While Ford as well as GM each had the sources to establish their very own Michigan-designed subcompacts for the dawn of the 1970 s– the Pinto as well as Vega, specifically– Chrysler could not pay for the big price for such a job. Rather, Chrysler’s European procedures were touched for a number of versions that offered all right beyond of the Atlantic, providing us the Plymouth Cricket (called the Hillman Avenger in the UK) as well as the Simca 1204 (also known as the Simca 1100 in France). American automobile consumers provided those 2 versions the chilly shoulder, yet after that Chrysler located real sales success by negotiating with Mitsubishi to offer the Colt Galant with left-hand drive. This came to be the Dodge Colt, with sales starting in the 1971 design year. The 1971-1978 rear-wheel-drive Colts were when as commonplace as Corollas or B210 s on American roadways, they have all yet went away today. That makes today’s Junkyard Find, uncovered in a Denver-area yard recently, especially intriguing.
This automobile reveals indications of having actually remained in the hands of a speed-crazed lover proprietor, consisting of an aftermarket guiding wheel as well as one-piece auto racing seats with ports for five-point harnesses. The primer-gray paint is one more hint.
The rear-wheel-drive Colts were sensibly fast for their time, as well as they can be made really fast with standard engine upgrades. This Mitsubishi Saturn four-banger has a tube header, hot-rod ignition system, as well as a two-barrel (Mikuni-made) Solex carburetor. We can think there’s possibly some sort of web cam upgrade under the shutoff cover, also.
The shifter is gone, yet the initial transmission in this automobile was either the base four-speed or optionalfive-speed manual A three-speed automatic was readily available for $270(concerning $1,275 today). In the future, front-wheel-drive Colts (as well as Mitsubishi Mirages) can be acquired with the Twin-Stick overdrive rig, which provided chauffeurs 8 onward rates as well as the possibility to make Twin-Stick beer taps.
The 1977-1978 Dodge Colt 2- as well as four-door cars were based upon the Mitsubishi Lancer as well as were a little bit smaller sized than the 1971-1977 autos, while the wagon variation transferred to the Galant Sigma platform.
The develop tag programs that this automobile began life as the most affordable 1977 Colt design, the “Gas mileage Manufacturer” two-door car (Dodge dealerships called it a sports car, to make sure that’s what I’m calling it in the title). A correct hardtop sports car (the Colt GT) was readily available in 1977, yet it set you back $3,988 versus the Gas mileage Manufacturer two-door’s $2,984 price (that has to do with $18,855 as well as $14,110 in 2021 bucks). The most affordable feasible Toyota Corolla detailed at $2,788 as well as a Datsun B210 Honey set you back $2,959
The ashtray had lots of adjustment, which suggests I was among the initial clients to reach this automobile after yard employees positioned it in the rows.
I drew out a handful of dimes as well as located that the most recent ones were produced in 1992 as well as glossy as well as still good. That informs us that this automobile likely obtained parked almost 30 years back, when it was just around 15 years of ages.
It appears not likely that an automobile would certainly acquire simply 34,593 miles throughout 15 years when driving, so I assume this Colt had 134,493 miles when it completed its occupation. I presume this automobile might have originated from the collection of the late Bill Good, a Denver innovator as well as Colt racer that died a couple of years back. A close friend of mine wound up with a pair lots of his Colts, yet handled to discover great residences for simply a handful as well as needed to junk the remainder.
For the 1979 design year, the Colt (as well as its Plymouth Champ sibling) mosted likely to the front-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Mirage system as well as never looked back … till the Neon changed it in1995 Mitsubishi began selling its vehicles under its own badging here starting with the 1983 model year, which implied that the Dodge as well as Plymouth Colts needed to take on nearly-identical Mirages for greater than a years.
Mr. D (Datsun) as well as Mr. T (Toyota) appear not able to acknowledge Mr. M’s Dodge, which would certainly be immediately recognizable as a Mitsubishi anywhere in Japan.