Lincoln fatigued? How about something quite different: a couple of old Colts “Imported For Plymouth”, from Mitsubishi, of course. These Mitsubishi Mirages of the second generation, built between 1983 and 1987, and were not all that common in the US, especially the wagon. They were called Lancers in some markets; Mitsubishi nomenclature does get a bit complicated. But then so does what Chrysler called them here, including the use of the name “Premier” on that Colt sedan. Premier? I thought that was the the AMC/Renault big sedan.
But there it is. Hmmm…. I have to assume it was just a trim level, because the AMC Premier came out in 1988, and that name was given it well before Chrysler bought AMC (and the Premier).
That’s the only explanation that makes any sense, but as I said, the whole Chrysler/Mitsubishi tie-up was a long and complicated affair, involving lots of rope. Seems like it was only yesterday that it finally got untangled.
Both of these particular Colts were “Imported For Plymouth” but of course many wore “Imported For Dodge” badges too. Which exact models were sold by either or both dealer groups would make an interesting look back, but it’s a bit too complicated for me right now. Maybe another day.
Sometimes the captive imports were arranged rationally. When the Galant Lambda came, it was sold as the sporty Dodge Challenger and the luxurious Plymouth Sapporo. But then you had this Plymouth/Dodge and then Eagle rebadgery with the Colt/Lancer.
The Colt name was used on Colts AND Lancers and even the Galant (late 70s RWD Colt wagon). It’s like the UK selling Mitsubishis under the Colt Car Company name. And wiki “Lonsdale” if you want to see another Mitsubishi anomaly.
Then there’s the Mitsubishi Starion which was a Dodge AND Plymouth Conquest before it came a Chrysler Conquest.
Lonsdales were a rare sight in the UK,I never saw one at all.Perhaps we thought they were like Australian TV shows and were best avoided!I think Mitsubishi changed the name to Colt to avoid asosciation with their warplanes.
I know mitsu gets a lot of hate here and elsewhere but I saw them overseas and they seemed on a par with nissan and toyota for dependability. I drove a little ram50 when I retired from the Navy and was impressed. A friend had one of these colts and drove it seemingly forever.
I don’t really care how silly the names are if there is a good car underneath and there seemed to be.
Mitsubishi along with Honda pioneered FWD from Japan toyota and Nissan hung off untill they saw which would sell then converted their offerings, Mitsu built some really good cars and their heavy trucks arent bad too I drove a 380hp Fuso tanker for a while Spicer trans it was lovely. Their Magna model out this way was no good and from there its been downhill the latest failure the 380 only left the market recently and live ones are already rare. Now in a bid to draw customers 10 year warranties are being offered here which is a good deal to me they at least seem to have faith in their product, here it is and on a cohort near you the 380
Mitsubishi did a lot of good, competitive cars back in the 80’s. I remember closing a deal on a Dodge Colt for my about-to-be-ex-wife as a last courtesy before the divorce became final (we’re still very good friends, just saw here this weekend). One of the ’81 three-door hatchbacks that gave her very good service throughout the decade and was finally replaced by a first generation Ford Focus in ’92.
Its only in the past decade or so they seem to have lost the ability to compete.
This vehicle came here as the Mirage I found an imaculate example recently ex JDM driven by an elderly lady who loved her little car that camera appears to have been stolen so no pics, sorry, but the cyclone engine in these is great you can beat on it all day long and it will run forever non cyclone engined Mitsus wont last the warranty but that one they got right.
“Lincoln fatigued?” Hay-elll no! Well, you asked. 🙂
The Colt that was Mrs. JPC’s first new car was a Plymouth and not a Dodge. It was an 83 4 door, but not one of these big ones.
I think that Chrysler liked using “Premier” as a trim level in the 70s and early 80s. For example, the high-end Volare was a Premier.
The funny thing is that this Plymouth Colt wagon looked very similar to the Eagle Medallion (Renault 21) wagon. Especially with the flat rear wheel openings. They look like the could have come from the same manufacturer.
If I tried to imagine that in my head, I never would’ve seen it… but clearly there are some similarities. Good call, and two very cool wagons. I loved the taillights on the Colt (non-Vista) wagon.
The final generation Magna earned great reviews at launch and was still spoken of favorably even towards the end of its long lifespan. The paint quality and resale value were terrible though
My first grade teacher, Miss Bamsey, had one of these wagons. Same color blue, but it had silver bumpers and rocker panels. I believe she replaced it with a Taurus wagon in about 1995.
I remember those taillights very well.
I haven’t seen a Colt wagon or sedan from this era in a long-ass time, but the hatchbacks still pop up occasionally. Seems like that was also the most popular body style when they were still plentiful, with the sedan being the least common – although I was too young to remember when they were brand new. I do think most Mitsubishis from the 90s until now are brittle pieces of crap, but I love these things (and the Cordia, Tredia, Starion, etc.) and they seemed like fairly sturdy cars. It’s too bad Mitsubishi didn’t bring the later Mirage/Colt hatchbacks to the US, cuz they were even cooler looking. The last Mirage hatchback we did get in the US was one of the best “hot hatches” ever sold in this market, but most of those were used up a long time ago… not that they were ever that common. The original Colt GTS twin-stick hatch was totally gnarly as well.
Here’s an ’87 “Imported for Plymouth” Colt E that I see at work all the time. AFAIK, “E” denotes base model and this car has a 4-speed manual, a radio and not much else. I miss cars like this so much…
I had an ’87 Colt DL hatch – that added a 5-speed and cloth seats (also full wheelcovers but those were missing from mine by the time I got it), in the early/mid ’90s. It was the first non-clunker I ever had and probably would’ve lasted me another 5 years had it not been totaled in a crash with a Chrysler minivan on a snow-slick narrow road. And I had just put in a new clutch.
If you want rare, there’s the 5 door hatch offered only in 1985 and only in E trim, presumably not to steal sales from the Omni/Horizon. I wonder why Mitsubishi didn’t sell it through its’ own dealers after that.
Very similar to the ’86 Plymouth Colt E we had for a year or so till we “had” to get a 4WD Subaru wagon to cope with Syracuse winters. Good little car-not much torque from the little engine, but it made enough power to keep up with city traffic if you revved it, rode well, good supportive front seats, great visibility and pretty quiet at speed; an honest ride. Cute little AM radio in a litle box on the tunnel, right in front of the shifter-looked like those aftermarket ones you used to buy and bolt under the dash, except this one was bolted to the floor. Funniest time in it was travelling home one afternoon after work, light snowfall (which could have been any time between about October and May in Syracuse), driving up a moderate hill I passed a line of cars, including a nice late-model Saab, which was “The” car to own there at the time, slowly inching its way along on its big tires and shiny alloy rims. Versus me and my skinny little 155R13 tires with their tiny contact patch on a light front-wheel-drive car, testimony to how the coefficient of friction really works.
Towards the end of their run (1992?) Canada got this as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt 100E, concurrently with the next generation which was the Colt 200. I recall that the later ones were built in Thailand.
My mom had an 86 Colt DL until 1997 or so. It was light blue. I don’t think I’ve seen another 4-door Colt since we sold hers to a family friend in the late 90’s. This post really brings back some memories. I’d love to see a full CC on the lowly Colt.
Check the cohort people of the curb recently loaded a 84 Mirage Panther and turbo hatch found yesterday, clairvoyant CC effect
A high school friend often drove his parents’ brown ’84 Colt sedan. He wrote lyrics for “Little Dodge Colt,” sung to the tune of “Little Deuce Coupe.” I see one now and I hear the refrain:
“She’s my little Dodge Colt, I don’t want what I got.”
Lol – in 1988 as a 14 year old wannabe driver, I wrote lyrics to “Grey Ford Escort” (the UK version), sing to the tune of Natalie Cole’s “Pink Cadillac”… “Grey Ford Escort, hoppin’ down the street; ridin’ in the back, tryin’ to find room for your feet. Hidin’ from the girls by kneelin’ outta sight, spendin’ all my money tryin’ to make it run right…” Sadly my English teacher failed to appreciate my musicianship and my career was thwarted before it even began.