The Mitsubishi Sapporo name has been used on two derivations of the Mitsubishi Galant. The first was a rear-wheel-drive hardtop coupé based on the third-generation Galant, sold in Japan as the Galant Lambda and exported as the Sapporo from 1978 to 1984. The second was the European hardtop sedan version of the front-wheel-drive fifth-generation Galant, sold as the Sapporo from 1987 to 1990.
Mitsubishi Sapporo at a glance
| First use | 1978–1984 |
|---|---|
| First car | rear-wheel-drive hardtop coupé |
| Based on | third-generation Galant |
| Japanese name | Mitsubishi Galant Lambda |
| American names | Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Sapporo |
| Facelift | a thorough one in 1980 |
| Second use | 1987–1990 |
| Second car | hardtop sedan of the fifth-generation Galant |
| Market | Europe |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia entry on the Sapporo name, which is short and does not give engines or equipment.
History of the Mitsubishi Sapporo
The coupé
The first Sapporo was a rear-wheel-drive hardtop coupé based on the third-generation Galant. In Japan it was sold as the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda, while European and South American export markets received it as the Sapporo. In the United States it was sold as the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Sapporo, under Chrysler’s long arrangement of rebadging Mitsubishi cars. It was given a thorough facelift in 1980 and stayed in production until 1984.
The sedan
From 1987 to 1990 the Sapporo name returned in the European market on a different car: the hardtop sedan version of the front-wheel-drive fifth-generation Galant. The two cars shared a name but not a body style, a platform or a layout, which is why the Sapporo is best understood as an export label for Galant derivatives rather than as a single model.
What the name means here
The material available for this page is a short entry that separates the two uses of the name, so the article is short and does not describe the engines or equipment of either car. The coupé belongs with the Galant of the 1970s, and the sedan with the fifth-generation car of the late 1980s.
Design and features
- Two different cars: a 1978 coupé and a 1987 sedan.
- Galant Lambda: the Japanese name of the coupé.
- Chrysler badges: the coupé was sold as the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo.
- 1980 facelift: a thorough update of the coupé.
- European label: both cars used the name mainly outside Japan.
Mitsubishi Sapporo versions
- Sapporo coupé (1978–1984): rear-wheel-drive hardtop, the Galant Lambda.
- Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo: American versions of the coupé.
- Sapporo sedan (1987–1990): European hardtop version of the fifth-generation Galant.
Both Sapporos were versions of the Galant, and the coupé sat alongside the Starion in the range. More cars are in the Mitsubishi collection.
Sources
- Mitsubishi Sapporo, English Wikipedia: the two cars that used the name
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