Mitsubishi is a strange focal point of mine. I used to crack all of the crank walk jokes and “Danger to Manifold” lines I could. But at the same time, I have some very, very fond memories of canyon racing a 3000GT VR4 in the foothills of the Rockies in Colorado. I might still gag a little seeing a fully neon, winged Eclipse, but if I located a real-deal AWD example that wasn’t beat to hell or rotted, I couldn’t say for sure that I wouldn’t be intrigued. And I don’t care how badly anyone bashes on the Mitsubishi GTO platform, I’d rock a 3000GT or Stealth all day long, I think they are badass. And that’s before we touch on the 4G63 mill, a four-cylinder that punches far above it’s initial weight class, any Starion-based machine, or any of the Mitsubishi P’up-based trucks. Small wonder, then, why I go after the current state of the company with venom flowing…they had it so right and let it go so wrong!

This is footage from the DSM Shootout, courtesy of 1320Video, and Kyle and the gang will give you plenty to think about: a 4G-swapped 3000GT that is a bullet, the LS-swapped 3000GT that we saw at LS Fest, and even an “Isuzu P’up” that looks like an S-10 and a Nissan got together one drunken evening put on a show. Eight second slips? Normal. Whether it’s the rear wheels or every last bit of rubber digging in for traction, we have to admit that “fast is fast” and that these wound up machines are worthy. Shame the company is all about hybrid crossovers and one dinky-ass doorstop of a car nowadays.