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Forgotten Sporty Cars Part XII: Mitsubishi Cordia

April 19, 2009 by Tom Williams 17 Comments

Welcome back to Forgotten Sporty Cars at The Garage! In this space we recall an era where small, economy car-based based vehicles were sold with zippy styling. Whether there was any substance to the sizzle we’ll leave for you to judge.

1982-1990 Mitsubishi Cordia

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In the US, Chrysler had been selling Dodge and Plymouth badged Mitsubishis for years. The Cordia represents one of the first models Mitsubishi sold here on their own, with no help from Chrysler, as they sought to create their own identity here. The Cordia was a compact front wheel drive coupe. Buyers could choose from either a normally aspirated 1.8 liter four rated at 100hp, or a turbo version of the same mill rated at 135hp. Both engines offered a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. 

Looking at the Cordia today, the styling screams “Totally 80’s!”, but during its production life, the car was a wallflower. Remember, Mitsubishi was a new brand here, and was completely overshadowed by its more established competition: cars like the Toyota Celica, Honda Prelude and Nissan 200SX. The automotive press overlooked the Cordia too, instead focusing on the far more popular Starion. 

Production of the Cordia ended in 1990, but sales ended in the US after 1988. The Cordia may be one of the most forgettable cars The Garage has reviewed yet, but do not downplay its significance. With the Cordia, Mitsubishi learned a lot about the American market, and busied themselves with a replacement car suited to our tastes. That car was the Mitsubishi Eclipse. You know, star of “The Fast and the Furious” and the darling of tuners around the globe. It just goes to show you have to start somewhere. It started with the Cordia. Hm.

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Is a new Eclipse on the Horizon?

November 29, 2007 by Jeff Bressler Leave a Comment

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Is Mitsubishi in the early stages of designing and producing the next generation of the Eclipse?

Mitsubishi gave a sketch preview of a small lightweight, four wheel drive concept called the Concept-RA. The wraps will come off the four cylinder diesel during January’s Detroit Auto Show.
[Read more…]

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The trim work Superstar!

November 8, 2007 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

There is nothing more satisfying than watching 2 different techs, on 2 different occasions struggle with a trim rattle and then swooping in and fixing it on the first try.

There is something about having the boss save the day that is very humbling to even the best mechanic.

The problem this time? A loose captive nut/washer contraption in the convertible top frame of an 07 Eclipse that rattled intermittently over uneven roads.

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First Drive: 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT

March 22, 2007 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

eclipse.jpg

Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time in some world class sports cars. I’ve been really lucky in that I’ve spent a lot of time driving the Nissan 350Z, a car so good for it’s price range that cars worth twice as much are often compared to it.

So what does this have to do with my first drive in the 2006 Eclipse GT? Well, unfortunately I’ve become pretty jaded and my expectations have been set pretty high. This isn’t a good thing for any sports car that doesn’t keep up with the class. So does the Eclipse GT measure up? Well, yes & no.
[Read more…]

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