Toyota had the Land Cruiser, Nissan had the Patrol, and Mitsubishi had…well, nothing. That’s kind of a bad deal, since both the Cruiser and the Patrol were quickly making a name for themselves as solid off-roaders and workhorses. So Mitsubishi did something that the company has done many times since: they partnered with another company to get a product going. In 1953, Mitsubishi struck a deal with Willys to market the CJ-3B design on their own, and they did so until 1998, when emissions regulations took out the engine lineup offered and sent the J-series into history. 

For the majority of the J-series’ run, there was little change and visually, the only real difference between the J-series and a CJ-3 flatfender involves Japan-spec lighting upgrades. Underhood, however, the engines were something else. Earlier J-series used the Hurricane four-cylinder, but as the years progressed the Hurricane was phased out in favor of Mitsubishi’s large four cylinders and even turbo diesels. In this example we found on eBay, the powerplant is a 2.0L Astron four cylinder, like what you would find in a Dodge D-50 pickup truck, backed up to a four speed manual, with the rest of the running gear exactly as you’d find in a U.S. spec flatfender.

If you like your Jeeps early and tiny, you might want to take a look into these Mitsu-Jeeps. They had the license from Willys and could be a lot cheaper than resuscitating something dragged out of a field after a fifty-year nap!

eBay Link: 1980 Mitsubishi Jeep J58