Now, however, after an absence of less than two years, Mitsubishi is making a sharp U-turn comeback, in mainland Europe at least (albeit in such a small way that it will probably be of little consequence). When it withdrew from the UK and Continental Europe just a couple of years ago, as I highlighted here on GRR with a celebration of the seven best Mitsubishi models officially sold here in Britain, it was thought that the brand had gone from our shores for good. But this initiative failed to capture the imagination of British buyers, and Lonsdale was dead by 1984.įor every great Mitsubishi moment, such as the oddly-named Station and 3000GTO coupes, not forgetting the epic Lancer EVO homologation specials, Mitsubishi also introduced quite a few instantly forgettable non-event models, such as the dreary Tredia saloon, Cordia coupe and Grandis people carrier (I bet you’re struggling to remember any of these). To try and get around the Japanese ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ import restrictions of the 1980s, in 1982 Mitsubishi cunningly introduced the Lonsdale brand, a rebranded Australian-built ‘YD41’ Sigma saloon and estate at a bargain price. Mitsubishi proved to be consistently inconsistent with its export strategy, however, successfully entering a new segment of the market and then failing to follow it up with a suitable replacement. The larger-than-life Michaal Orr (with his high-profile fleet of Colt Cars-branded helicopters and private aircraft) stepped away from the importer he founded a decade earlier around this time too.Īs Mitsubishi’s UK presence grew, it occasionally would introduce a genuinely capable product, such as the original and clever late-70s Colt multi-geared hatch and the pioneering 1984 Space Wagon – one of the first MPVs on the market. The marque also established its own dedicated Mitsubishi-branded sales network in North America too, selling alongside its rebranded Dodge and Plymouth rivals (despite being the same cars). To coincide with the Shogun’s launch, the Colt Car Company finally changed its name for British buyers to Mitsubishi. ![]() This tough off-roader really put Mitsubishi on the map in the UK and Europe. They were soon followed by sportier coupe models such as the Mustang-inspired GTO GS-R, the slightly effeminate Celeste and Sapporo, before successfully branching out into expanding SUV sectors in the early 1980s with the Shogun (its domestic Japanese Pajero name translating as something rather rude in Spanish). Colt was used as the actual brand name, because Mitsubishi was considered at the time to sound too Japanese and difficult to pronounce, thus potentially putting off the more traditional clients the initial Colt models were aimed at.Ĭolt launched to great fanfare at the 1974 Earls Court Motor Show with a simple range of just two no-nonsense models, the Escort-rivalling Lancer and Cortina-sized Galant. It took until 1974 for Mitsubishi to make its first appearance on our shores in the UK, with the help of the entrepreneurial Michael Orr, the charismatic founder of the Cirencester-based Colt Car Company. The marque’s first venture into Europe came in the early 1970s via the neutral Benelux countries, with Chrysler in the USA also selling Mitsubishi products as ‘captive imports’ via its sizeable Dodge and Plymouth dealer networks. It was often presented in disguise, using the shield of another vehicle manufacturer, such as Chrysler in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (where Mitsubishis were later locally assembled). Eventually in the early 1960s Mitsubishi introduced a larger Colt 1100F model (vaguely resembling a Ford Cortina Mark I, but with a sloping fastback) and tested the water with this model in a handful of overseas markets. ![]() Mitsubishi later returned to passenger car production in 1959, introducing the first of a long and very confusing series of models named Colt (a small two-stroke rear-engined 500cc saloon).
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