It’s not clear why someone would let a built Mitsubishi Starquest sit unused in a barn for 12 years, but that’s what happened. It gets even more curious when the builder is your father and one of the longest-serving experts on the Starion/Conquest platform. Luckily, the car was rescued from its life as a petri dish and given a thorough wash and detail job for a second chance at greatness.
The car in question is likely a Chrysler Conquest rather than a Starion, but that’s splitting hairs. What’s important is that it was saved from a fate of gathering mold over every surface as it sat in a barn for over a decade. The WD Detailing YouTube channel pulled it out and gave it a thorough cleaning that’s like vehicular ASMR. Along the way there’s interesting details like the famous “Turbo” seat belts
The car was built by an Ohio man named Randy Gains who goes simply by “Dad” on the StarquestClub forums. It’s one of the oldest automotive forums dedicated to the Starion and Conquest models and Gains is known as a guru on the site. When he puts together a car there’s little doubt it’ll be a solid build. This one has an early 1983 hood, Special Handling Package wheels, and some other rare parts.
Fortunately it’s returning to Randy’s hands after the detailing so he can get it up and running again. The car looks positively excellent when it’s cleaned up and the mechanicals should be easy enough for a man like Gains, so hopefully this Mitsu will soon be back on the road.
I always liked these cars, and this is coming from a die hard Toyota person.
Well, I had a Conquest Tsi before my Supra. So, I like both cars.
What gen Supra?
Sure would be nice to have both.
I’m a dyed in the wool American muscle car aficionado, albeit one who appreciates the off-the-beaten-path American muscle, but I have always loved the Mitsubishi Starion, almost as much as the 2nd gen Supras. I currently have an 85 Supra parked next to my 66 Ford Galaxie. The 2nd gen Supra and Starion are what I’ve often called Japanese muscle cars, even though they don’t necessarily have the HP we’d like to see (but they were competitive with American cars of the same period), the styling is absolutely stunning and “muscular”. Later generation Supras (and others) may have ramped up the power, but the styling became decidedly soft and unattractive in my opinion, making the performance irrelevant due to weak styling. Transplanting modern power and suspension/brakes into one of these beauties is the best of both worlds.
The 2nd gen Supra and Starion were two of the greatest looking cars to come from Japan, in my estimation–of course the Starion “borrowed” many styling cues from the 2nd Gen Supra.