Friday Video: Mitsubishi Galant GTO in 3000km Trap


The 1971 film 3000km Trap tells the story of a young man, played by Jiro Tamiya, whose wealthy businessman father has just lost a golfing bet with the president of a large Hokkaido department store. The wager? The “best sports car on the market,” a Mitsubishi Galant GTO.


It falls to Tamiya’s character to then deliver the prize from his father’s home in Kagoshima (on the southern tip of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu) 3000 kilometers across the length of Japan to the northern island of Hokkaido.


The night before his departure Tamiya receives an threatening phone call that leads him to question the wisdom of his journey, but nevertheless he embarks on his quest, undeterred. Almost immediately he encounters a mysterious woman in distress, and before long he’s being followed by a Mitsubishi Debonair. The further eastward he presses on in the GTO, the deeper the mysteries.


The film is peppered with appearances by other vehicles, including a Mitsubishi HJ, a Toyota Publica, and even a couple of large Detroit sedans.


But the most stunning aspect of the movie are the gorgeous driving shots filmed on location across Japan, from the palm-lined coasts of Kyushu to the snows of Hokkaido. There are few images quite as breathtaking as the black-striped, bright orange GTO floating over blankets of white.


Like Hairpin Circus3000km Trap sprang from the golden age of Japanese automotive films. A cool jazz score by Norio Maeda is the perfect companion for an epic cross-Japan road trip in a nostalgic car. This is what moving pictures were made for. Watch a montage of the GTO scenes below, and scroll down to see the exciting movie poster.

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11 Responses to Friday Video: Mitsubishi Galant GTO in 3000km Trap

  1. banpei says:

    Nice! I love the jazz theme! (・ิω・ิ)
    Missing the context of the story makes this compilation almost feel like Steven Spielbergs Duel!

  2. TE72_Sunny says:

    Beautiful GTO! How much would one go for nowadays?

  3. Tyler says:

    Best Friday video ever.

  4. Tyler says:

    Any idea where to get the full version?

    • Ben says:

      You can find it on Amazon.co.jp, where you can order in English and have it delivered to the US! Sadly, the prices are astronomical (but standard for a DVD in Japan), around $50 before shipping. If you like this, check out our article on Hairpin Circus.

      This film is pretty obscure. It’s not even listed on IMDB. If it weren’t for the GTO connection, Matt would not have found it!

  5. Tj says:

    I can think of a better use of celluloid.

    It’s a bit of a shame that they appear to have over dubbed most of the sound including the sound of the car itself.

    I wonder if it’s the ultra rare MR twin cam?

  6. dwlee says:

    Looking at the side stripe it is unlikely to be an MR as it doesn’t go across the top of the boot (trunk).

  7. Phil says:

    it looks like the M1 which is 1700cc, the MR had vents on the hood. The 2000cc GS and GS-R didn’t come until 1973ish and had different stripes along the side.

  8. pete240z says:

    I too thought it was a Japanese version of Duel. Dennis Weaver sweating with a truck on his tail……brakes not working well…….

  9. Bob says:

    Dig the ’68 Cutlass sedan with fender mirrors! And the ’62 Imperial.

    This looks really damn cool. I need to find this and Hairpin Circus now, haha.

  10. Bob says:

    I take it back, looks like a ’63 with some sort of bizarre grille splitter that sort of resembles the ’62 Imperial front end. Bizarre.

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