Mitsubishi’s heritage collection for auction

Following the announcement that it is withdrawing from the UK market, Mitsubishi Motors has set online forums ablaze, and many a petrol-head will surely be looking for extra garaging space with the news that it is auctioning-off its entire heritage collection of cars.

Although best known in recent years for its L200 pick-up truck and the popular but dull hybrid SUV, the Outlander PHEV, the Japanese brand has some far more exciting highlights in its back-catalogue. The finest examples of all of these are now up for sale, and for JDM fans across the country, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Fans of iconic sports cars of the 80s and 90s have the choice of the two iconic coupes, the Colt Starion and the 3000GT. The Starion (which contrary to popular myth was no supposed to be called the Stallion until typo was made, but was in fact named after a mythical horse) hit the UK roads with the simple but devastating formula of an agile chassis, a turbo charged 2 litre engine and excellent reliability, it soon became a cult classic. 

For those with a taste for a super-coupe boasting more technology than a branch of Dixons, the 3000GT is surely the answer. Launched to compete with the Japanese supercar wave of the time which included the Toyota Supra and the Nissan 300 SX, the 3000 GT was a giant-killer, of the subtle kind. A svelte, turbo charged coupe that was loaded with all the available technology for the time, it boasted four-wheel drive, active aerodynamics, four-wheel steering and electromagnetic suspension. Brutally fast in a straight line and agile in the corners, perhaps its most impressive trick is the ease with which it can be driven in daily life.

Of course, many may be more familiar with the icon of rallying, the Lancer Evolution. For these fans, there is a choice of three to be had. The star of the fleet is arguably the Evolution VI, Tommi Makinen edition, built in celebration of the Finnish rally driver who won Mitsubishi four world championships in the model. With a highly tuned 2 litre turbo-charged engine, four wheel drive and a complex electronic traction monitoring system known as Active Yaw Control, The Evo VI was unbeatable either on rally stages or the road, and is a true modern classic alongside its greatest rival the Subaru Impreza.

Do you have a favourite Mitsubishi model, or will you be bidding in the online auction? Let us know in the comments below.