Launch-Lancer
In the 1970s, various Japanese car brands established themselves here, as is now happening in China, for example. Mitsubishi was also fresh on the scene at the time and wanted to get a piece of the compact middle class with this Lancer A70.
One of the first models that Mitsubishi sold in our country was the Mitsubishi Lancer. It appeared in 1973 and that was certainly an important year for Mitsubishi in our part of the world, because the also new second Galant also gained a foothold (or wheel) here. Of the two, the Lancer was the one that had to achieve large numbers in Europe, with Mitsubishi mixing in with success numbers such as the Ford Escort and Opel Kadett. The Japanese mainly tried to convince ‘us’ with a favorable price tag.
It went well and the first Mitsubishi Lancer immediately became a fairly well-known sight on the Dutch streets. The numbers of the Escort and Kadett were not reached and even of those models, examples from the 1970s are quite rare these days, so certainly such a first Lancer (this one is from after the facelift) is a rarity in 2024. Thanks to colleague Jan Lemkes, we have got quite a special spot here.
In any case, it’s hard to miss, this 1978 Lancer, because just look at that bright yellow paint job shining! This was a hobby, because it still looks neat. It is also a fairly ‘thickly’ decorated Lancer; a 1.4 GL, with the necessary sporty accents. A rear spoiler, striping along the flanks, a ‘lip’ under the front bumper; it’s all there. There also appears to be a third brake light behind the rear window, but that was of course added much later. This Lancer only came to the Netherlands in 2022. Nice to see one again. By the way, about two years ago we briefly considered another, slightly younger example.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl