to Colt 1000 T he chassis developed after the Colt 600 was the Colt 1000. The new Colt, which differed greatly from the Mitsubishi 500 and 600 in that it was not RR (rear-engine, rear wheel drive) as the previous two models had been, but was now FR (front-engine, rear wheel drive) and had a four door sedan body. The capacity of the engine had been greatly increased to 977 cc and produced 52.2 h.p., which made it the worlds most powerful engine in its class. Because of their powerful engine, ram manifold, and other newly developed technical advances, the Colt 1000 was used widely in motorsport activities. 1964 saw the 2nd Japan Grand Prix run by JAF and officially recognized by the FIA. It drew a crowd of 2,400,000, which gives an idea of the importance of the race at that point in time. Most car manufacturers entered factory teams, and the Colts were entered by Sohei Kato in the 700 - 1,000 (T3) class. The result 1-2-3 in class, amply proving the technically advanced level of the car. Nevertheless, Mitsubishi ceased factory competition in touring cars and started to concentrate its efforts on the open-wheel 'formula car' categories from the following year, 1966. BACK

Copyright 1996,1997 by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.