1993 Mitsubishi 3000gt Base Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

Renault to alert prosecutors about Carlos Ghosn's wedding costs

PARIS — Renault has found evidence that it paid part of Carlos Ghosn's wedding costs and is preparing to turn the investigation over to prosecutors, two weeks after the French carmaker's scandal-hit chairman and chief executive was forced out. An internal probe established that a 2016 sponsorship deal with the Chateau de Versailles included a 50,000 euro ($57,000) personal benefit to Ghosn, the carmaker said on Thursday, confirming a report in Le Figaro. The carmaker replaced Ghosn on Jan. 24, more than two months after his arrest in Japan over allegations of financial misconduct uncovered by Renault's Japanese affiliate Nissan, which he also chaired. Renault began its own examination of payments to Ghosn within days of his detention but had not flagged any irregularities until now. Renault has discovered that "Mr Ghosn was accorded a personal benefit valued at 50,000 euros under the terms of a sponsorship contract with the Chateau de Versailles," the company said in a statement on Thursday. "Renault has decided to bring these findings to the attention of the judicial authorities." The office of Ghosn's Japanese lawyer Motonari Otsuru did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ghosn remains in detention in Tokyo with limited opportunity to respond publicly to allegations against him. Renault had agreed before the wedding to sponsor 2.3 million euros of Versailles renovations in return for a credit granting the carmaker services from the chateau worth 25 percent of that amount, or 575,000 euros, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Le Figaro reported that the chateau allowed Ghosn to host his wedding reception on its grounds in exchange for Renault's donations to the Versailles estate, resplendent home to France's last kings. The rental fee was deducted from Renault's credit for use of the Grand Trianon at Versailles on Oct. 8, 2016, when Ghosn and his second wife Carole hosted their wedding reception at the 17th-century palace, the source said. The event had already attracted public attention for its opulence and Marie Antoinette-themed costumes. The Renault board was informed about the discovery on Wednesday, as reported by Le Figaro, the source added. Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Mitsubishi Nissan Renault renault-nissan

Junkyard Gem: 1983 Mitsubishi Starion

Americans had been buying Mitsubishis with Dodge or Plymouth badging for more than a decade when the first Mitsubishi-badged cars began showing up on these shores. For the 1983 model year, Mitsubishi USA offered the Cordia, the Tredia, the Mighty Max, and the Starion; the latter was a futuristic-looking rear-wheel-drive sports car that took direct aim at potential buyers of the Supra, the 280ZX, the RX-7, and even the Camaro. Here's a rare first-year "narrow-body" Starion in a Denver self-service wrecking yard. Even though every Starion sported a turbocharged engine, the word TURBO was considered so magical during this era that no self-respecting car company in 1983 would have refrained from adding at least a couple of TURBO badges. Later Starions (and Conquests) even had TURBO badging sewn into the seat belts. In 1983, the Starion's 2.6-liter Astron packed 145 horsepower, which compared favorably to the optional 175-horse engine in the much heavier 1983 Camaro Z28 (the base Z28 engine made 150hp). The 280ZX cost more and offered 145 horsepower; the 280ZX Turbo cost lots more but had 180 horses. This car looks tired but not rusty. The pins stuck into fuel-injection electrical connectors tell a sad story of its final days on the road; a frustrated owner tried to use a multimeter to figure out hard-to-diagnose electrical woes. Auto-reverse was a high-end audio-system feature in 1983 cars. Mitsubishi made (and still makes) plenty of good consumer electronics, so the sound systems in these cars were considered high-quality stuff for their time. I shot this car with a circa-1983 cereal-box-prize film camera, because it seemed like a good idea. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. With music by Osamu Kitajima and artwork by Shuse Nagaoka (whose work you may know from all those 1970s ELO and Earth, Wind & Fire album covers), the Japanese-market ad for this car reveals its SUPER POTENTIAL.