Filed under: LA Auto Show, Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Mitsubishi
LA 2008: Mitsubishi shows a pair of '70s novelties
Click above for high-res gallery of these fun '70s Mitsubishis
We might have skipped the Mitsubishi booth altogether this year at the LA Auto Show if it hadn't been for this pair of eye-catching cars from the '70s. While checking out the neighboring Audi booth we spotted a toad-green FTO and then caught a glimpse of what looked like an old F1 car. The racecar turned out to be the last single-seat racer Mitsu ever made, the 1971 Colt F2000. It actually won the Japan Grand Prix that year. It was powered by a 4-valve dohc 1,994 cc R39B that put out 290 PS. It was also one of the first open-wheelers to use those side-mounted radiators that became the standard in many forms of single-seater racing.The other car was a 1973 Galant FTO GS-R. Fittingly painted toad-green, this little beast had warts all over it. Built between 1971 and 1975 the FTO was a rear-drive coupe that could be had with a number of different Neptune and Saturn fours ranging from 86 hp up to 110 hp for the top option 1,597 cc mill found in the GS-R. A spiritual predecessor to the Evos of today, both are some fun finds here at an otherwise somber LA Auto Show.
Live photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mobius_1 8:31AM (11/21/2008)
I'd take the Galant FTO over a new Mustang!
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inteller 8:32AM (11/21/2008)
Toad green....that's awesome. I'd like a 2010 Mustang in that color to put next to the Dinoco Blue one.
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Stumpy 8:46AM (11/21/2008)
I want that Galant FTO GS-R! That thing is awesome!
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Will 8:56AM (11/21/2008)
Agreed. Further proof that a car doesn't need to be fast, or even pretty, to be cool.
Bluestreak 9:14AM (11/21/2008)
I have to echo other comments here... that Galant is sweet. I don't recall ever seeing one before-- was it ever offered (in non-GS-R trim of course) in the States?
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Tourian 9:51AM (11/21/2008)
They were brought in and sold here as Dodge Colts.
G-Meister 9:34AM (11/21/2008)
I like this direction for Mitsubishi- they did the same thing in Detroit last year.
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Tourian 9:52AM (11/21/2008)
I agree, it is a nice touch, but it would be really nice if they had something new to show along side it.
Tourian 9:58AM (11/21/2008)
Before I knew that Galant existed, I always thought of "GS-R" as being associated with Honda Integras. I didn't realize Mitsubishi used it before them.
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Craig 10:34AM (11/21/2008)
I love the use of the very vague statement "It was also one of the first open-wheelers to use those side-mounted radiators that became the standard in many forms of single-seater racing.".
The Lotus 72 was the first car in F1 to have side mounted radiators in 1970. Mitsubishi were just one of the first to jump on the bandwagon.
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Rich 11:31AM (11/21/2008)
Kinda weird how the names have come to be used on completely different models. The Galant is a big lumbering family car, and the FTO is a nutjob front wheel drive ... sports car/ugly thing.
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FTowner 8:47PM (11/21/2008)
Haha, I've got an FTO... true it's front wheel drive, true it's looks are love it or hate it (I love it).
However it's a very decent car for no money and beats using an old ford for a runaround, very nice handling too (for FF).
Jruhi4 7:42PM (11/21/2008)
It seems that Mitsubishi is trotting out its old racers for the Auto Shows. The recently-ended South Florida (Miami Beach) Auto Show featured an old Starion rally car on their stand.
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RLQ 3:21AM (11/22/2008)
The Japanese always had some awesome looking cars in the 70's.
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