I can’t quite put my finger on why most Mitsubishis just leave me cold. One thing was their insistence on naming all their cars (or their overseas clones) some combination of “Colt-Galant-Lancer,” making their range stupidly confusing. They ditched their awesome triple-diamond logo and rechristened their cars as MMC for no good reason, then had to revert back to their old corporate identity soon after.
Their designs were hit-and-miss up to the ‘70s, then switched to mostly miss afterwards. Managerial incompetence finally caused their downfall and gradual takeover by Renault-Nissan. Mitsubishi Motors is and has been for a long time the sick man of Japanese carmakers, endlessly smacking their face into glass doors. But this Sigma is still a real gem.
And yes, I’ll be calling this plain Sigma, because “Galant Sigma” is just too damn long and the Greek letter Σ that decorates this car is just too much of a pain to be bothered with. Besides, Galant (and Colt) are so ubiquitous on Mitsubishis of this period as to be meaningless.
The first Sigma (1976-80) was an all-new car replacing the old Galant (a.k.a Dodge Colt in the US, Plymouth Cricket in Canada and Chrysler Valiant Galant in Oz). The Sigma was noticeably bigger than the Galant, but kept its predecessor’s choice of engines (1.6, 1.8 and 2-litre) and RWD layout as was, at least for the domestic market. But styling-wise, the Sigma was a rather significant departure from the norm, i.e. the US-flavoured concoctions brewed by the likes of Datsun, Mazda and Toyota at the time. Well, the front end still had a bit of a transpacific feel, but the rest looked like a mix of Renault, Lancia and British Leyland.
The Sigma did very well in Asia-Pacific markets, as well as South Africa, where it was assembled locally. European reception was a bit more muted and it wasn’t sold (in saloon form) in America, but Mitsubishi clearly thought they had a winning formula. For the second generation, launched in April 1980, the carmaker essentially re-made the same car again, with a few key modifications.
Most notably, the front end got a more aerodynamic nose that ditched the quads in favour of trendier composite headlights – not a problem, since these were never destined to be sold in sealed-beam-land. For its part, the rear end got wraparound lights.
Other than that, the 2nd gen Sigma kept its predecessor’s unique blend of swoopy and clean-cut lines, still underscored by a fair amount of chrome trim. Close scrutiny reveals that most (if not all) of the panels were redesigned in this second iteration, though I’m not sure if the bootlid, the windshield and the rear window weren’t carried over.
The wagon version was most decidedly carried over, on the other hand. Mitsubishi simply gave it the new generation’s front end treatment, but nothing else changed. The Lambda coupé – the only member of the range to have had a career in the States as a Chrysler captive import – was also carried over pretty much unscathed, though less fussy detailing made it a much cleaner design, like the saloon it was hewn from.
In its home market, the Sigma was offered in the usual gazillion trim variations, with engine options including the 1.6, 1.8 (albeit a new one) and 2.0 4-cyl. petrol engines, as well as a 2.3 litre turbo-Diesel – the first Japanese-made TD. Our feature car is a “Super Saloon,” i.e. fully-loaded, but it’s unclear what engine it has under the hood. The 100hp 1.8 or the non-turbo 2-litre (110hp) would be fine, but the 85hp 1.6 might be a bit sluggish to push a literal ton of Sigma around.
Another Tokyo time capsule! Whoever ordered this car four decades ago had the good sense to opt for the 5-speed manual rather than the 3-speed auto. I guess that makes the GSR wheels this particular car is shod with a bit more justifiable.
Even the back seat looks inviting – certainly more so than that of the contemporary Toyota Corona. And there’s more space than in the Nissan Skyline, too. Maybe that explains why this Sigma did pretty well in places like Australia.
But in its home market, actually, sales eroded pretty quickly. By the end of 1983, saloon versions were no longer produced for the JDM, except for taxi companies. The van/wagon soldiered on until 1985 here, but it (as well as the saloon) lasted until 1987 down under.
The Australian version of the Sigma was a slightly different animal, being offered as a 1.6 and 2-litre like in Japan, but also with the 2.6 litre Astron that wasn’t on the options list for the domestic market. In a bid to weasel out of import quotas, Mitsubishi even tried to sell the Aussie-made Sigma on the British market under the Lonsdale marque in 1982-84, though that experiment was deemed a failure. It seems only Australia saw the appeal of the Sigma in those days.
Well, the person who bought this car when it was new and the one who bought it from them and kept it in this outstanding nick also have a thing for this Mitsu. Add me to the list, of course. And add the Sigma to my personal and very short list of Mitsubishi’s greatest hits. What are the others, you ask?
This is my top five, in no particular order: the original Debonair (1964-86, top left), whose mini-Lincoln looks were so damn cool it could have precipitated a new Ice Age; the 1971-77 Galant GTO coupé (top right) that showed they could make something truly sporty and exciting; the 1965-70 Colt 800/1000 hatchback (bottom left) – very forward-thinking for the time, at least body-wise; the 1978-83 Mirage (bottom left) – a perfectly-timed switch to FWD for the segment.
And to close out the list, the 1980-83 Sigma. Cars of the ‘80s stand out a lot in present-day parking lots, what with their flat panels and angular features. And although I document them and write them up, my tastes go much more towards older vehicles – basically, anything made between 1930 and 1970. But as origami as this Sigma objectively is, it also has a dash of character that was absent on the overwhelming majority of its contemporaries. Well done, Mitsubishi. You’ve made me like an early ‘80s design from a company I don’t typically much care for.
On top of all that, this generation Sigma was also the last new RWD saloon Mitsubishi created before switched to FWD, so it should hold a special place in the carmaker’s history. And Mitsubishi is nothing today if not history.
Related post:
CC Outtake: 1978-87 Mitsubishi Sigma – Hugely Popular Becomes Hugely Rare, by William Stopford
Love the “power steering” sticker!
Mixed feelings with this Mitsu.
They sold pretty good here in the Netherlands, at least the S1.
My father got a 1600 S1 as replacement for his rusty Triumph 2500TC.
I loved the Triumph, so thought I would – but could not really hate the Galant. It looked fresh, not strange with wrong lines like all the other Japanese cars. And I liked the front end with double headlamps. The S2 with composed headlamps and plastic bumpers is not as good looking in my opinion, the headlamps are a tad too big.
The Galant drove pretty well. It was a “tinny” car, interior, door handles, panels all very light, not substantial, as if it could break if you handled or touched it with too much force. It did not of course, although I managed to dent the stainless steel rear bumper when reversing very slowly into a small post. My father was not impressed.
Like the Triumph, it did rust very well and was gone within 8 years.
I owned two of these both wagons a rusty 79 2.0 Manual that I drove from WA to Sydney the long way it was apart from its rusty appearance quite a good car comfy on long trips around Australia is a really long trip, it hardly missed a beat the whole time I had it
The other was a 86 High roof wagon 2.6 5 speed manual again a really good car lots of grunt the 2.6 was quite torquey despite the reputation my 2.6 was good on fuel a simple carby kit fixed it I got the last fuel miser kit for one of those in New Zealand, my BIL found it thats what he did, spare parts anyhow it was good car I sold it before we returned to OZ in 01, I’d happily buy another but few are left. 87 was the last one then Mitsu AU sawed the FWD model in half length ways widened it installed an Astron 2.6 locally built and called it a Magna they were shit.
I really wanted to like Mitsubishi because many of the designs were very good. Those terrific little ’79-’83 Scamps/Colt/Mirages, the 1990 Colt Vista, the 1992 Galant! (I am a sucker for attractive efficient little cars.) Yet when I spent hours in them, they just had too many shortcuts in quality that bugged me. There was Honda. There was Mazda. There was American cars. There were cars that just somehow did things better. Then I worked for Budget Rent A Car international and Mitsubishis were their eclectic little Japanese rides in California and other Western cities. Everytime I worked in the Western US for them, I would request the newest Mitsubishi, and with a lot of hope – but was always seemingly a tad disappointed.
A shame too. Diamond Star, just up US 55 from here, made very nice Chrysler products for over a decade. That factory now makes Rivian, btw.
These Galants were brought to Uruguay as sedan and station wagon. The sedan came in a very nice trim level, but with the 1.6 and no “power steering” decal, and only with a 5 sp. The wagon also had the 1.6 but came in a cheaper trim. The sedan was to 15 year old me a beautiful design for what was in the market at the time (1980). The Sapporo was also sold here, with the 1.6
I soured on the Mitsubishi products after a poor experience with a used K-car with the Mitsubishi 2.6.
If I thought more highly of the brand, I might have bought a Lancer wagon from ’03-’04. I found it a very attractive design, although it wound up having a very short run in the US.
I seem to remember these wagons having been announced ahead of launch, and their withdrawal from the US market happening days after they finally started showing up at dealerships.
The wagon of this generation Sigma had a 3-year run in the US, 1978-80, dubbed simply “Dodge Colt wagon” while the hardtop coupe became Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo. It shared Dodge showroom space with the “Colt Mileage Maker” (the Coke-bottle Lancer dropped after ’79, in 2- or 4-door sedans) and “Dodge Colt hatchback” (aka Plymouth Champ) the original FWD Mirage, 3-door only until midyear 1982.
Rumor has it there was only ever one boatload of gen 2 Colt wagons and it took 3 years to sell, but my BS detector goes off on that one.
Mitsubishi styling always seemed a cut above that of the other Japanese import competition, and the exceptionally clean lines of this Galant Sigma is further evidence. We did, actually, get the wagon versions as a captive import in the U.S. for about five minutes, very confusingly named a “Colt”, though not related to either of the other, unrelated-to-each-other Colts that were also on sale here.
The interior cloth, in color and texture, looks just like the dark brown/ivory treatment my namesake 1996 Galant ES had. They had gotten rid of the loosely gathered effect by the 90s, though.
The car that replaced the Galant was this car’s Aussie-made successor, a 2002 Diamante LS. I actually see a decent amount of the Sigma in the second-gen Diamante profile, especially the trapezoidal C pillar. Once upon a time, Mitsubishi seemed to have almost boundless optimism shine through in their products. Never great, far from perfect, but always aggressively optimistic. The 21st century hasn’t been kind to that company, and it’s been almost entirely unforced errors that did it. Now they are reduced to selling (admittedly interesting looking) rebadged Rogues.
Hahaha. No idea, if anyone here has made this connection before. But this version Galant Sigma, looks remarkably like a same-era Maserati Quattroporte.
Haven’t researched who came first. But the Galant appears to be an entry-class (sub)compact version of the executive-class Quattroporte. Family resemblance from the same manufacturer, almost. lol
You be the judge.
The power steering label is interesting neither of the Sigma wagons I owned had power steer and the first one with lots of rust was the upscale version with almost everything included, the only issue it had was an appetite for front disc pads exacerbated by there being 3 different types of pad not interchangeable, why do they do that?
I only soured on Mitsubishi after I owned a shockingly unreliable ex JDM 89 Mirage, It had I discovered Mitsu’s first attempt at an ECU on that engine and zero parts available in NZ the cure was to fit earlier Carb and distributor from NZ assembly cars to bypass the installed sensors that worked and I sold it.
Canadian disco queen Patsy Gallant, may have been a great Mitsubishi home market spokesperson choice.
> [i]I can’t quite put my finger on why most Mitsubishis just leave me cold. One thing was their insistence on naming all their cars (or their overseas clones) some combination of “Colt-Galant-Lancer,”[/i]
Don’t forget Mirage! (at least in the U.S. market)
The clean lines of this particular Galant Sigma model are refreshing – especially when compared to the busy designs of their Nissan counterparts during this time. They were quite popular in Southeast Asia, where Mitsubishi Motors had pretty strong market share.
Compliments the modernist look of Kenzo Tange’s Yoyogi Gymnasium, where this particular car is parked.
A Galant Sigma! Of course you’re going to hear from me. 🙂
Just Mitsubishi Sigma in Australia (unless you bought the previous generation’s base model, which was called the Sigma Galant; my uncle had one). Very popular down under, probably because Mitsubishi Australia offered the 2.6, a nice torquey motor in a compact-size body, with all the luxury you could want. Also because Toyota and Nissan dropped the ball with their two litre fours, giving Mitsubishi (with the previous Chrysler Australia dealer network) an open goal. As fuel prices rose, this was the perfect step-down from the Aussie Big Sixes if you didn’t really need all that space.
The coupe body you refer to was actually completely revamped from the previous generation. The style looks much the same but most of the panels are diifferent. If you have the two side by side you notice the windows are larger and the trunk is flat rather than sloping down to the tail.
The following-generation front-drive Galant Sigma also had excellent styling. I’d put that one in their top five. They went a bit weird in the nineties (E31-39), then came back to decent but not outstanding styling again for two generations before dropping the ball big-time with the final generation. You got the feeling by then that their heart just wasn’t in it somehow.
Our Mitsubishis? We bought a Magna in ’89. I would disagree with Bryce’s assessment, as we got 240,000km of hard country travel out of ours, BUT ours was a manual, not the weak-as automatic. The auto’s bad rep really put paid to Mitsubishi in Australia; no matter what they did, they couldn’t seem to overcome that stigma. I deliberately specified ours as the base-trim manual with the optional FI and power steering – the first injected manual the suburban dealership had seen. Its successor ’00 managed 350,000km before being written off. (Now we have an ’18 ASX).
Here’s the early Lambda coupe.
The early Magnas did have a bad reputation at first, as well as the bad autos there was also the rusty roof A pillar issue. Both issues were fixed and the Magna was a good car from then on.
I had an 89 2.6 carb. manual, brought 2nd hand, can’t remember how many kms I got from it, it had a solid good quality feel to it and drove really well, it never let me down.
After typing that, I can’t remember if the transmission issue was fixed as quickly as the rust issue was.
I’m all in here. And wish we had gotten this one. T87, Mitsu just got STARTED in the early ’80s, so many hits from then on out! Stuff like the fun and funky tallboys with either one slider or four doors, the Starion, the successor to this Galant Sigma and then the Galant Sigma labeled as such in the US looking as otherworldly as the Honda Clarity does today, various versions of the hot’n’spicy Lancer EVO I through apparently whatever the highest set of roman numerals is, first and second Eclipse, never mind the Pajero/Montero and more, more, more. Even a pickup named Mighty Max! I well remember an incredible test drive of an early Mirage Turbo 3-door, with more angles than you could shake a straightedge at. Many hits, but many of them sadly misunderstood in the marketplace. If diamonds are forever, then three of them must be even better! I’m over here, awaiting the rebirth.
One Galant that was well-regarded here in NZ was the later (1988) V3000. Apparently a decent towing vehicle, and I only found out just now that it was actually NZ-market only. No idea why this was the case.
One Mitsubishi not mentioned is the Cordia, and while it wasn’t exactly a ground-breaking car, I really enjoyed the one I owned. Mine was not a Turbo, but the turbo ones were known for being decently quick and happy to take a thrashing.
I also had a 1998 Magna, which was a good car, although somewhat bland. Currently I own an Outlander, which is a good car, although somewhat bland – actually even more bland than the Magna was.
I used to see one of these on Nassau Street in Princeton in the mid 80s. Wing mirrors and all. No idea how it ever got there, or what became of it.
I did like Mitsubishi’s clean look at a time when other Japanese automakers, including Honda, were pretty cluttered. Which is probably why I wanted the first new car I ever owned, a 1988 Honda Civic LX four door sedan, which took that clean look to a new, and in my mind still unsurpassed level.
Balance shafts anyone? That’s what these nice looking cars were famous for. Only the 2.0 had them as I recall.
The 2.3 Turbo Diesel was quite a sensation over here in Europe. In their introduction year they sold them at a rock bottom price no one could ignore. It cost Opel and Peugeot a lot of sales.
The turbos were fast , i remember in 1994 going for a ride in a 1982 mitsubishi sigma 2.0 turbo had digital dash amd had a 2.5 inch exhaust right through ,it was really fast it got to 100kph in about 7..5 seconds which was v8 stuff in 1994 ,it did 150kph in 3rd gear lol and 180 in 4th then cut out