Mitsubishi Is Screwed But It Once Made Three Cool Sports Cars

Apr. 28, 2016 3:36 PM ET byJay Traugott /41 Comments

Sadly, this is all in the past.

Things are kind of confusing right now at Mitsubishi. In fact, Mitsubishi itself is still trying to get all of the answers. As we've been reporting the Japanese automaker has joined the likes of Volkswagenby lying and cheating about the emissions ratingsfor some of its cars. Shockingly it'sbeen doing so for the past 25 years．Unreal. As of now, those cars are supposedly Japanese market Kei cars, but that could very well change during the ongoing investigation.

Because Mitsubishi has lost more than half of its market share since the scandal was revealed, and because it's been struggling, specifically in the US, for the past few years, there's no guarantee that it'll survive this disgrace. So we figured it was time to look back at a few great Mitsubishi sports cars. Were the books cooked on those cars, too? We'll find out in good time.First up is the 3000GT, launched in 1990. This 2+2 coupe was designed to be a direct competitor to the likes of theToyota SupraandAcura NSX．也卖道奇隐形的US only), the 3000GT was originally powered by a 3.0-liter V6 with 160 hp. By the time it went out of production in 2001, it (the VR-4) had a twin-turbo V6 rated at 296 hp.

The 3000GT was part of the '90s Japanese sports car heyday and, sadly enough, it had no successor. Next up is the one and only Evo.

Revealed in 1992, the first-gen Lancer Evolution was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger with 244 hp. Though it didn't arrive in the US until several years later, by the time the tenth and final generation went out of production earlier this year ts turbo-four produced nearly 300 hp.

The Evo was very different than the 3000GT thanks to its rally racing roots. It was also a sedan, yet both cars had all-wheel drive. And then there was the Eclipse, a small front-wheel-drive (with optional AWD) coupe.

It was never a great performance car but it was pretty cheap and it offered a turbo-four and manual transmission. Launched in 1990 and on the market until 2012, the Eclipse was decent enough and Mitsubishi sold lots of them. They were also popular for those who liked to modify their cars. And there we have it. The 3000GT, Evo, and Eclipse. It's a shame that Mitsubishi got out of the sports car business entirely but hey, it might be out of the car business in the not too distant future.

Mitsubishi Is Screwed But It Once Made Three Cool Sports Cars

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