In the early 1970s, a lot of manufacturers started to look at the idea of a “world car”, a platform that they could sell to multiple markets with the least amount of work necessary for adaptation to local laws. Ford wanted to do that with the Escort, but didn’t get around to it until the early 1980s. Chrysler managed to make their recently-sold Chrysler Europe division pay dividends when they swiped the Simca-Talbot Horizon for the U.S. market…again, right at the turn of the 1980s. AMC sold knock-down kits that were put together in Mexico, Europe and Australia, but with varying success across the board. The Japanese were the ones who really managed to hit home runs…Datsun’s 510, Mazda’s RX-4 and small pickup trucks were making strides quickly in the marketplace, but this one little car from Mitsubishi can be considered one of, if not the ultimate world car. You could find one in any market in some form or another. Just the first generation alone had several names in the United States: Dodge Colt, Plymouth Arrow, Dodge Arrow, Dodge Celeste (Puerto Rico) and the Fire Arrow.
The root car was the Mitsubishi Lancer, a name that ran from 1973 to present day (it’s still sold in some Asian markets) and has sold untold millions throughout it’s lifetime. Whether you suffered with a Mitsubishi Mirage back in your college commuter days or have great memories of an Evolution ripping a rally stage apart, Mitsubishi’s stalwart has been there. But the early cars…they didn’t last long, it seemed. They were used up and tossed aside for the next car, and to see one today is an event. Larry Chen recently checked out this competition-spec’d example, and we’ve got to say that cleaned up, it’s a looker!
The reason the japanese cars became so popular (other than value for money) was they designed them from the start for the entire world. The rest of the planet seemed to not be able to see beyond their borders, particularly the american manufacturers. A big caddilac isn’t much use whenits as wide as a european street