The very first Mitsubishi production car with front-wheel drive was the Mirage subcompactwhich first appeared on Japanese streets in 1978. We were introduced to this car when it arrived in North America as a 1979 model with Dodge Colt And Plymouth Champion badgesreplace the rear-wheel drive Colts that were sold here since 1972. Colts based on Mirage were available in the United States absolutely up to and including 1994but that wasn’t the end for that generation of Mirage on our streets. Here’s a Mirage from the first year of the post-Colt era, found in a self-service cemetery in Colorado recently.
For devoted fans of the Mirage, the 1989 through 1994 model years offered American car buyers virtually identical versions of that car, sold through four different brands: the Mitsubishi Mirage, the Dodge Colt, the Plymouth Colt and the Eagle Summit. For 1995 and 1996, the Eagle Summit remained available as a coupe, sedan and MPV form (the Colts have been pushed aside by the new Neon).
For 1995-1996, the Mirage was available only as a two-door and in only two trim levels: S and LS. This car was the least expensive new Mitsubishi available in the United States for 1995, and one of the most affordable new cars overall: its MSRP was $9,799, or $20,483 in 2024 dollars. The essentially identical 1995 Eagle Summit DL coupe listed for $9,836 (presumably the extra $37 was for the prestige of the Eagle name).
This is a 1.5-liter SOHC four-cylinder, rated at 92 horsepower and 93 pound-feet. The Mirage LS got a 1.8-liter with 113 horsepower for 1995, but it cost almost three grand more.
The last year for a new Mitsubishi with a four-speed manual transmission in the United States was 1993 (and that car was actually a Hyundai), so the standard transmission on this car was a five-speed manual.
This one has done over 150,000 miles in its life, which isn’t bad for a disposable eco-commuter of its era. The most traveled Mitsubishi product I’ve ever documented in a junkyard was a 1986 Dodge Ram 50 with 313,560 miles.
There is rust on it and a lot of filler on it.
Are You Practice safe propping?
The JDM commercials are always more fun, so let’s check those out.
The Mirage Asti coupé was not available in our region.