Instead of butchering sports car nameplates, Mitsubishi should build this
by Tudor Rus, on LISTEN 02:16The jury’s still out on the future of the Nissan GT-R but that’s not of utter importance right now. We’re here to talk about a nameplate and a digital successor to that nameplate that haven’t been yet twisted to denote a crossover or an SUV. That’s right, we’re talking about the Mitsubishi 3000GT and an artist’s vision of a would-be 4000GT.
Modernizing the 90s
Known as the GTO in Japan and 3000GT worldwide, Mitsubishi's sports car from the 90s was based on the carmaker's Diamante sedan.
The 3000GT came with all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, active aerodynamics, and electronically-controlled suspension. It was badge-engineered to create the Dodge Stealth which was sold alongside the 3000GT in the States.
Although these features added a lot of weight on the shoulders or an already heavy platform, the 3000GT VR-4 could zap from 0 to 60 mph (96 kph) in anywhere from 5 to 6.3 seconds. U.S. models could be had with front-wheel drive, too, and production ended in 1999 for the U.S. market and in 2000 for Japan.
The 3000GT is, however, best remembered by car nuts for its VR-4 guise, which mixed a 320-horsepower, 315-pound-feet of torque, 24-valve V-6 (also twin turbocharged) with a manual gearbox.
| Engine: | 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine |
|---|---|
| Horsepower: | 320 horsepower |
| Torque: | 315 pound-feet of torque |
| 0 to 60 MPH: | 5.7 seconds |
| Top Speed: | 165 mph |
| Quarter-Mile Time: | 15 seconds at 105 mph (est) |
| Curb Weight: | 3,737 pounds (1,695 kilos) |
| Power-to-Weight Ratio (US Tonne): | 171 |
Coming back to Matthew Parsons’ render, we chose it not because if features some nonsensical design cues that look out of place, but because he really put a lot of work into adding a present day twist to the 3000GT and actually succeeded.
We don’t get more tech bits about the render, but it just begs for a rear-wheel-drive setup. On the other hand, we hope Mitsubishi doesn’t have any plans to associate the 3000GT nameplate with a high-riding econobox. Then again, the company isn’t exactly bathing in gold coins so who knows what it might come up with for the sake of profit.
Source: Matthew Parsons via. Behance
