Our Cars--1988 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
Submitted by Brettski for Our Cars Week
I just have to mention my Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. It was sold in the U.S. in small numbers (3,000 in 1991-92, I think) and in Japan and Austrialia (where I am) in a similarly restricted way. It was very much a sleeper car--I owned an original 1988 Japanese-delivered model that was imported into Australia.
Overall, it was such a fun car to drive--all-wheel-drive, a 2-litre turbo, and it was built to cruise in comfort. Various optional extras were had on some models--cruise control, climate control, sun roof. The Japanese-delivered model also had a larger intercooler, dual-runner intake manifold, and funky electric folding mirrors.
The AWD drive system wasn't particularly high-tech. Open diffs front and rear (unless you were lucky enough to get the RS model from Japan which had a limited-slip diff in the rear) and a viscous-coupled centre diff that normally provided a 50/50 front/rear split but would (under slip) deliver up to 70-percent drive to the rear. That made for lots of fun in the wet--four-wheel power slides are the bomb.
The other unusual thing about the car was that it had four-wheel steering. Over about 45 km/h (28 mph) the rear wheels would steer in the same direction as the front wheels but only by about 3 degrees. It was a love/hate thing--some people disabled it, some people didn't mind it. Personally, I don't think it helped the handling, but it didn't adversely affect it either. Given that the standard steering rack was 2.5 turns lock-to-lock it didn't really seem to matter.
Plus, it was practical. You could pack four people into it (five if you squeezed) and their luggage--cruise around for the weekend and when you put the right foot down, it would always respond, regardless of how much weight it was carrying. Overtaking on country roads was bliss.
Common mods were better wheels and tyres, bigger turbo and intercooler, better brakes, and better suspension.
I miss my VR-4; I always had a smile on my face getting out of it. It wasn't perfect, but it was just right.
I've enclosed a couple of photos--one of my car in a filthy state (got to use it on gravel roads, after all - right?) and one from a track day we had a while back before I sold it.
Enjoy, and have fun out there.
--Brettski
Cookie the Dog's Owner on September 01, 2009 at 05:55 AM
Sweet little ride. The styling is pleasant and understated, which is *exactly* what you want in a sleeper like this.
salguod on September 01, 2009 at 09:45 AM
Here's my VR-4 story.
In college in Cincinnati, around 1991, I was a doorman at the Omni Netherland Plaza Hotel downtown (now a Hyatt, I think). It was an upscale hotel with a nice restaurant that drew local folks in for just the food.
One night someone form the local Mistsu dealer, maybe the owner, came in to dine driving a new, untitled VR-4 and had it valet parked. The valet, seeing 4WD, turbo charged, 4WS fun, got on it in the garage, lost it and when nose first into the wall. Hard.
I came in and it was parked out front, very crunched and leaking fluids, awaiting the tow truck. If I remember right, the car had something like 50 miles on it. The valet got transferred to housekeeping.
Oh, and when I was a valet prior to that, I used to love to drive the 4WS Preludes. They had a mechanical system that varied the rear steering with the amount of steering lock you applied. Initially, they'd turn with the fronts, but apply enough steering they'd flip around and turn the opposite, for low speed maneuverability. In the garage, rounding the end of the rows, the rears would turn the opposite and those things would just whip around the U turns.
Shawn on September 01, 2009 at 11:06 AM
...and thank you for reminding me why I always refuse valet parking.
The Galant VR-4 is pretty sweet. There's a graphite colored one near me that sits forlorn in a yard. I keep hoping someone will buy it and restore it to its former glory.
Jon Hantsbarger on September 01, 2009 at 02:02 PM
A great, little known import wonder. Quite a bit of power and lighter than the 3000GT
Brian DR1665 on September 02, 2009 at 08:23 AM
Love GVR4s.
I bought a dead one in New Mexico a few years back to build into a rally car. It wasn't long after I got it back on the road that I became so impressed with the car that I realized I didn't want to end up without one when the rally car ends up stuffed one day. Now I have two of these. I daily drive my 99% stock 92 every day here in Phoenix and the 91 sits in the garage awaiting final repairs after a moron in a Kia made a blind left in front of it.
They were brilliant cars. There might only be about 1500 or so left in existence in North America.
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i like this part of the post:"Plus, it was practical. You could pack four people into it (five if you squeezed) and their luggage--cruise around for the weekend and when you put the right foot down, it would always respond, regardless of how much weight it was carrying. Overtaking on country roads was bliss." is very good
ehsan on October 20, 2010 at 12:28 PM
Galant VR4 will never die...