When you picture a classic car perhaps you envisage a Porsche 911 or possibly a gleaming well-beloved Bentley, but it’s unlikely that the Mitsubishi Colt would be number one on your mental list. Nevertheless, at nearly fifty years old the Colts you are able to purchase completely new today are the consequence of half a century of sophisticated, clever design and style, making them an unnoticed present day classic.
The first Colt models were first shown in the 9th Tokyo Motorshow in 1962.The 5-seat, two door Mitsubishi Colt 600 was powered by an air-cooled 594 cc twin cylinder OHV engine coupled with a top speed of 62mph. Made in Mitsubishi’s Okazaki factory the passenger car, a successor for the successful Mitsubishi 500 Super Deluxe, placed second and third in the under 600 cc class of the 1963 Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Colt 600′s clever sleek and stylish look was born from the requirement to manipulate local Japanese tax and insurance restrictions, and in most non-urban areas it was exempted from the necessity to certify that satisfactory parking was available for the car.
Following the success of the 600 model the larger compact Colt 1000 was released in 1963, followed by the Colt 800 and Colt 1500 in 1965, plus the Colt 1100 in 1966. As Mitsubishi Motors began to develop worldwide the English were initially treated to an altogether different meaning of the Colt brand, as all Mitsubishis were sold under that label in Britain by the freshly created Colt Car Company.It wasn’t until 1984 this naming method was phased out, establishing Mitsubishi firmly as a brand name into the United Kingdom.
In the 1970s Japan was hit by a gas crisis and a lot of car makers responded with economical updates to their lines. Mitsubishi’s solution was the three-door front wheel drive Mirage with groundbreaking ‘Supershift’ transmission and a distinct large-windowed design. While not called a Colt in Japan the range was released in the USA as the Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ and the innovative Colt specifications scooped the highest United States Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy rating that year. In Britain the Mirage again fell within the marque of the Colt and was distinguished from other models by engine size, with the names Colt 1200 and Colt 1400.
This was only the beginning of the story, a tale which carries on today with the contemporary Colt models, including the ground breaking MiEV and also the intelligently designed Colt Cleartec, giving everybody the opportunity to drive a classic bit of history which is leading the way in to the future.
