The Mitsubishi Colt is not one car but a nameplate used by Mitsubishi Motors since 1962. It has been applied to the first small family cars of the 1960s, to the export versions of the Mirage between 1978 and 2002, and to the 2002–2013 hatchback built in Japan and at NedCar in the Netherlands.
Mitsubishi Colt at a glance
| Nameplate introduced | 1962, on the Colt 600 |
|---|---|
| First period | 1962–1971 small family cars |
| Second period | 1978–2002, export versions of the Mirage |
| Third period | 2002–2013, Z20 and Z30 hatchbacks |
| Z20 (2002) | built in Japan, five-door only |
| Z30 (2004) | built at NedCar, Netherlands |
| Engines Z20 | 1.3 and 1.5 DOHC MIVEC |
| Engines Z30 | 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 3/4A9 petrol, 1.5 Mercedes OM639 diesel |
| Ralliart | 1.5 turbo with 150 PS and 180 Nm |
| Successor | Mirage name returned in 2013 |
| Also a marque | Colt Car Company in Britain, 1974–1984 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Mitsubishi Colt. No free photos of the Colt were found in the material, so the article keeps the car’s earlier picture.
History of the Mitsubishi Colt
Small cars of the 1960s
The name appeared in 1962 on the Colt 600, the first of a line of small family cars that complemented the Mitsubishi 500, the company’s first postwar passenger car. The Colt 600 used a 594 cc NE35B overhead-valve air-cooled straight-twin. At that time Mitsubishi Motors did not exist as an independent company: the cars were built by three regional subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which had been dismantled after the war and came back together as a single entity in 1964, though the Colt marque was kept in Asia into the 1970s and in Europe into the 1980s.
The Colt 1000, a larger compact car, followed in 1963, the Colt 1500 in 1965, the Colt 1100 replaced the 1000 in 1966, and the Colt 1200 took its place in 1968. A third line was the smaller fastback Colt 800 and its derivatives, the 1000F, 1100F and 11-F, built from 1965 until late 1971.
The Mirage years
Mitsubishi brought the Colt name back in 1978 for a front-wheel-drive hatchback, with a saloon added in 1982. In Japan the car was the Mirage, and the Colt name was used in markets such as Europe and Australia, where it was built by Mitsubishi Motors Australia from 1982 to late 1989. Five generations of Mirage-based Colts were sold between 1978 and 2002, with new generations in 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1995. In Europe the Colt badge was usually given to the hatchback only; coupés, saloons and estates were sold as the Lancer.
Chrysler, Mitsubishi’s long-time partner, also used the name for its rebadged captive imports in North America between 1970 and 1994. In Britain the Colt Car Company sold Mitsubishi vehicles under the Colt marque from 1974 to 1984, because the name was hard to pronounce and carried unfortunate associations with the A6M Zero fighter of the Second World War.
Z20 and Z30
In November 2002 Mitsubishi released a new Colt in Japan, designed by Olivier Boulay and built on the same platform as the Smart Forfour. Coded Z20, it marked the return of the name to Japan, was made only as a five-door and was initially powered by 1.3 and 1.5-litre double-overhead-camshaft MIVEC engines mated only to a CVT. It was exported to a handful of right-hand-drive markets in Asia and the Pacific.
A European version built at NedCar went into production in April 2004 as the Z30. It used newer 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5-litre MIVEC petrol engines and, from June, a 1.5-litre OM639 turbodiesel from Mercedes-Benz. Unlike the Japanese car it had a standard five-speed manual gearbox, with an optional six-speed automated manual called Allshift on engines above the base 1.1.
The Japanese Z20 was facelifted in October 2004 and moved to the newer 4A9 engines. A high-performance Ralliart joined the range with a turbocharged 4G15 Orion engine of 1.5 litres, a turbocharger and intercooler and MIVEC variable valve timing, producing up to 150 PS at 6,000 rpm and 180 Nm at 3,500 rpm. In 2013 Mitsubishi replaced the Colt with a new generation that returned to the Mirage name.
Design and features
- Three lives: a 1960s small saloon, a Mirage export badge and a 2000s hatchback.
- Colt marque: sold as its own brand in Britain from 1974 to 1984.
- Smart link: the 2002 Colt shared its platform with the Smart Forfour.
- NedCar build: the European Z30 was made in the Netherlands.
- Ralliart: a 150 PS turbocharged 1.5 at the top of the range.
Mitsubishi Colt versions
- Colt 600 (1962): 594 cc air-cooled twin, the first Colt.
- Colt 1000, 1100, 1200, 1500: the 1960s family cars.
- Colt 800 and F-series: fastbacks built until 1971.
- Mirage-based Colt (1978–2002): five generations of hatchbacks.
- Colt Z20 (2002): Japanese five-door on the Smart Forfour platform.
- Colt Z30 (2004): European version from NedCar with Mercedes diesel.
- Colt Ralliart: turbocharged 1.5 with 150 PS.
The Colt was the hatchback relative of the Lancer and Mirage, and its first version followed the Mitsubishi 500. More cars are in the Mitsubishi collection.
Sources
- Mitsubishi Colt, English Wikipedia: nameplate history, Z20 and Z30, Ralliart
