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2021 Shannons Winter Timed Online Auction
Lot
148

1984 Mitsubishi JB Starion 'Turbo' Coupe

$30,001

Melbourne

Sold

Specifications

Engine 2 litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Gearbox Five-speed manual
Body Work Coupe
Colour Black
Interior Red
Trim Cloth
Wheels Alloy
Brakes Disc/disc

Description

This lot is no longer available

The Mitsubishi Starion was a two-door, turbocharged four-cylinder rear-wheel drive hatchback sports car manufactured from 1982 to 1989 and one of the first modern Japanese performance cars to feature electronic fuel injection among other technical advancements. Launched in response to a boom in Japanese-derived sports cars like the Nissan Z cars, Mazda’s RX-7, the Toyota Supra and to a lesser extent, the Honda Prelude, and Isuzu Piazza, the Starion used the traditional front-mounted engine with rear-wheel drive layout. McPherson strut suspension utilised sway bars front and rear, and many Starions also came with a limited slip differential and anti-lock brakes (single channel, rear wheels only) as standard features. Imported into Australia in small numbers from 1982, there were three models here – JA, JB & JD – each with minor feature and mechanical upgrades to what was basically the same car. Standard engine in Australia was the SOHC 2.0 L Sirius 4G63 four-cylinder, featuring computer-controlled fuel injection and turbocharging. By no means a big seller, nonetheless the Starion was the hero of the Mitsubishi Australia range at the time and met with some local success in production car racing.