Matsurishi Motor Company

Matsurishi Motor Company is a lore car manufacturer based on the real car manufacturer Mitsubishi and their models are inspired in a lot of japanese vehicles like Toyota's, Subaru's, Mitsubishi's obviously, Suzuki's, among others.

**History :**

Matsurishi Motor Company started car production in 1993, after the debut of the rival company Sukupparu with their Ylusso in 1992. Before car production, Matsurishi made motorcycles, heavy machinery and tools.

Matsurishi after a whole year, in March of 1993 they debuted with their first car, the Familiar with 5 trim levels (BX, EX, LX, Sport Saloon and RS), incluiding naturally aspirated and turbocharged four cylinder engines, which turned out to be a great success, 780.000 units sold from 1993 to 1997, but it was discontinued in 1998.

In February of 1995 they launched the Miratsu, a bigger competitor for the Sedan class, with 8 Trim levels (EX, EXi, EDX, LX, LDX, GLX, Sport and RS) with the same naturally aspirated four cylinder engines, a new four cylinder turbo engine, a three cylinder engine for the EXi, a new four cylinder diesel engine and a complete new and advanced V6 3 liter engine. It was a great success, more than 850.000 units sold on the first 4 years until it was discontinued in 2003.

In March of 1999, after the big success of the Sukupparu Yngenua, launched in 1995 in the minivan market, Matsurishi launched the Avanti, a new minivan with 9 seats, incluiding one naturally aspirated 2 liter engine from the Miratsu and the Familiar, and the 3 liter V6 engine from the Miratsu GLX, with 9 seats, automatic transmission, and in the LX model, a panoramic sunroof, leather seats, CD Premium stereo, among other features. It was a big success, 970.000 units sold from 1999 to 2008, year in which was discontinued due to the 2008 Wallstreet Crisis.

**Matsurishi Familiar (1993-1998)**

The Familiar was a compact sedan from the B segment, based on the Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Tercel, Mitsubishi Colt/Mirage, Mitsubishi Lancer and the Toyota Corolla.

It was launched on March of 1993 in Myogi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan for the worldwide market (except RS model), it's a monocoque chassi type, with treated steel, MCPherson front suspension and rear torsion bar suspension on the rear, it had two disc brakes on the front and two drums on the rear except on the RS and Sport Saloon models. All the familiar trims were offered in front wheel drive and with four cylinder petrol engines.

The Familiar had 5 trim levels, BX (Base model) EX (Executive, mid model), LX (Luxury, fully loaded model), Sport Saloon (Sporty model, 2.0 turbo engine), and RS (a Sport Saloon stripped out and lightened, Homologation model for N Group WRC).

The Familiar had 5 engines, one for every trim, the family designation for these engines is 4C.

1.6 8V-EFI : This engine was in the Familiar BX, it's a 1.6 engine, SOHC, 8 valves, single point fuel injection with no VVL or VVT. It produced 93hp with a 6500rpm redline, mated to a 5 speed gearbox

1.8 16V-EFI : This engine was in the Familiar EX, it's a 1.8 engine, SOHC, 16 valve, multi point fuel injection with no VVL or VVT, it produced 118hp with a 6500rpm redline, mated to a 5 speed gearbox

2.0 16V-EFI : This engine was in the Familiar LX, later used in the Miratsu LX and the Avanti BX. It's a 2.0 engine, SOHC, 16 valve, multi point fuel injection with no VVL or VVT, it produced 135hp with a 6500rpm redline, mated to a 4 speed automatic gearbox.

2.0 16V-EFI Turbo : This engine was in the Familiar Sport Saloon, the sporty version of the Familiar and in the RS Homologation Special, it's a 2.0 engine, SOHC, 16 Valve, multipoint fuel injection with no VVL or VVT, with a Garrett ball bearing turbo and Intercooler, it produced 244hp with a redline of 7500rpm, mated to a 5 speed gearbox.

**Familiar BX :**

This trim was the base model, it had exposed plastic bumpers, 13 inch steelies with hubcaps, manual steering, no abs, only driver airbag, manual locks, manual mirrors, manual windows, and the 1.6 8V-EFI engine with the 5 speed manual gearbox.

Basic interior with a standard VLPINE Cassette stereo from Finland, cloth upholstery, no tach, in the tach place was a clock.

The BX model was a really simple car, with no frills or luxury, but a really tough and reliable car. In 1997, a Familiar BX made it to the Millionth Mile on the odometer with nothing more than oil change and normal maintenance.

The colours offered for this trim were Alpine white, Sand Beige and Graphite Grey.

The Familiar BX MSRP in 1993 was $11500 and it was one of the most requested cars for fleets.

**Familiar EX**

The EX was an upscale model, the middle trim, this time offered power windows, power locks with alarm, power mirrors, foglights front and back, power steering, air conditioning and heater, rear defroster, a tachometer, a digital clock and a better VLPINE Cassette player, also incluiding driver and passenger airbag, and ABS brake system.

On the exterior the car had color matched bumpers with color matched accents and some chrome trim, also Piano Black accents on the exterior in the mirrors and pilars, also it had more colours to offer such as this Light Blue that can be seen on this photo, Gunmetal Gray, Sunshine Yellow and Evora Red.

The interior was still cloth and plastic but this time was a lot more comfortable for the driver and passengers, and a lot more safe-

This was the trim to get, it was very well equipped for the price, perfect for small families, taxi fleets or corporation cars.

This car had the 1.8 16V-EFI engine with 115hp mated to the 5 speed gearbox, really good, simple and reliable engine, with some power to commute.

The MSRP for the Familiar EX in 1993 was : $13500

**Familiar LX**

The LX was the top of the line in luxury for the Familiar, it had better touches and features all over, the exterior had some new 15 inch alloys, chrome trim all over the car, a new color palette with colours like Forest Green Metallic (shown on the pic), Dark Metallic Grey, Midnight blue and Snow Pearl White.

Also as you can tell, it has a new sunroof, exclusive for the LX, RS and Sport models.

In the interior has leather upholstery, wooden trim, electric seats, electric steering adjustment, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, CD VLPINE Stereo, heated front seats, Automatic Air Conditioning and Heater, a trip computer, double airbag, ABS, and other features from the EX model.

Enginewise, the LX had the 2.0 16V-EFI engine with 135hp and a 4 speed automatic transmission

This was the top luxury model, really confortable and loaded, but with the simplicity and the reliability of Matsurishi

The MSRP for the Familiar LX in 1993 was : $17600

**Familiar Sport Saloon:**

The Sport Saloon was the Sporty version of the Familiar, with a more agressive bumpers, 16 inch wheels, new brake system incluiding front ventilated disc brakes with three piston calipers at the front and solid discs with one piston calipers at the rear, a big spoiler, sunroof, two tone Orange Metallic paint with Metallic Black on the top, wider fenders, and a bulge in the hood, this car had a lot of inspiration of the Lancer Evolution I GSR and the Mitsubishi Eclipse GST.

Engine wise, it had the 2.0 16V-EFITurbo engine producing 244hp, with a 5 speed gearbox, although it was FWD with an Open Diff (kinda like the inspiration of the Eclipse GST).

This car was the fastest car of the B Segment, with 44 more hp than the Ylusso Sport Turbo and around the same weight (1170kg aprox), inevitably, the Ylusso Sport Turbo got defeated in the N Group WRC from 1993 to 1996 by the Familiar RS Turbo (the homologation version of the Familiar Sport Saloon), until the Miratsu SLT came out with a new AWD System that made it defeat all kinds of rally cars like the Subaru Impreza WRX GC8

(Fun fact, in Sukurappu's desperates attempts to win the N-Group WRC, they tried to cheat with the turbo using a hidden pressure regulator for the wastegate and they got caught in Canada, while racing in the 1996 season, so that cheat got Sukurappu disqualified in 1996, and banned in WRC from 1997 to 1999)

Interior wise it had some of the luxury features of the LX like leather interior, cd stereo, automatic air conditioning and heater, power windows and locks, power steering, ABS, Front airbags,but with lighter bucket seats, a Momo steering wheel and a bigger tach with a shiftlight.

This car was the favorite for street racers and car enthusiasts that had families but still wanted a cool car, it had the looks, the power, the practicity and the reliability that they needed, overall a great success!

The MSRP for the Sport Saloon in 1993 was $25500

**Familiar RS Turbo :**

The RS Turbo was the most radical Familiar ever built, it was built on the base of the Sport Saloon but lightened and improved! with the only purpouse of selling 1500 units to pass homologations and enter for the N Group WRC Category. (This version in particular was based on all of the Lancer Evolution RS models, but with a stronger influence on the Lancer Evolution II RS

No power steering, no ABS, no Airbags, no AC, no Heater, no power locks, no power windows, heck, no insulation, it was 70kg lighter than the original Sport Turbo weighing 1100kg.

It had the same 2.0 16V-EFITurbo engine with 244hp mated to the 5 speed gearbox, but with a Torsen LSD, which eliminated the torque steer and the understeer that the street version had.

This was a limited edition homologation special, but because of the high demand for RS models, Matsurishi decided to keep selling them and offering RS models of the Familiar with this exact spec, but only in Japan, as a JDM model until 1996 when the car needed to meet airbag and abs regulations, so for 1996 to 1998 the RS offered Airbags and ABS.

The MSRP of the Familiar RS in 1993 was : $24500

**Matsurishi Miratsu (1995-2003)**

The Miratsu was a four door sedan made by Matsurishi to get into the C Segment. It was launched in February of 1995 and ended production in 2003.

It's based on the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Galant, Suzuki Verona, Nissan Primera, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord with a few styling bits from the Chrysler Sebring.

The Miratsu has a monocoque chassi made of treated steel, with full independent suspension, mcpherson at front, double wishbone at the rear, which makes it able to have a All Wheel Drive drivetrain. The engine layout is transverse, and drivetrain is mainly front wheel drive, except the SLT trim and the RS Turbo trim.

The miratsu has 5 trims (In fact they are 8 trims, but two have different engine options that divide them in diferent trims, but in features they are the same)

EX (Base model, 4 cylinder 1.6 engine), EXi (Base model, 3 cylinder 1.0 engine), EDX (Base model, 4 cylinder 1.9 turbodiesel engine)

LX (Mid range model, 4 cylinder 2.0 engine), LDX (Mid range model, 4 cylinder 1.9 turbodiesel engine)

GLX (Top of the line, 3.0 V6 engine)

SLT (Sport Luxury Turbo, sporty model, 2.2 Turbo engine)

RS Turbo (Homologation Special, a stripped SLT, 2.2 Turbo engine)

Engines :

The Miratsu had 6 engines, 3 were petrol 4 cylinders, one was a 3 cylinder, one was a turbodiesel 4 cylinder and one was a V6

4C Family:

1.6 8V-EFI : This engine was in the Miratsu EX, it's a 1.6 engine, SOHC, 8 valves, single point fuel injection with no VVL or VVT. It produced 93hp with a 6500rpm redline, mated to a 5 speed gearbox

2.0 16V-EFI : This engine was in the Miratsu LX, also in the Familiar EX, and the Avanti BX. it's a 2.0 engine, SOHC, 16 valve, multi point fuel injection with no VVL or VVT, it produced 135hp with a 6500rpm redline, mated to a 4 speed automatic gearbox.

2.2 16V-EFI Turbo : This engine was in the Miratsu SLT, the sporty version of the Miratsu and in the RS Homologation Special, it's a 2.2 engine, SOHC, 16 Valve, multipoint fuel injection with no VVL or VVT, with a Garrett ball bearing turbo and Intercooler, it produced 305hp with a redline of 7500rpm, mated to a 5 speed gearbox with LSD and AWD.

4CD Family:

1.9 8V-DTI : This engine was in the Miratsu EDX and LDX, it's a 1.9 liter turbo diesel engine, SOHC, with 8 valves making 150hp mated to a 5 speed gearbox. No VVL or VVT, with multipoint fuel injection.

3C Family:

1.1 8V-EFI : This engine was in the Miratsu EXi, it's a 3 cylinder 1.1 engine, SOHC 8 valve. naturally aspirated, with multipoint fuel injection making 60hp. No VVL or VVT.

V6 Family

3.0 24V-EFI : This engine was in the Miratsu GLX and in the Avanti LX, it's a V6 engine, SOHC making 200hp, It has VVT and VVL. Multipoint fuel injection

**Miratsu EX (applies to EX, EXi and EDX)**

The Miratsu EX was the Base model, basically no frills.

Exteriorwise, the car had 13 inch steelies with hubcaps, plastic bumpers, no foglights, halogen headlights, and it was offered in Alpine White, Nardo Gray, Lettuce Green or Liberty Blue

Interior and other features : The car had the bare minimum, Double airbag, AC and heat, manual locks, manual steering adjustment, manual seat adjustment, ac, heat, defroster and a Casette stereo with AM and FM radio.

The EX, EXi and EDX in features they were the same, but enginewise, there were some changes.

The EX got the 1.6 8V-EFI engine from the 4C family. 93hp mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox.

The EXi got the new 3C Family engine, the 1.1 8V-EFI engine, a 1.1 3 cylinder engine with 60hp mated to a 5 speed gearbox

However, the EDX got the new 4CD family engine, the 1.9 8V-DTI engine, a 1.9 liter turbodiesel engine making 150hp mated to a 5 speed gearbox.

This version of the Miratsu was a huge sales success, selling 30% of the total Miratsu production from 1995 to 2003, mostly fleet sales.

The MSRP of the Miratsu EX was : $15995

The MSRP of the Miratsu EXi was : $16595

The MSRP of the Miratsu EDX was : $16999

**Miratsu LX (This applies to the LDX too)**

The Miratsu LX was a huge step up for the Miratsu, although it was a middle trim, it offered a lot for the price.

Exteriorwise, the whole body was colormatched, with some chrome accents, the 13 inch steelies were ditched for some 14 inch alloys, the LX incluided foglights and overall a better presentation. Also new colours for this trim like the Emerald Metallic Green, Light Blue, Evora Red or Gunmetal Gray

Interiorwise, also a great step up, the LX model has power locks, power mirrors, power windows, alarm, a VLPINE cassette stereo with cassette player, armrests, rear defroster and more importantly, the LX has ABS.

Under the bonnet is the world known 2.0 16V-EFI 4C family engine, with 135hp mated to the 5 speed gearbox (also later used on the Avanti BX).

And in the LDX model is the new 1.9 8V-DTI 4CD family engine, 1.9 turbo diesel with 150hp mated to a 5 speed gearbox.

This was the car for a small family that needed a good reliable, confortable , cheap and safe car. Indeed a best seller.

The MSRP for the Miratsu LX 2.0 in 1995 was : $18999

The MSRP for the Miratsu LDX 1.9 in 1995 was : $20000

**Miratsu GLX**

The Miratsu GLX was the top of the line in Luxury for the Miratsu! It was a first choice for CEO's of tech businesses.

Exteriorwise, the car has more chrome trim, some 15 inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, xenon headlights, and more sober colours like Midnight Pearl Black, Gunmetal Gray or Evora Red.

On the interior the luxury was incredible for this kind of car. Leather interior, powered seats with heated seats, power steering adjustment, power windows, locks, alarm, VLPINE CD Stereo with cd changer and a subwoofer, digital dash, climate control, electric sunroof, etc. This car was loaded, also it had double airbag and ABS.

And the technology doesn't stop there, under the hood there is a new engine, the 3.0 24V-EFI engine from the V6 family, producing 200hp mated to a 4 speed automatic transmission

This was a truly luxury sedan on the compact class, it offered a lot of stuff but without spending a lot of money!

The MSRP of the Miratsu GLT 3.0 in 1995 was : $26499

**Miratsu SLT**

The Miratsu SLT was the Sport model, following the concept of the Familiar Sport Saloon and taking it to the next level.

Exteriorwise, it has the same two tone paintjob that the Sport Saloon had, Metallic Orange with Graphite Metallic Black, the big bumpers with big air vents, the same hood bulge that the Sport Saloon had, 16 inch flowformed alloy wheels, new brake system with ventilated rotos all the way around, 3 piston calipers at front, 1 at the rear.

Interiorwise, it had a lot of the creature conforts of the GLT like the digital dash, leather interior, climate control, but also had sport bucket seats and a momo steering wheel.

Under the hood was the new 4C family engine, the 2.2 16V-EFITurbo, with forged internals, a big turbo with intercooler that made 305hp, mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox with AWD.

This car brought the rally pedigree from the Familiar Super Saloon to the streets with even more rawness and craziness, it was for the hardcore rally fan that needed a fun car but needed to take the family with him/her.

It's one of the most desirable japanese cars of the 90s, and it's very sought after in the car community and in the aftermarket community.

The MSRP of the Miratsu SLT 2.2 in 1995 was : $31995

**Miratsu RS Turbo**

The Miratsu RS Turbo is a homologation special for the A-Group and N-Group of the WRC, originally meant to sell only 1500 units, but because the Familiar RS Turbo got such a great response, Matsurishi decided to build RS Turbo models as a new permanent trim model and ready to sell worldwide.

The Miratsu RS Turbo is basically a stripped out Miratsu STL, what that means? No air conditioning, no airbags, no abs, manual locks, manual windows, manual mirrors, no power steering, no digital dash.

Although in 97, like the Familiar RS Turbo, by law they had to add Airbags and ABS,

Exteriorwise, the car is only offered in Alpine White with 15 inch steelies and plastic bumpers.

The Miratsu RS Turbo dominated the WRC in the A-Group and N-Group from 1995 to 2002, beating the competitors like the Impreza WRX RA, Celica GT-Four and of course, the Ylusso Sport Turbo after the ban ended in 2000.

The RS Turbo is a really desirable car, one of the most desirable JDM cars of the 90s with the pure rawness and character of the homologation specials like this one.

The MSRP of the Miratsu RS Turbo 2.2 in 1995 was : $29999

**Matsurishi Avanti (1999-2007)**

The Avanti was Matsurishi's attempt to join the Minivan market worldwide to compete with the Sukurappu Yngenua, especially in America. It was based of the Chrysler Grand Caravan, Nissan Quest and Toyota Previa.

Launched in 1999, the Avanti was built on a monocoque steel chassi, with Mcpherson front suspension and Torsion beam in the rear, 4 disc brakes with ABS as standard, automatic transmission, double airbag as standard, sliding rear doors and 9 seats. It was a complete success, being one of the most sold minivans of the decade until the discontinuation because of the 2008 Financial Crisis.

The Avanti had two trim models, the BX (base model) and the LX (fully loaded) with different equipment to appeal to the minivan market in a better way

Engines:

4C Family - 2.0 16V-EFI : This engine was in the Miratsu LX, and in the Familiar LX. it's a 2.0 engine, SOHC, 16 valve, multi point fuel injection with no VVL or VVT, it produced 135hp with a 6500rpm redline, mated to a 4 speed automatic gearbox.

V6 Family - 3.0 24V-EFI: This engine was in the Miratsu GLX, it's a V6 engine, SOHC making 200hp, It has VVT and VVL. Multipoint fuel injection mated to a 4 speed automatic gearbox

**Avanti BX :**

The Avanti BX was the base model, the exterior was only offered in Alpine White or Metallic Silver, plastic bumpers, 15 inch steelie wheels with hubcaps, manual side doors and not too much to talk about, it was basic.

Interiorwise, it had cloth interior, power windows at front, manual mirrors, stereo with casette, manual air conditioning and heat, rear air vent, double airbag and ABS.

Under the bonnet it has the most known Matsurishi engine, the 2.0 16V-EFI 4C family engine, with 135hp and a 4 speed automatic gearbox-

It was the cheapest van in America sold with two airbags and abs standard, and it was the go-to option for a spacious van.

The MSRP for the Avanti BX in 1999 was : $21995

**Avanti LX**

The Avanti LX was the top of the line for the Avanti, it improved the van a lot, exteriorwise, the van was colormatched, with chrome trim and more striking colours like Metallic Sea Blue or Evora Red, it had 15 inch alloy wheels, parking sensors, power sliding doors, foglights and xenon, etc. It made the van look more premium.

Interiorwise, it was really nice for the money. Leather interior, power seats, heated seats, climate control, CD stereo with subwoofer, rear AC, power sliding doors, power sliding sunroof, 4 airbags, ABS. It had really good features!

Under the bonnet, was the 3.0 24V-EFI V6 engine, with 200hp, mated to a 4 speed automatic transmission. Smooth power and delivery, smooth transmission and really quiet.

The LX model was the better option for a minivan, and the price wasn't much more expensive than the BX model, so it was a success on sales.

The MSRP for the Avanti LX 3.0 V6 in 1999 was : $26995