I was navigating a CC desert in the nether regions of north Tokyo. In those latitudes, the chances of encountering the older exotics that are often found on Sunday in the city centre are next to nil, but the odd JDM nugget can be discovered. That day, prospects were looking grim, but all of the sudden I saw… a real Mirage! The kind that doesn’t disappear when you approach it.
This 40-year-old Mitsu really stands out of the present-day traffic. Every other vehicle in this parking lot seems to be towering over it and the little Mirage’s clean straight-edge lines make for quite a contrast to the contorted angry-faced blobs surrounding it.
The 2nd generation Mirage appeared (in the distance and due to specific atmospheric conditions, no doubt) in October 1983. Initially, it was available as a 3- or 5-door hatchback or a 4-door notchback. A wagon was added to the range in 1985.
Base model JDM cars were still sold with fender mirrors, as we can see in this 1983 brochure excerpt, but that was no longer mandated by law.
I wouldn’t call these Mirages (or “Colts,” as they were known in several overseas markets for no good reason that I can figure out) beautiful – or even particularly interesting. But they are certainly of their time. The gen 1 Mirage (1978-83) allegedly took inspiration from the AMC Pacer. What was pinned on the wall at the design studio when they came up with this? I’m seeing a fair amount of Renault 25 in there personally, but that’s more of a case of convergent evolution – they came out the same year.
The other question is what’s under the hood. I’m guessing the base 1.3 is not in there, but are we thinking 1.5 or the super-spicy 120hp turbocharged 1.6? The bigger and more powerful one might not be the most interesting, though. Mitsubishi made the 1.5 available with “modular displacement” technology for some trim levels – essentially deactivating two cylinders when the car was coasting.
No stalks for the Mirage, apparently. Bold interior design choice, emulated by the likes of the Citroën CX and the Mazda Cosmo. Back when Mitsubishi dared to tread in the footsteps of giants…
Though I prefer the gen 1 Mirage’s rice-fed Pacer looks more than these folded-paper 2nd gen cars, at least they have character. Later Mirages progressively became more generic and blander, right until the nameplate was retired, after six generations, in 2023 (in Japan) and 2024 (worldwide).
All the same, it is nice to see a (well-worn) OrigaMirage enlivening an otherwise barren part of the Japanese capital. A little mirage goes a long way.
Related posts:
CC Colt Chronicles Part 7: 1985 Colt – Eight Bit Origami, by Perry Shoar
KOAL: 1986 Mitsubishi Mirage/Colt – Special Guest Appearance, by Rich Baron
Rear lights aside there’s quite a resemblance to the 3 door N12 Nissan Cherry of the same period too, but I can see the Renault 5 (perhaps closer to the SuperCinq than the original).
My first new car in 1988 . 4 speed 1,5L Dodge Colt . I liked the simplicity of its body lines Canadian base price of about $7800, reminds me of paying just under $9000 after tax for this base model .
I had an ’87 5-speed DL but not until 1995 or so. It was the first car I ever had that wasn’t a complete clunker. I think it was originally the same color as yours but repainted a darker blue.
Weren’t they among the first Mitsubishi cars sold in the US with an actual “Mitsubishi” badge? Mitsubishi really benefited from their relationship with Chrysler by building up a fanbase before they ever had their first dealership in the USA. I knew more than a few folks who started their relationship with the brand by buying Dodge Colts and Plymouth Arrows and then went straight to a Mitsubishi store when they wanted to buy their next car.
The Cordia, Tredia, Galant, Starion, and Mighty Max were all a few years earlier but ’85 was the first model year for this Mirage in the US, we never got the older one as a Mitsubishi.
The first turbocharged car I ever drove was a brand new Mirage Turbo in late 1985. We’d read the review in Car and Driver, I’d just gotten my driver’s license, so we went to Keyes Mitsubishi in Van Nuys and asked to drive one. For whatever reason they obliged and handed the keys to two pimply 16 year olds and we were off in a new silver Mirage Turbo. I feel a little bad for whoever ended up buying that car, I certainly didn’t have the funds at the time. If i had though I probably would have seriously considered it, it was a little firecracker of a car, lots of fun.
The styling works for me, as does most Mitsu of the era, they always seemed to have a little more content or innovative features compared to Toyota and Nissan, probably why I’m still a fan of Mitsubishi…
An excellent find in Tokyo, it fits in well in a sort of Mr. Roboto way.
The 4 door models were sold as Lancers in Asia and these formed the basis for the Malaysian national car, the Proton Saga.