point.   If you want one, probably should buy 2 or 3.

This one is kind of neat but price is pretty crackpipe.  For stuff like the 3KGT VR4 that was also offered stateside, the USDM ones are usually worth more money, the JDM stuff is neat for a gee-whiz, but the problems with registration, insurance, parts, and living with a RHD vehicle make them less attractive to most people.  Same deal with the 3rd gen RX7 and MKIV Supra.  Only JDM cars that seem to bring a yuuuuge premium is stuff we never got like Skylines.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/3/24 12:32 p.m.

I’m trying to remember if I ever had a GTO in Gran Turismo. I drove them IRL but can’t recall if I had one on the sim. 

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
9/3/24 12:40 p.m.
David S. Wallens said:

I’m trying to remember if I ever had a GTO in Gran Turismo. I drove them IRL but can’t recall if I had one on the sim. 

They were secretly the fastest car in the first game. That car with the race mod and the big engine setup was capable of running down any of the dedicated race cars or any other cars in game no matter the power. HIGHLY broken, and also the first time I ever saw 1000hp applied to something that was ostensibly a street car. The crown was taken by the (obviously) Escudo Pikes Peak for GT2. 

bmw88rider
bmw88rider GRM+ Memberand UberDork
9/3/24 12:45 p.m.

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Parts are out there but you have to look in a lot of places. I have no problems getting parts for my JDM odd-ball Mitsubishi but I also have ASA on my computer and an extensive network of Mitsu freaks like me that know where the good stuff is at and potentially what crossed over to a Dodge or Volvo part number.  

These wouldn't be a choice for a DD just for that reason. 

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/3/24 12:47 p.m.

In reply to Mndsm :

Cool, not sure I knew that back in the day. I admit, I ran what I liked: Miatas, Civics, Integras, assorted front-drivers. I had a Cobra that was fun, too. 

CyberEric
CyberEric SuperDork
9/3/24 1:19 p.m.

I was actually expecting the price to be worse given what FDs and Supras are priced like these days. Although the 3kGT was always sort of the step child of that genre. And not that I'd pay that much for one, esp not one that's RHD.

A friend's uncle had one in highschool. It was the first legit fast car I ever rode in. The guy had two of them! Seems to be a theme. In 1999, it felt like a rocket. Now a Camry could probably hang with it.

They are crazy heavy for the era, have AWD, twin turbos, a lot of tech for the time. Sort of seems like they were a sign of where sporty cars were going in a lot of ways. 

racerfink
racerfink UberDork
9/3/24 2:11 p.m.
Mndsm said:
David S. Wallens said:

I’m trying to remember if I ever had a GTO in Gran Turismo. I drove them IRL but can’t recall if I had one on the sim. 

They were secretly the fastest car in the first game. That car with the race mod and the big engine setup was capable of running down any of the dedicated race cars or any other cars in game no matter the power. HIGHLY broken, and also the first time I ever saw 1000hp applied to something that was ostensibly a street car. The crown was taken by the (obviously) Escudo Pikes Peak for GT2. 

I remember it being the Plymouth Prowler.  I used to be on the GTXF forum, and one of the members from Australia came stateside for a vacation, so we had a small gathering of about six people for a day of original Gran Turismo fun.

Being as he was used to PAL, the Prowler was normal as could be to him.  I was the only one within the group that had completed the game and had the NTSC Prowler, which was a supercar.  It handled like the McMurtry Sperling, had brakes like the arresting wire on an aircraft carrier, and accelerated far harder than it had any right to.

When I got into a hybrid series that used the Sharkcode modifier to 'build' cars, every single team used the chassis from the Prowler, it handled THAT well.

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo UberDork
9/3/24 5:39 p.m.

Things like this scare me away from these cars.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mitsubishi-3000gt-vr4-6-speed-3-4-gear-hub-W6MG1-/184476864781?_ul=IN

$450 for a used hub/slider for the transmission.  And we all know how Mitsubishi has such robust transmissions.  

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
9/3/24 5:44 p.m.
racerfink said:
Mndsm said:
David S. Wallens said:

I’m trying to remember if I ever had a GTO in Gran Turismo. I drove them IRL but can’t recall if I had one on the sim. 

They were secretly the fastest car in the first game. That car with the race mod and the big engine setup was capable of running down any of the dedicated race cars or any other cars in game no matter the power. HIGHLY broken, and also the first time I ever saw 1000hp applied to something that was ostensibly a street car. The crown was taken by the (obviously) Escudo Pikes Peak for GT2. 

I remember it being the Plymouth Prowler.  I used to be on the GTXF forum, and one of the members from Australia came stateside for a vacation, so we had a small gathering of about six people for a day of original Gran Turismo fun.

Being as he was used to PAL, the Prowler was normal as could be to him.  I was the only one within the group that had completed the game and had the NTSC Prowler, which was a supercar.  It handled like the McMurtry Sperling, had brakes like the arresting wire on an aircraft carrier, and accelerated far harder than it had any right to.

When I got into a hybrid series that used the Sharkcode modifier to 'build' cars, every single team used the chassis from the Prowler, it handled THAT well.

Yeah, you actually like stuff that handles. I'm tempted to find an old copy and a ps1 and test the theory now. 

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
9/3/24 10:40 p.m.

In reply to j_tso :

RHD BMWs were the same at least in the E30 and E36 generations

te72
te72 HalfDork
9/4/24 1:15 a.m.

Looks just like the one that one of a handful of "car guy" customers had when I worked at Blockbuster back in the early 2000's. Always loved these cars. FD is still the best looking from that era, but in my eyes, this is a solid second place. That's saying a lot considering I'm a long time Supra guy.

 

That said, I'd not hesitate to hop in the Supra and drive anywhere, I trust it. I'm reminded of an old saying, "If your DSM ain't broke, you might be."

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
9/4/24 7:35 a.m.

Fastest car in GT1

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/4/24 9:43 a.m.

When I get a min, I’m going to have to crack open my Gran Turismo insider guide. 

NickD
NickD MegaDork
9/4/24 9:49 a.m.

Just remembered that another friend in college knew a guy who had had a 3000GT VR4 that, in his words, "made about 800whp for about five minutes at a time." He said he drove it during one of those 5 minute intervals where it was actually running and said it was the most mind-blowingly fast vehicle he had ever driven. It's kind of too bad that the 3000GT VR4 had a distant "also-ran" status to the Supra and RX-7, since the 3000GT VR4 was probably the most technologically-advanced of the bunch, with AWD, all-wheel steering, and active aero. Pretty heady stuff for the era. And stylistically they were pretty neat. More interesting than the MkIV Supra, in my opinion.

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo UberDork
9/4/24 1:44 p.m.

It was ways sort of mind-bottling that the 3rd gen RX-7 (just as pretty, worse brand rep, way worse car rep) and the 4th gen Supra (kinda ugly, brand had a better rep, car was bulletproof) and even the 300ZX Twin Turbo (better looking than the Supra but not as pretty as the RX-7 or VR4, brand was on par with Mitsu, car was kind of a mess) received all the accolades and the 3KGT was left to be the ugly duckling.  

Few things could have led to this:

  • They made a lot of decontended versions of the Stealth and 3KGT
    • There was even one version that had the SOHC minivan motor.  Woof.
    • Supra and 300ZX had turbo and nonturbo, RX-7 was turbo only
  • They made the Stealth at all, diluting the brand.  
  • They were FWD based, others were RWD based.
  • It feels like they sold an absolute pile of them compared to 4th gen Supra and 3rd gen RX-7.  No numbers to back it up, just going off what I see.
racerfink
racerfink UberDork
9/4/24 2:44 p.m.
Mndsm said:
racerfink said:
Mndsm said:
David S. Wallens said:

I’m trying to remember if I ever had a GTO in Gran Turismo. I drove them IRL but can’t recall if I had one on the sim. 

They were secretly the fastest car in the first game. That car with the race mod and the big engine setup was capable of running down any of the dedicated race cars or any other cars in game no matter the power. HIGHLY broken, and also the first time I ever saw 1000hp applied to something that was ostensibly a street car. The crown was taken by the (obviously) Escudo Pikes Peak for GT2. 

I remember it being the Plymouth Prowler.  I used to be on the GTXF forum, and one of the members from Australia came stateside for a vacation, so we had a small gathering of about six people for a day of original Gran Turismo fun.

Being as he was used to PAL, the Prowler was normal as could be to him.  I was the only one within the group that had completed the game and had the NTSC Prowler, which was a supercar.  It handled like the McMurtry Sperling, had brakes like the arresting wire on an aircraft carrier, and accelerated far harder than it had any right to.

When I got into a hybrid series that used the Sharkcode modifier to 'build' cars, every single team used the chassis from the Prowler, it handled THAT well.

Yeah, you actually like stuff that handles. I'm tempted to find an old copy and a ps1 and test the theory now. 

Went to pop my copy in the PS2...  it won't read the black-backed disc, only the silver ones.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/4/24 8:22 p.m.

Okay, dug out the old, sacred texts: My official Gran Turismo strategy guide. 

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/4/24 8:22 p.m.

And here’s the GTO info:

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
9/4/24 8:23 p.m.

And some close-ups just in case:

codrus (Forum Supporter)
codrus (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
9/4/24 8:59 p.m.
93gsxturbo said:
  • It feels like they sold an absolute pile of them compared to 4th gen Supra and 3rd gen RX-7.  No numbers to back it up, just going off what I see.

They did.  If you rank the NSX, Supra, 3kgt, 300ZX, and FD by current value, you also get the reverse ranking by production numbers.

 

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