Anyone know if the Galant Lambda Was every raced by mitsu?

city hunter · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:20 am

I've seen models of lambda gsr's looking like race cars, but did mitsubishi ever actually race the galant lamda scorpion challenger sapporo?

JunRaymond · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:34 am

Nice question..

I've also seen rally race pics but never have I seen any with official Mitsu decals and read stories regarding their race sorties.

BTW, it's Lambda :wink:

city hunter · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:29 pm

oops I should edit that lol. Lambda eterna, whatever lol

JunRaymond · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:42 am

Hihi

Matnes · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:22 pm

Like the other Japanese makes, Mitsubishi needed to be persuaded into rallying. In Mitsubishi’s case it was very much like a company missing a superb opportunity when Joginder Singh and soon after Andrew Cowan had surprising results in old, totally private Lancers. While Joginder Singh even won the 1974 Safari for Mitsubishi, it was Andrew Cowan to build a team base in Europe, but Mitsubishi’s interest seemed to stay low scale for some time. In 1981 Cowan turned a new Lancer into a group 4 rally car and as it was the only rally car of its shape, size and layout with a turbo engine, it should have been competitive. This Lancer 2000 Turbo indeed looked promising on occasions, but still Mitsubishi’s interest can’t have been that superb, the Lancer Turbo appeared unregularly for 1 ½ years and that was it for a while. Well, nearly, as there was in fact a Starion 4x4 turbo group B project, but again lack of support from the manufacturer seemed to slow down development. Although Cowan’s Ralli Art team was working on the car for some time and in fact the car was running as a prototype on some events, it never was homologated before the ban of group B. That group B Starion had a front engine layout, which didn’t help its case.

i hope that helps with you question

found it here http://www.rallye-info.com/carmake_profile.asp?make=10

i also wonder if that starion 4WD found near here a few years back is one of them group B cars. ( Cowan is an Australian)

MATT

Old Colt · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:25 am

Quote:

i also wonder if that starion 4WD found near here a few years back is one of them group B cars.

If I am correct there were six 4wd chassis made in two different configurations. The Cowen built, Mitsubishi assisted car had the engine sitting rather high to clear the front driveline.
The other car that I think had HKS support had much more setback so the engine sat behind the diff.
I saw pictures of this one years ago but doubt I can dig them up.

Either one of the cars was to little to late for racing.

I have heard that Mitsubishi has tested the FWD based driveline in a Starion chassis but I bet these rumors are unfounded. They had the FWD Galant chassis since 1984 to work with.

dog283 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:39 pm

Did anyone notice the markings on the Rally cars? Seems like Mitsu ran their own Works car along side the Ralliart cars at some point.

During the early days of Rallying you can see that there were a number of car prepared by a different groups;

The white cars prepared by Andrew Cowan (what would eventually become Ralliart) Notice the Cowan's car when it did have a country on the roof of it always said Scotland and had a marking on the front fender that read 'Mitsubishi Aust PL'

And the yellow 'works' cars prepared by Mitsubishi driven by Kenjiro Shinozuka; Had Japan on top and/or 'ENT CSNC Japan' on the front fender;

(inverse color- Yellow stripes)

Shinozuka also drove a white car, with no markings on the roof, can't read whats on the fender;

Jodinger Singh we know drove a car that they prepared in Africa (Jodinger Motors; who still runs cars in the Safari today) sported Kenya on the roof and always rocked the wild bore tusks around the badge on the hood;

Yet here he's driving an Australian prepared car (in the Southern cross if I'm not mistaken) - still rocking the tusks!

I thought for a while that the country on roof marked the nationality of the driver, but here's Barry Ferguson (who I'm pretty sure is not Japanese) driving a 'Japan' car;

This I don't think is that well known but Hannu Mikkola (better known for driving Audis and Escorts) drove one too but with no country markings; Mitsubishi Aust PL - It's not even mentioned in his Wikipedia article.

john · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:45 pm

dog283 wrote:

Shinozuka also drove a white car, with no markings on the roof, can't read whats on the fender;

Looks like Shinozuka Richardson? His co-driver perhaps?

Old Colt · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:56 pm

If I am correct The second picture with Cowen's Coupe is also the same car in a few of the lower pictures.

city hunter · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 2:01 pm

I was mainly wondering about the lambda or more so teh eterna since it seems to be the base of a starion. Seems like it woulda fit right in with a sillouhette racer.

Matnes · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 5:16 pm

Mitsubishi never had a factory team, rather small groups the developed them for racing, it wasn't until year later that they formed there own team, during the 60's the main focus was open wheeler racing( have pic's somewhere) and where very relucktant to make a factory team. with the Colts Mitsu would bring a car and leave it for others to prepare and run.

i am in contact with George Shepheard who ran in the southerncross and ampol rallies in the "colt factory teams" i will ask him more about the early days. i am also in contact with Ian Hill the 4G32 master, he got more out of those 1600cc engines than the factory efforts ever did.

but i feel safe to say that Mitsubishi didn't have an active part in preping these cars for rally in the early days they just paid some bills or gave them cars.

MATT

Old Colt · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:18 pm

In America they also supported efforts but they were managed by individual teams. I the rally effort of the early 90s they never even reimbursed a team for a full seasons effort. Real poorly done.

I do not know of any support for the big Galants. Chrysler had only offered support for private teams but did have a few company employees that raced in the technical department. Two of whom are still active now.

Anyone know if the Galant Lambda Was every raced by mitsu?

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