The story of the Mitsubishi 3000GT is a story of a motor spectacle that lasted a short while. At its launch, the 3000GT was the most advanced production car in the 1980 Mitsubishi lineup just as Asian vehicles hit the market with a wave. It displayed advanced electronics seen in no other model in the midrange tier of 90's cars. It featured a twin-turbo supercharged engine, four-wheel steering, aerodynamic front and rear spoilers, and electronically-adjustable struts, among others. On a basic level, the car came with a 2972cc twin-turbo V6 engine that coughed out 210kW and produced 407Nm of torque. It proved well on a track going from 0-100km/hr in 5.9 seconds. The GT came to be a significant influence on other car designs for many more generations of cars to come.
The 3000GT was initially called the Mitsubishi GTO but adopted the names 3000GT and Stealth when production started in America. The American market already had a GTO-named car that was short for Grand Turismo Omologato. Mitsubishi decided to rename its GTO to 3000GT for the American market, but the name stuck as its official name.
Background
Born in the 1990s amid favourable economic times for Japanese car manufacturers, the GTO was Mitsubishi's stab at the newly emerging sports car niche. The GT's competitors were already in the market. The Mazda RX7, the Toyota Supra, the Nissan 300ZX, and the Subaru SVX were out claiming the automotive scene. The Mitsubishi executives knew they had to make a statement and fast. In 1990, the newly-designed GTO rolled out of the Mitsubishi Nagoya plant, its body a mixed blend of a liftback coupe and a 2-door convertible. To capture the growing market, Mitsubishi exported the GTO to America and oversea markets. Unfortunately, there was already a GTO-named car in the USA called the Pontiac GTO, prompting the automaker to rename their model as 3000GT. Mitsubishi later teamed up with Chrysler to produce the Dodge Stealth.
1st Generation: 1990-1993 Z16A
First-generation GTO models were assigned the code Z16A and boasted four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, active aerodynamics, and self-adjusting front bumper struts and rear spoiler wing. Mitsubishi came out with three name brands for different markets—the 3000GT, the GTO and the Stealth. Its initial objective was to outperform other cars while still being cheaper. The result, however, was that the GTO had to be fitted on an eclipse chassis. The chassis was later redone to match the GTO's dimensions.
This new design came with a bonnet air dam, ducts, and power badges that were a combination of the most advanced systems at that time. The first line of the 3000GT had a 3-litre 24-valve DOHC 6-valve engine. Mitsubishi offered options to have it either naturally-aspirated or fitted with its iconic twin turbochargers. The car came with active aerodynamics and electronically-controlled exhaust and struts. American models had the front-wheel-drive option while Japanese and the rest of the world models got four-wheel-drive modes. The car sold more models compared to its competitors, the Nissan 300ZX and the Mazda RX-7. However, the American Stealth model was discontinued in North America, but the 3000GT carried on.
Powertrain available in Australia: 3.0L DOHC 24-valve V6 twin-turbo teamed up with a 5-speed manual gearbox to produce 210 kW at 6000 rpm and 407 Nm at 3000 rpm.
2nd Generation: 1994-1996 Z15A and Z16A
The GT series lost some of its signature features like the pop-up headlamp and received a redesigned front bumper to hold projector beam lights and smaller fog lights. Mitsubishi launched the newly-designed models in 1993, with some markets like the UK receiving it much later. Metal blisters replaced the hood caps, and the side vents were redesigned to feed air into the turbo engine. The interior of the GT featured two more airbags, a new audio system and better air conditioning refrigerant. The powertrain was improved to produce 239kW and increased in torque from 416Nm to 427Nm. At the beginning of 1995, Mitsubishi offered a couple of options like larger wheels, but new models after 1995 lost their adjustable exhaust, active aerodynamics in 1996.
Consequently, in 1995 Mitsubishi and Chrysler worked on a new project named Spyder VR-4. This new model came in different colour schemes like red with grey interior, black with ivory leather, white pearl with grey interior, and Martinique yellow with ivory leather interior. The new model was well-received as the general public could then afford it. It recorded a 6.4-second sprint time from 0-100km/hr.
The same powertrain from the second generation served the third-generation 3000GT through 2008 in Australia.
3rd Generation: 1997-2000 Z15AM
The sales of the 3000GT dropped further in America from 1997. Mitsubishi designers ditched a major facelift in favour of a minor few changes in design which included a new front bumper and rainbow-shaped wing. The GT received further redesigns in 1999 with bolder headlights, side panels, turn signals, sail panels, and inverted rear airfoil spoiler in the VR-4. The GT's production stopped in America by 1999. That being so, their sales in oversea countries like Australia and the Middle East continued. The most recent test of the 3000GT set new records at a top speed of 163.7km/hr, being the fastest the 3000GT has ever gone.