Mitsubishi Colt (1981) – In the Wild

As much as Mitsubishi would like it, the new Colt will probably never really find a special place in the heart of the Mitsubishi enthusiast. It is a completely different story with the Colt that we now have in front of us here thanks to AutoWeek forum member D oh. That is a real self-developed Colt and in fact the first generation that was delivered here. With this car we were introduced to a model name that would remain part of the Dutch fleet for a long time.

The first Colt started life in its home country of Japan early in 1978 as the Mitsubishi Mirage and came onto the market here a little later in a slightly modified form. For the European market, the license plate was screwed to the rear under the tailgate instead of under the bumper. It was a modern car for its time and class, with features such as independent suspension, front disc brakes and an extra ‘gear lever’ in the GLX and GT, with which you could choose between sporty or economical driving. “By means of an extra lever, you now have eight transmission ratios, not the usual four, but now at your disposal! In economy mode, you drive extra economically due to the overdrive character and the already low noise level in the interior is reduced even further. power mode guarantees sporty fun and flashy acceleration. You will outdo many more expensive cars!” this is how they recommended it in the brochure.

Here we have a Colt GLX, which should also have such a transmission. This example has probably not only been extra economical with fuel, but with the entire car. After all, he looks almost pristine for his age. If you see these Coltjes, you rarely see them so neatly free of rust. It has secretly had quite a few owners and yet it still looks like a real enthusiast’s car. The current owner has been driving it for over two years now. Maybe keep it aside more often in the coming months, and it will surely have many wonderful years to come!