In 1982, FIA sanctioned a brand new class in rallying, one which would be regarded as one of the most recognizable eras in the sport. Group B. With little to almost no restrictions, manufacturers pushed to create fire-breathing behemoths that pushed the boundaries of technology. The ingenious pioneer that is the Audi Quattro, Lancia’s samba dancer 037, Ford’s wild RS200, Peugeot’s brutal 205 T16, and the infamous Lancia Delta S4 were among the few cars which garnered a massive following, even to this day.
Japan had thought of a couple of tricks up their sleeve to fight their way against the tough European competition, Nissan had their rather unsuccessful Silvia-based 240RS, Toyota had their TA64 Celica Twin Cam Turbo which was able to give European manufacturers quite the tremor, and Mitsubishi had their Lancer EX2000 Turbos raging down the lower class segments. However, the car you see before you is not a souped up Lanturbo, it is in fact a Starion, a souped up Starion which could in fact give Audi and possibly every other top ranking “B car” a run for their money. Enter the Starion 4WD Rally.
Based off a Mitsubishi Starion, this particular model was supposedly a to-be Group B contender, facing the likes of the S1 Quattros and 037s. The front fascia of this Mitsubishi coupe was heavily revised, now having a completely new FRP-based front end, ditching the retractable pop-up headlights with fixed quad headlights. The change caused a shorter front overhang, shortening the car’s overall length by about 10 millimeters. Additional wide fenders were also molded on to the car, giving it a much wider track and increasing the width by another 10 millimeters. Not to forget, the massive rear spoiler which houses a similarly gargantuan oil cooler to keep temperatures cool at high loads and severe conditions.
The engine still uses the faithful single-overhead G63B that came with standard road-going Starion models. However, it has since been given a few tweaks here and there to have it ready for rally service. Not much is known about the modifications that were made, but, the G63B did had an increase in displacement from 1997cc to 2091cc. The upgrades allowed the Sirius engine to pump up an appropriate 377PS at 7000 RPM and deliver a gargantuan 410 newton-meters of torque at 5000 RPM. All of the power sent to a 5-speed manual box and delivered to all four wheels by Mitsubishi’s then-prototype 50:50 split all-wheel-drive system, which is an evolution of a part time 4WD system, having to utilize a separate shaft and a transmission-connected center differential to send power to the front wheels.
In 1983, the Starion 4WD was unveiled to the public in the 25th Tokyo Motor Show, wearing its proud Ralliart black/grey/red color scheme. In April of the same year, Mitsubishi conducted a series of tests with their newly developed rally machine, in which they discovered surprising results. Data showed that the Starion did indeed have a similar cornering speed to that of Audi’s Quattro cars, which were regarded as the top rally car of the time. However, in June 21st of 1984, for unknown reasons, Mitsubishi decided to stop any further development for the Starion 4WD, ultimately making the behemoth coupe ineligible for homologation, but, the story doesn’t end there...
Mitsubishi saw potential with their unfinished project, and hence they deployed all four prototype cars: R1, R2, T1, and T2, into each respective rallies of their own. Chassis R1 was used to compete in the 1984 rendition of Southern France’s Rallye des 1000 Pistes (or the Mille Pistes Rally), being classed into the “Prototype Category” and finishing 1st in class. R1 also saw action in the 1985 Malaysian Rally. However, it sadly retired, and it became the last appearance of the car in quite some time. 1986 saw not only the end of Group B, but also chassis’ T1 and T2 competing in the grueling Hong Kong-Beijing Rally, driven by Lu Nin-jun to a second place best, just behind Stig Blomqvist and his Audi Quattro. 1987 also saw the return of the Starion 4WD, now scoring in 9th place, and the rest was history.
Four prototypes were produced including one road-going model with a yellow paint scheme and black/gold rally stripes running across the length of the car. Since R2 was used as more of an experimental test subject rather than a racing car, it has since been crushed four months after the events of Malaysia Rally ‘85. The existence of R1 is unknown to this day, although it is highly likely that it suffered the same demise as R2. Only the road-going yellow example is still present at the Mitsubishi Auto Gallery in Okazaki, and, in recent times, it has been reported that units T1 and T2 still exists, although it has only been mentioned by word of mouth, and no existing image of its re-discovery has surfaced as of this time.
Undoubtedly, the Starion 4WD was a very important car for Mitsubishi. Without it, the Galant VR-4’s all-wheel-drive system wouldn’t have existed, as this very car was the brainchild to such a technology, ultimately being the sole reason as to why the Lancer Evolutions were made possible. Even though it served almost little in what it was originally designed for, it served a massively huge role in the development of future Mitsubishi rally cars instead. So if you’re wondering where your Lancer Evolution’s ingeniously complex all-wheel-drive system came from, this car right here is ground zero folks, this car is where it all started.
See the crazy Group B prototype in action here:
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