Mitsubishi FTO: the front-wheel-drive coupé that won in Japan

The Mitsubishi FTO is a front-engined, front-wheel-drive sports coupé produced from 1994 to 2000. It was meant for Japan only, but its popularity as a grey import to Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand led Mitsubishi to sell it through official dealers there at the end of its life.

Mitsubishi FTO at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Mitsubishi FTO.

History of the Mitsubishi FTO

A name from 1971

FTO stands for Fresh Touring Origination, and the name recalled the Galant Coupé FTO of 1971, one of Mitsubishi’s first sports cars. That car was rear-wheel drive and built from November 1971 to March 1975, originally with an 86 or 95 PS 1,378 cc 4G41 Neptune engine, then from February 1973 with 1,597 cc 4G32 Saturn units of 100 or 110 PS and a 1,439 cc engine of 92 PS. A facelift in October 1973 cut the range to four versions, and production wound down in August 1975 after the Lancer Celeste arrived that March.

The 1994 coupé

The new FTO of 1994 was a two-door coupé with front-wheel drive only. It offered either an inline four or a transversely mounted V6, with a five-speed manual or the INVECS-II automatic; early automatic cars had four speeds, and most facelift cars from 1997 to 2000 had five. The 1997 change was most visible in the front bumper, which went from two air intakes to a single deeper one with a restyled lip and a new indicator and fog light arrangement. On some earlier cars two blanking plates reduced the size of the lower aperture.

The range started with the inline-engined GS on 14-inch wheels and automatic climate control, with the rear spoiler optional on the GS and GR. The V6 GR had 15-inch wheels and auto air conditioning, and the V6 MIVEC GPX topped the range with 16-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and side air dams as standard. A MIVEC GP appeared in 1996 with a semi-race Nakaya-Tune dealer package, and a GP Special was promoted as an early GP version R. Options included anti-lock brakes, traction control and a passenger airbag.

The FTO was the first Mitsubishi with the INVECS-II automatic, a tiptronic-style gearbox based on similar Porsche technology; driven manually it learns the driver’s style for use in automatic mode. The four- and five-speed versions use different gear ratios and reach different top speeds. MIVEC cars can be recognised by larger twin-piston front brake calipers instead of the single-piston units of other models.

Car of the Year and the grey market

On its debut the FTO won the Car of the Year Japan award for 1994–1995, marked by a GPX Limited Edition finished in dandelion yellow with Japan Car of the Year emblems on the C-pillar and a rear screen wash-wiper. In its 2000 company report Mitsubishi called the phased-out FTO the little brother of the GTO, a coupé that expressed the fun-to-drive philosophy with well-balanced proportions and aggressive styling.

Design and features

• Front-wheel drive only: all FTOs drove the front wheels.
• MIVEC V6: the 2.0-litre engine of the GPX with twin-piston front brakes.
• INVECS-II: Mitsubishi’s first tiptronic-style automatic.
• Yellow limited edition: the GPX built to mark the 1994 award.
• Grey import favourite: popular in Britain and Asia before official sales.

Mitsubishi FTO versions

• GS: 1.8-litre four, 14-inch wheels, climate control.
• GR: 2.0-litre V6 with 15-inch wheels.
• GPX: 2.0 V6 MIVEC, 16-inch wheels, spoiler and air dams.
• GP and GP Special (1996): MIVEC models with dealer packages.
• GPX Limited Edition: dandelion yellow award commemorative.
• Facelift (1997): single deeper front intake.

The FTO was the little brother of the GTO and used engines from the Galant family. Its rear-wheel-drive ancestor was the Galant FTO, and more cars are in the Mitsubishi collection.

Sources

• Mitsubishi FTO, English Wikipedia: models, engines, gearbox, award