(first posted 4/16/2012) As is all-too obvious, I have a particular soft spot for older Japanese cars, especially the more obscure varieties. So when I walked into this Cordia on a trip to the Bay Area a while back, I just had to stop and shoot. I haven’t seen one since moving to Oregon, but then the Cordia was hardly a big seller, and Mitsubishi rolled out its US presence bit by bit. Now if I could just find its companion sedan, the Tredia…
…I’d have a complete set of the Mitsubishi trio. By the early eighties, Mitsubishi wanted more of the action than just wholesaling cars to Chrysler, and pissed off its partner by going into business in the US by itself. Since the Colt and Space Wagon were tied up by Chrysler, Mitsubishi began by sending a trio of the more stranger-named cars just about ever to hit these shores: Cordia, Tredia and Starion (CC here).
The Cordia name was explained as a combination of cordorite, a lustrous mineral, and diamonds, Mitsu’s logo. The Tredia (above) was supposedly named after the three-diamonds logo. And the Starion? Well, we took that on in our recent CC.
Anyway, Mitsubishi started out with a small dealer network, which was in California and…California. Well, actually, a few east coast markets were technically also part of the slow roll-out, but damn if I ever saw one of these Cordias out east. And if any were sold, they’ve obviously long since succumbed to the oxide god.
The 1982 and 1983 Cordias came with a 82 hp 1.8 L four, and the 1984s with an 88hp 2.0 four. The real gem among the Cordias is the 1984 turbo, which had a 116hp 1.8 four. Hot stuff, for then. (Update: CC Cohort Charkle the 2nd found this one)
Well, here’s the Cordia; so are there any early Mitsubishi fans out there? Does anyone care? But before this obscure box completely leaves our collective memories, it deserves its fifteen seconds of fame. Consider it done.
It’s almost showroom new! The only sign of use I see is that the dash and center console have faded some. Somebody must really love his Cordia.
Wow, have not seen one in ages. In my last trip to the U-pick yard about a week ago I came across another obscure Mistu, the first generation Galant, this was the high end Galant Sigma, with the air suspension, hardtop glass and the one spoke wheel, I stood there looking through it kinda studying it, I hadn’t realized how the early Galants were like a Japanese Citroen.
Yes, the Sigma was pretty out-there; I had a secret soft spot for them. It’s been a really long time since I saw one of those.
It was pretty clean too, the once pimpish red velour had faded to a pinkish gray, but all the controls and switches were there.I’ll see if its there next time to snag some photos, at the end of the same row there was a dark red Volvo 780 Bertone too!
You confused me there for a minute with “first generation Galant” and air suspension – the first gen was sold there as a Dodge Colt, the air susp car was 5th gen. I assume they were still the Japanese tax bracket 1.7m wide? Did they also have the control binnacles on each side of the steering wheel?
First car to carry the Galant name in the US, it sort of looks like a Japanese Cutlass Ciera.
Yes I’m familiar with them, a family friend had a wagon version of the Australian wide-body Magna ‘back in the day’. The description “Japanese Cutlass Ciera” doesn’t help though – never seen one!
The Magna was built in Aussie but was really a Japanese Diamante V-2000/Sigma/Galant, NZ has all the varieties all junk but confusing nonetheless.
Ist gen was 67/68 rare car nowdays though they pop up on TM occasionally
We have a Galant Sigma in Boston! It lives near BU. I’ll snag a pic if I can.
Fast forward, almost five years later…
I doubt, it’s still there.
Well not quite the last one moving on the street. There are a couple here in Palmerston North NZ, but of course their steering wheels are on the correct side.. LOL. I drive one regularly, not only strret mobile, but passes the most rigid fitness tests. It is however much more used and in need of renovation if it is to be cosmetically pleasing.
I owned a ’86 Galant, bought new. Liked it better than the ’86 Accord. Of course, I paid for that appreciation with major depreciation at trade-in time. I haven’t seen one of these on the road in quite a few years…….
The only one of these I ever knew was purchased by the senior lawyer in my office for his wife to replace a fwd early Oldsmobile Omega. For the life of me, I can’t recall if it was the 2 door Cordia or the sedan Tredia. One more longtime GM customer defection. She must not have liked it that well, because a couple of years later, he bought her a new Mustang. She must have really liked the Town Car he replaced his Cadillac with.
Nice find – I have not thought of one of these in years.
Was this in WA state? I had an ’84 Cordia Turbo that was originally purchased by an attorney in the Seattle area. I had this car as a kid in early ’90s. It taught me a lot about vehicle maintenance. 🙂 Leaking fuel injectors on the TBI and the only car that the ECU ever went flakey on me. I got it running again with ECU from a 1.6L Dodge Colt even though this car was the 1.8L. It basically had the dual supershift transmission
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Super_Shift_transmission
but 5th gear was actuated with a vacuum diaphragm. Or 5th gear was the economy mode of 4th gear with that setup. 5th gear didn’t work when I purchased car as it was the same as 4th until I discovered a fuse had burned out. This quick fix only lasted about 2 years and then it would no longer go into 5th gear without grinding.
Murilee loves those things.
I’m sure I’ve seen one or two of these around town, but sure enough, a search on one of the ‘all-cragislist’ sites comes up with Zero.
My wife had one when I married her in ’88…an ’86 bought new…white with red interior like this one, but hers was the Turbo with a 5-speed manual. She loved it despite its less-than-Japanese build quality (the shifter boot was flaking apart within 2 years). Still, she got about six years out of it before we traded it in early ’93 for a GMC Suburban (which she liked even more).
Still some of these in the wild down here.The Cordia turbo saw patrol car duty with MOT when new they were fairly quick at the time, the Tredia was sawed in half and widened to produce the truly horrible Magna in 84 with east/west 2.6 Astron power and biodegradable trans very very few survive.
Galant & Tredia are different animals I think Bryce, the Tredia looks to be closer in size to a Colt
I know the Cordia tredia cars well I did a CV joint recently on a Cordia and the Tredia bigger than the Colt a lot bigger actually these were common cars in NZ though virtually unseen while I lived in OZ. The early Galant was sold in Aussie with Valiant badging it was a small RWD car about the size of a Hillman Avenger The Galant of the late 70s was called SIGMA for OZ consumption.
It was actually the Japanese Galant that they based the Magna on Bryce.
The prototype was created by cuting straight down the centre using a nine inch angle grinder and 100 mm was added, it looked identical to the Galant but wider.
You could well be right the stew of Mitsu cars available during that era is astounding NZ has them all including the Aussie versions and lots Aussie didnt get
Like Bryce says, still a few around down here. There’s a turbo one regularly parked outside my house, in really good shape for its age. I had one for a couple of years (non turbo) and can verify it was a solid, reliable little motor. Gearbox was a bit crunchy, but otherwise a real good mile eater for a little car. Took ours camping around the south island, and it did very well ( although 2 doors for camping is a bit annoying). Towards the end of our trip, we were in torrential west coast rain in hokitika, and decided to make a run for the inter islander ferry. Caught that, got off the other end, and just had that hankering to be home – 10 hours later we were home in Auckland. Tough journey for a little car, but it soaked up the miles.
One day we got burgled, and without us knowing, the b’tards took a spare set of keys. Came back that night for the car. Found a few days later, couple dents,front tires down to the canvas, but still going strong. It was fixed up on insurance and kept on chugging along until our needs changed and we sold it on. Good car.
My mom bought a Black 84 Tredia Turbo with a 5 speed new here in Seatte, she traded in her 78 Datsun B210. I never liked the looks but it sure was fast when the Turbo spooled up. It spent alot of time in the shop as it wasn’t nearly as reliable as the Datsun. In 90 she finally traded the Mitsu in for a Ford Probe with the 2.2L, not the 3.0L I recommended. That was a smart move as the Mazda mill was damn near bullet proof, but I digress…………..
Some Japanese cars had some pretty fun interior and IP treatments, always thought they were probably influenced by various sci-fi computer games we had then. The Cordia was a good one, and also the rear drive version of the Isuzu Impulse (with handling by Lotus and psychedelic “optical illusion” interior fabric!) and of course the Subaru XT turbo and XT6. Much as I got a kick out of driving those cars, I don’t imagine they’d be much fun to own today though. They just weren’t built to last like cars of the 40s through early 60s were. Of course, I could be wrong…
Paul, that looks to be one clean Cordia. We had 2 dealers in Baltimore when Mitsu started up, one on the West side, one on the East side—the East side guy still has his franchise. A good friend of mine bought an ’83 Cordia, beige/silver and it had the famed Mitsu Twin Stick manual trans, which my ’79 Plymouth Champ was also equipped with. Decent ride, good mileage (27-32) and looked pretty darn good to my eyes. Mike kept it for ~10 years and never had a major issue with it.
Had a mint ’87 Tredia used when I worked for an Acura dealer in 2009. We sold it on EBay to someone in Indianapolis.
My mom bought a brand new Tredia LS automatic in 84, it was her first new car. She had it when my parents were married, and she loved it like crazy. My dad, on the other hand, maintains that it was the biggest turd he ever drove. He made her trade it in on a 90 Mustang LX when they got married. I always joke that it is a fictional car, because to this day I have never seen one on the street, or on one of my many trips to the junkyard.
These were very popular here in Australia, especially the turbo versions. New South Wales Police had a few as Highway Patrol cars but I believe the cops (especially the more rotund ones!) hated them as they were manuals and were hard to get in and out of.
I was in NSW often in the 80s dont recall seeing these they were used as highway patrol cars in NZ for a while my BIL had a turbo new not the best car ever made he reckoned.
I remember the Victorian police trialled these as highway patrol cars, untill it was discovered that they had a total lack of high speed braking.
The Benalla police wrote off two of them within a week of each other and in identical fashion. Cresting a hill at 200+kph and crashing into the back of an innocent motorist due the lack of brakes. They were quietly withdrawn from service.
I don’t recall seeing these as police cars but I do remember them being sold next door in the same showrooms as the very similar looking Alfa Sud Sprints in the Eighties which is what they used to do back then.We went in looking to replace our First Alfa with the Cordia around 1983 from memory but bought the Italian instead.A girl who I knew from School her brother had an early version of one of these which brought back memories of the car we were meant to buy.
I like it. Quite Celica-like. I have never seen one. I don’t believe they were ever available in Canada.
Yep, like Bryce and Chaz note, plenty of Cordias and Tredias floating around down here still – after all, New Zealand is the place where the Japanese send their old cars to die lol! I had a Tredia briefly some years ago as a loaner. Being a Mitsi and puke-yellow in colour meant I instinctively wanted to hate it, but by gosh could that thing move, so I ended up not minding it at all. It was a 1984 1800cc version, which still had the bottom 4 of the 5 speeds in the gearbox operating. It went like a rocket and I initially wondered why until I noticed quite a lack of structural strengthening or bracing… Same thing with a ’96 Lancer loaner I had last year: a rocketship with zero crash safety. Mind you, Mitsubishi did build some things well in the 80s – my cousin’s still driving the 1983 Sigma ‘Super Estate’ his Dad bought in 1984, and it’s now got nearly 500,000km on the clock. It just refuses to die…
howl do you find these things? haven’t seen one for years. we definitely had dealers in the ny metro area when i was growing up. my buddy had a new starion in about ’84 with a turbo. crazy fast. he lost his license pretty quickly in it but when he go through that mess he bought a new 2dr montero. that was a hell of nice jeep. great yokahoma tires. i think mitsu deserves more cred than they ususally get in america.
Mum had Maroon 1.8 NON Turbo. It was a lovely car when it was new. She had it from 1986 to 1993. It was a bit gutless, but once it got moving it was OK. She wanted a Turbo but they didn’t come in Auto at the time out here. It was rather tired at the end of the 7 years. She kept complaining about how it wasn’t as powerful as her Scorpion or Skyline so.her mechanic fitted a sports exhaust. She was a bit happier after that 🙂
the more stranger-named cars just about ever to hit these shores: Cordia, Tredia and Starion
My vote would go to the inexplicably-named early 80s Isuzu products, the “P’up” (with apostrophe) and “I-Mark”.
A friend had a Cordia Turbo, on the crude side but fun when the boost kicked in.
There were dealerships on the East Coast (at least one of them!) I know because I grew up in Northern NJ and I bought a brand new 1984 Mitsubishi Cordia LS in the Spring of ’84. White with a red interior, loaded, auto trans. I really liked the styling but it was not a good story ultimately. Extremely under-powered with the automatic, and it felt like it wanted to stall when you turned on the A/C. Forget climbing even the smallest hills without having to downshift manually. Several trips to the dealership for various problems including a massive fuel leak and a rear wiper that literally fell off. Didn’t like cold weather or rainy weather, and it lunched its transmission, all before 40K. Terrible car.
I also own a cordia and I have to say I also love my cordi much .
The turbo gsr cordi is an awesome sports car to own,but I’m affraid to use it because if something occures spare parts are very rare.
It is a fast car and she can still overtake some bmw’s and others.
fun car…
I have created a Family Tree Photo Montage Compilations of the Mitsubishi Cordia 3 Door Hatchback Coupe beginning with its indirect predecessor Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO 2 Door Fastback Coupe and all the way to the final design of the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Many readers may not be aware of this lineage but this one is based on The North American version. Its really hard to believe that the Mitsubishi Cordia which replaced the Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste (Plymouth/Dodge Arrow) was just a regular “Bread and Butter” Sports Hatchback with humble beginnings. It was not realized that the Cordia (a 3 Door Hatchback Sports version of the much more conservatively designed Mitsubishi Tredia 4 Door Sedan) would blossomed into consecutive generations of the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Just as the Cordia was a 3 Door Hatchback Version of the Tredia 4 Door Sedan, the Eclipse (which replaced the Cordia afterwards) was also a 3 Door Hatchback Sports Coupe version of the Galant 4 Door Sedan (which also replaced the Tredia at the same time) as well.
Aha, the Cordia. I’ve always had a soft spot for these, despite their never being common in my part of the East Coast. I haven’t seen one “in the metal” in probably 10 years or better–a shame as I think they’re one of the more interesting sports coupes of the early 80’s Japanese brigade. The Tredia, even longer ago. And has everyone forgotten the Precis, Mitsu’s rebadged version of the Hyundai Excel? If so, probably for good reason.
The Sigma, on the other hand, I saw a very nice version of a few years ago and got some good photos plus I have a dealer brochure for the ’89 model from a car show back then. Sounds like the ingredients for a CC?
Unsurprisingly, I still haven’t seen another. Thought I’d spotted a Tredia in 2015 but it turned out to “just” be a Colt sedan. And I couldn’t get a picture, to add insult to injury.
Late to the party, sorry. My friend bought a brand new Starion in about ’83 or 84, probably from that dealer in northern NJ that someone mentioned. Another friend of ours liked it so much, he ran out and bought a Cordia (the Starion was too much for his wallet). Both are long gone. But I just noticed how much the front of the Cordia looks like an ’83 Mustang.
First posted 4/16/2017? Talk about back to the Future!
I saw a Sigma in my neighbourhood not too long ago and was all agog. Rare when new in Atlanta and obviously much rarer now.
Mitsubishi did not used to always be the peddler of three cylinder made in Thailand(?) bottom feeder cars, rental cars for the off brand market, and cars for the severely credit challenged. In the 80’s and early ’90’s, it was a vibrant brand. Mitsubishi was a younger, sportier alternative to the dull Civic/Corolla/Sentra, and also offered lots of electronic gadgetry and buttons to enthrall young folks who wanted to feel like they were playing Space Invaders while driving. The Tredia had the turbo, which set it apart from the more pedestrian competition, and the Cordia had younger vaguely transformers styling, a Tokyo by night electronic instruments, adjustable suspension, a complicated stereo, and lots of electronic fun.
In the early ’90’s Mitsubishi offered the Montero, which was a handsome and up to date SUV and fairly successful, the first generation Eclipse, beloved by Fast and Furious types, and the Diamante, which survives in fairly large numbers to this day despite having been built in Australia and not selling well.
They really did build very interesting cars once upon a time and it’s a shame to see how they lost all their market share and image.
When I was last in LA, I saw a Sigma and damn near chased it down to get a photo but it was going too fast.
Mitsubishi didn’t quite have that same cool/technologically-advanced aura here in Australia, despite offering models like the Galant VR-4, however it never really got that “cheap” reputation either. Even now with the dated Lancer and Mirage, Mitsubishi is seen by most as being a perfectly respectable Japanese brand. But then they’ve always been more truck-heavy here… The Pajero (Montero) is still sold, the Pajero Sport (Montero Sport successor) is popular and the Triton pickup is a popular entry in a HUGE segment.
I’m sure I’ve seen these in person before, but I can’t remeber how long it’s been since I’ve seen one.
It is odd that this article came up today. On Saturday I was at the local pick and pull junk yard getting parts from a Volvo V40 and next to my donor car was a cream colored Tredia. The dash was well designed with everything at your finger tips EXCEPT for the clock which was at the far side of the dash near the passenger door.
Cordias and Tredias were always rare in Vermont – Boch in Boston was the closest dealer during their run. Chrysler-branded Colts were pretty popular but there were plenty of Mopar dealers.
Whilst in New Zealand last month, I saw a few Cordias running quite happily, but not Tredias.
No chance of photos, but from memory they had the 2 large headlamp front clip
Geez, Tredia, I haven’t hear that name in while. Had a friend here in NJ who bought one new to replace her ’74 Duster. She moved to NH and it turned to dust within 3 years.
When I traded in my trusty 85 Subaru RX awd Turbo sedan, I bought an 88 Mitsubishi Tredia Turbo, 5 spd manual, in navy blue.
It was a very quick lil sleeper, this was back in 1996, and the Tredia and Cordia, were even rare to see on the streets, back then.
Like most older Mitsubishis, it smoked out the exhaust pipe, but ran so smooth and quiet…It probably needed valve guides?
It had it for a month, and bought an 82 Celica GT notchback coupe.
All in all the Tredia, was a durable, fun car, with the peppy turbo and slick 5 speed.
Mine, looked exactly like this one……… 🙂
We still have about one or two Cordias and Tredias running around Barbados; a far cry from the early ’80s when they were quite commonplace. The majority of them disappeared some time between 1995 and 1999, replaced by newer and more handsome Mitsu models. Recently our local dealership seems to have dropped the Mitsubishi car line and is only bringing in the trucks.
I can’t recall if I’ve ever seen a Cordia running around SoCal, but I know a guy who owns and maintains 3 (three!) Starions in Los Angeles, an early Mitsu fan if there ever was one…
I had a tredia Turbo 1800 from new in South Africa. most fun car ever, very quick and predictable handling. Not everyone likes the styling but I loved it ! (taken from me in a hijacking ). In the UK i have never seen 1 and only a few Cordias at a car meet.