- "A one of a kind 4WD Starion built for WRC Group B racing."
- ―In-game catch text for the car, from GT6's Dealership
The Mitsubishi STARION 4WD Rally Car '84 is a rally car produced by Mitsubishi. It appears in Gran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo PSP, Gran Turismo 5, and Gran Turismo 6.
In-game description[]
Mitsubishi's Starion 'specialty' coupe, based on the Galant, was also active in motorsports. Its most famous outing was the All Japan Touring Car Championship, which started in 1985. The Starion had three wins in this race through 1988.
Meanwhile in the rally world, the Starion logged some successes behind the scenes. In the WRC of the early '80s, Audi's full-time 4WD quattro models were very powerful. Mitsubishi, who raced with their Lancer EX2000 Turbo, got a taste of the power of 4WDs in the WRC and began work on a 4WD machine of their own in secret. The materials for this came from the Starion. Mitsubishi, conforming to Group B regulations by producing 200 units, unleashed a super-machine called the Starion 4WD Rally.
The size of the Starion 4WD Rally's front-mounted SOHC straight-4 turbo was increased from 2L to 2.4L, yielding a maximum output of 355 BHP. This was a hardcore racer, going beyond a mere 4WD power-train with its full-time 4WD system and viscous-coupling centre differential.
However, there were difficulties in developing the car that was planned to debut in Autumn of 1984, and it missed being certified for Group B. Reluctantly, the Starion 4WD entered just the French Rally Championship Mille Pistes Rally and the third leg of the RAC, the last round of the WRC,[1] on a trial basis.
In its debut at the Mille Pistes, the Starion managed to win its class and it was anticipated that it would participate fully the following year. However, due to a variety of circumstances, Mitsubishi gave up on the WRC that year. In the end, the Starion 4WD became a phantom Group B machine, never running in the WRC.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 4 | --- | --- | Win the Rally Grand Canyon on Hard difficulty |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Mitsubishi Dealership | 1,000,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Used Car Dealership (Lv. 11+) | 1,724,043 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Mitsubishi Dealership | 1,400,000[2] | --- |
Trivia[]
- The livery that appears in the game is based on the version shown at Mitsubishi Auto Gallery, Mitsubishi's automotive museum in Okazaki, Japan.
- The livery was previously used at 1986 Hong Kong-Beijing Rally, carrying State Express 555 sponsorship. However, the version that participated there lacked rear wings.
- This depiction of the Starion rally car is based on the prototype model developed for the cancelled Group B division. The actual rally version that competed in Group A had rear-wheel drive and the smaller 2-litre 4G63T engine. The addition of all-wheel drive, a reduced kerb weight of 1,000 kilograms, and the larger 2.4-litre 4G64T were intended for use in Group B but the car was neither homologated nor successfully raced before the division was axed.
Pictures[]
