Mitsubishi 3000GT car phone made functional again, despite total network shutdown 15 years ago

It never fails to impress us how deeply one can nerd out over some obscure aspect of the car hobby. We’ve seen insanely detailed customized Hot Wheels, logic-defying audio setups, and single-model shrines whose devotion would rival some actual religious sites. Never did we consider that a carphone could be so fascinating. After all, it’s just a 30-year-old piece of obsolete tech, right? But when you see what one Mitsubishi 3000GT owner did to make the phone functional again despite the fact that the analog service it runs on was shut down in 2008, you won’t be able to look away.

There is already much to appreciate about the 1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 owned by Jeff Lau, who goes by UselessPickles on YouTube. It’s beautifully cherry and looks as clean and original as one imagines it did on the showroom floor three decades ago. It also appears to have been loaded with what would’ve been an expensive option back in the day: a Mitsubishi-branded mobile phone called, in geeky 90s fashion, the DiamondTel.

DiamondTel M92 phones were available in Mitsubishi 3000GTs and Dodge Stealths for model years 1992-93, according to the 3SI wiki. Mounted in the center console with auxiliary quick-dial buttons on the steering column, the phone connects to factory wiring on the 3000GT. That means it can play through the car’s OEM audio system and even automatically lowers the volume on the stereo when making calls.

This was cutting edge tech when Radiohead’s “Creep” was selling out at Sam Goody. The M92’s list of features is as impressive as the phone is complex: 99 memory slots, optional auto-answer after three rings, automatic retry, last number recall, seven levels of call restrictions, cumulative talk time counter, separate volume adjustments for voice and various alerts, as well as — something not all phones had in 1993 — mute.

Better yet, it comes with a portable cradle and leather carrying case so you can take your DiamondTel with you once your 3000GT has arrived in style at your destination. The battery claims a 14-hour charge on standby, though actual in-call time drops it down to 80 minutes. Just imagine how cool you’d look carrying around a pouch the size of a Webster’s dictionary as you stroll through the mall on your way to Lord & Taylor or Dillard’s.

Jeff says it took him three years to build the Bluetooth adapter that pairs the DiamondTel to his smartphone. Once linked the DiamondTel makes calls through the modern cellphone, but call information is displayed on the old school handset itself. The LCD even displays status updates such as “Pairing” and “Paired: Jeff’s iPhone.”

Signal strength is displayed on the DiamondTel and Siri can be commanded through it as well. The Bluetooth adapter automatically remembers the pairing, so each time Jeff starts his 3000GT his iPhone connects automatically. Best of all, he developed the unit so that it connects to the transceiver with no need to hack into the factory harness.

It’s an astounding achievement, and we can only applaud Jeff’s dedication as we watch with brains exploded. It’s probably safe to say there’s no one else outside of Mitsubishi itself that’s as knowledgeable about the DiamondTel M92. He’s also programmed it to play Snake and use the theme from Beverly Hills Cop as a ringtone.

We can’t think of a better fit for a working mobile phone than Mitsubishi’s 300-horsepower, twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive, all-wheel-steering technological tour de force. Mitsubishi’s made so many gadgets over the years that it’s only appropriate for its flagship sports car to have a working Mitsubishi cell phone. Hopefully, for his next trick, Jeff can get his Mitsubishi F15 Acces fax machine to send a fax over his new system.

via The Drive.

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2 Responses to Mitsubishi 3000GT car phone made functional again, despite total network shutdown 15 years ago

  1. CycoPablo says:

    Of their consumer electronics, my favourite VCR was the Mitsubishi HS-E10.
    Three head and mono, but a very good one with solid freeze frame and slow-mo plus a monstrous remote with learning area. Even included inserts for the custom learning remote buttons.

  2. Taylor C. says:

    Straight-up WOW. AND, hands-free action too.

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