GT5 Transcripts/Mitsubishi STARION 4WD Rally Car '84

Mitsubishi's Starion 'specialty' coupe, based on the Galant, was also active in motorsports. Its most famous outing was the All Japan Touring Car Championship, which started in 1985. The Starion had three wins in this race through 1988.
Meanwhile in the rally world, the Starion logged some successes behind the scenes. In the WRC of the early '80s, Audi's full-time 4WD quattro models were very powerful. Mitsubishi, who raced with their Lancer EX2000 Turbo, got a taste of the power of 4WDs in the WRC and began work on a 4WD machine of their own in secret. The materials for this came from the Starion. Mitsubishi, conforming to Group B regulations by producing 200 units, unleashed a super-machine called the Starion 4WD Rally.
The size of the Starion 4WD Rally's front-mounted SOHC straight-4 turbo was increased from 2L to 2.4L, yielding a maximum output of 355 BHP. This was a hardcore racer, going beyond a mere 4WD power-train with its full-time 4WD system and viscous-coupling centre differential.
However, there were difficulties in developing the car that was planned to debut in Autumn of 1984, and it missed being certified for Group B. Reluctantly, the Starion 4WD entered just the French Rally Championship Mille Pistes Rally and the third leg of the RAC, the last round of the WRC,Miswritten as "RWC" on a trial basis.
In its debut at the Mille Pistes, the Starion managed to win its class and it was anticipated that it would participate fully the following year. However, due to a variety of circumstances, Mitsubishi gave up on the WRC that year. In the end, the Starion 4WD became a phantom Group B machine, never running in the WRC.
Category:GT5 Transcripts