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Junkyard Gem: 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage Sedan

In the early 1970s, Chrysler (lacking funds to develop a brand-new subcompact for the American market) began importing Mitsubishi Colt Galants and putting Dodge Colt badges on them. Chrysler's relationship with Mitsubishi deepened over subsequent decades, with numerous Mitsubishis sold here with Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, and Eagle badging. That didn't stop Mitsubishi Motors from selling some of the very same vehicles, though, once sales of Mitsubishi-badged cars and trucks began here in the 1983 model year. Starting in 1979, Colt badges moved over to the front-wheel-drive Mirage, with the Mirage itself appearing here for the 1985 model year. Here's one of those cars, a rare 1990 sedan in a Denver self-service yard. In 1990, Americans could choose between four near-identical versions of this car sold by different marques: the Mitsubishi Mirage, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, and Eagle Summit. The MSRP on the '90 Mirage sedan was $8,559 (about $15,015 in 2022 dollars) and the prices of the other three were so close as to make no real difference; customers could just shop for the best rebates and financing. Americans couldn't get this generation of the Dodge/Plymouth Colt as a sedan, though Canadians could. Most of the Mirages and Summits sold here were hatchbacks, but Mitsubishi and Eagle dealers probably wanted something to compete with the Civic and Corolla sedans of the era. Mitsubishi certainly got its money's worth out of the 4G aka Orion engine family! This is a 1.5-liter SOHC 4G15, rated at 81 horsepower. The early Hyundai Excel (and its Mitsubishi-badged twin, the Precis) got a version of this engine. If you bought the Mirage Turbo, you got a DOHC version displacing 1.6 liters and blasting out 135 horses (but it was only available here until 1989 and just as a hatchback). That 81 horsepower was even less fun than it sounds, in this case, because the original buyer of this Mirage skipped the standard-equipment five-speed manual and paid extra for the three-speed automatic. It has air conditioning, with the "Econo" mode that was so popular among 1980s Japanese cars. Not quite 100,000 miles passed beneath its wheels during 32 years of service. At some point, a set of Mercury Tracer hubcaps was slapped on the unsightly steel wheels. The lug holes don't line up, but who's going to notice? Sold out of the now-defunct Ehrlich dealership in Greeley, Colorado, back when you could buy an Isuzu or a Nissan on the same lot.

Not a dry eye in the house for last Mitsubishi Evo X video

Say what you will about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution; we're going to miss this one when it's gone. Japan's rally car for the street is officially being phased out, and production is ending in Japan. But not before one Final Edition, and a final video showing the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive wonder being built. In Japan, the Final Edition is limited to a run of just 1,000 units. It's based on the GSR model with the five-speed manual transmission, but comes with performance goodies like Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs, Recaro seats, Brembo brakes, and more. See it for yourself in the gallery, below. Over the course of 23 years, there have been 10 generations of the Lancer Evolution. And while Evo X might not be our favorite (this author much prefers Evo IX, for what it's worth), it's still sad to see Mitsubishi's iconic, winged sedan head to the grave. A sign of the times, Mitsubishi says the Evo "will be replaced in spirit" by a high-power, hybrid SUV. That's a tall order, and doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but we'll see. For now, say goodbye to the Evo X by watching the final production video, above. And just be thankful Subaru still makes its lovely WRX STI.

Japan plans real-world diesel emissions test after companies fail

Japan's transport ministry plans to start real-world diesel emissions tests after an experiment found four models from Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi that produced more nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than the nation's rules allow, according to The Japan Times. Regulators there usually only perform emissions checks in the lab. The VW diesel scandal has everyone double-checking their figures. Diesel versions of the Toyota Hiace van, Land Cruiser Prado, and Nissan X-Trail produced up to 10 times more NOx than allowed. The Mitsubishi Delica D:5 was up to five times over the limit, The Wall Street Journal reports. There was no evidence of defeat devices in the vehicles. Mazda performed well in the experiment, though. The CX-5 passed with nearly the same results on the road and in the lab. The Demio, better known as the Mazda2, did nearly as well with only slighter higher figures in the real world than in the controlled setting. The experimenters theorized the reason for the excessive emissions was that cold weather caused the engines' software to shut off the exhaust gas recirculation to prevent damage, according to the WSJ. However, this behavior also increased NOx production. Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi don't have to worry about punishment from the transport ministry because this check was just an experiment. Their models already passed the mandated lab tests, which was the only requirement, according to The Japan Times. As governments begin greater real-world emissions tests, the results suggests diesels aren't very clean. A recent check in France found models from Ford, Renault, and Mercedes-Benz that didn't perform up to the standards. Regulators in India conducted similar evaluations and ordered VW to recall over 300,000 vehicles. Related Video: