More significant from an enthusiast's point of view was the rear-drive Starion sport coupe which came with a 2.6-liter, SOHC, eight-valve four, which-thanks to fuel injection and a TC05 turbocharger-was rated at a healthy 145bhp. That was huge power back in 1982, when it was big news that the 5.0-liter V8 in the Ford Mustang was making 157bhp. "It's a little hard to get a fix on the name-a portmanteau compression of Star and Orion, not a telex mispronunciation of Stallion-but the equipment list identifies its purpose," wrote Car and Driver in its first test of the Starion LS. "There are MacPherson struts both front and rear, disc brakes all around, and a 145bhp, turbocharged, 2.6-liter four-cylinder under the hood. The road-wheel package provides 215/60 tires on 6.5-inch rims and the technical performance offers a limited-slip differential and an anti-lock device for the rear wheels. The Luxury Sport interior affords every convenience feature known to gadget science, including six-way adjustable seats, trick instrumentation and a full-service dashboard. In short, the Starion is like all the descendents of the original Datsun 240Z: a fast GT car outfitted for luxury and calibrated for everyday transportation."
Back then, Car and Driver reflected the conventional wisdom when it summarized the Starion as mixing "excellence with a curious lack of finesse." But the Starion was the car for anyone who was excited about Mitsubishi. It ran from 0 to 60mph in 8.7 seconds, blitzed the quarter-mile in 16.4 seconds at 85mph, and topped out at 124mph. A major update occurred in 1986 that introduced the ESI-R model with swollen fenders, wider 16-inch wheels and tires, a mandatory five-speed manual gearbox and 176bhp. When the last ESI-R rolled off the assembly lines in 1989, the 2.6-liter turbo four under its hood was rated at a full 188bhp, thanks to the addition of intercooling.Despite the addition of turbochargers to the Cordia and Tredia for 1984, no one had much enthusiasm for this awkward duo. But they somehow survived to make it through to 1988. They were overshadowed not only by the Starion, but also by the 1985 introduction of the Mirage compact (also sold through Dodge and Plymouth as the Colt) and Galant mainstream sedan.
The Mirage couldn't have been more square-cut in its first generation, but it was available with either a 68bhp, 1.5-liter SOHC or a 102bhp, turbocharged version of the same engine. Mitsubishi's commitment to turbocharging was paying off as the public began perceiving the brand as being oriented toward performance. And that perception was deserved.
As a play to compete against cars like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the Galant was a logical next step. But that first front-drive Galant wasn't a car to get excited about, as it's big 2.4-liter, SOHC four produced a modest 101bhp, despite being fuel-injected. The larger Galant Sigma, sold alongside it from the 1988 model year, had a 142bhp, 3.0-liter SOHC V6 powering its front wheels and foreshadowed the direction in which the Galant would soon evolve.
As the 80s ended, Mitsubishi seemed on the verge of breaking out from the run-of-the-mill Japanese pack and defining itself as the builder of fun, truly high-performance machinery. In the 90s that promise was fulfilled. And betrayed.
The 90sMitsubishi leapt from backmarker to frontrunner in the race for enthusiasts' hearts and minds during the 1990 and 1991 model years. The reasons were the first-generation Eclipse and 3000GT sport machines, and a new, significantly better Galant.
The new Eclipse (and its twins, the Plymouth Laser and Eagle Talon) was the first product of Diamond Star Motors, a joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi that resulted in a new assembly plant in Normal, Illinois. "Functionally, the car is based on a Mitsubishi product," explained Motor Trend at the time, "in this case, the [Galant sedan's] mechanical bits. Stylistically, the car is a joint venture of designers at both companies who endured numerous internal design competitions before the final version was completed in Japan by teams from both companies working together."
Whacking the Galant wheelbase to 97.2 inches and plopping an egg-shaped body on it resulted in a nimble car even in base, front-drive form with the standard 90-horsepower, SOHC four. But it was also available in GS trim with the 4G63 DOHC, 2.0-liter, 16-valve four making 135bhp, or the fabulous turbocharged 4G63T engine boosting output to 190bhp.When paired with the all-wheel-drive GSX, this powerplant was tuned to produce 195bhp.