1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Convertible on 2040-cars

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This Mitsubishi Colt Galant is a GTO from Japan

The letters GTO have been used by several automakers – each from different countries. Depending on where your automotive enthusiasm is centered, you might associate the name with Pontiac or with Ferrari. But those weren't the only ones to use those letters. So did Mitsubishi. In fact, the 3000GT (also known as the Dodge Stealth) that competed with the likes of the Toyota Supra and Nissan 300ZX back in the 1990s was sold as the GTO back home in Japan. But Mitsu didn't pull that name out of nowhere. It was merely the revival of an old nameplate. Back in the 1970s, Mitsubishi used those letters on a version of the Colt, of all things. And that's what Petrolicious has profiled in this latest video. This Seventies-era Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO GSR belongs to one Matt De Mangos, an enthusiast, collector, and consummate tinkerer out in California who fell in love with the vintage pocket rocket. Since the Colt Galant GTO was designed for the Japanese Domestic Market, few ever made it to other markets. So De Mangos imported one privately to the United States, and invested a lot of time into researching and restoring the vehicle. The result may not be the usual classic you'd expect to see an American hot-rodder restoring, but that's apparently just the way Matt likes it. Hear his story in the video above.

Mitsubishi Outlander, Evo to keep things safe at Pikes Peak

Mitsubishi has already announced that it will be returning as a competitor to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a pair of all-electric MiEV Evolution II racecars. In addition to these entrants, the automaker will also be the presenting sponsor of the race as well as providing the official safety vehicles to the event using specially prepped versions of the 2014 Outlander and Lancer Evolution.
While it isn't clear what exactly will be demanded of the safety vehicles, this isn't going to your run-of-the-mill pace car duty. To get the Outlander and Evo ready for the 156-turn, 12.42-mile course, Mitsubishi teamed up with companies such as BBS, Cobb Tuning, AEM and Muellerized Suspension Systems as well as DC Sports and Kenwood to create these one-off safety cars. These vehicles, and all the racecars, will be at Pikes Peak later this month for the 91st running of America's second-oldest racing event. Scroll down for the official press release.

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV van variant coming to Europe

Mitsubishi's Outlander Plug-in Hybrid SUV will be hitting our shores this fall. Across the Pond, however, it's heading into more no-nonsense territory. That's because the Japanese automaker is making a commercial van variant of the plug-in hybrid for the UK. Mitsubishi will start selling a model called the Outlander PHEV GX3h 4Work in the UK, Motoring Research says. Like the SUV, the model will pair a 2.0-liter gas engine with an electric motor and will have an all-electric range of 32 miles. The difference is that the back seats will be taken out and the glass will be blacked out. Hardcore, we say. The model will be priced at 36,905 British pounds (about $61,000), though buyers are eligible for a government grant worth 7,381 pounds ($12,200). Mitsubishi plans to start selling the Outlander PHEV stateside in Fall 2015. The company said earlier this summer that the US version will be substantially different from the current version, with updates for everything from exterior and interior styling to powertrain efficiency improvements. The model had some battery-melting issues last year in Japan, though Mitsubishi ramped up its production once those problems were solved. Mitsubishi representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the commercial-van variant from AutoblogGreen, but we expect to be hearing more about it soon.