Mitsubishi Starion

The Starion was one of the first Japanese sports cars to use a turbocharger, being launched in 1982 with a 170bhp (126kW) engine. That car suffered from turbo lag, but it got better in later models and by 1989 it was ail-but gone, though by then the engine had increased to 158ci (2.6 liters) in size and peak power had actually gone down, thanks to a catalytic converter being required. Even with the power drop, the 1989 model was the best Starion there had been. It also looked more aggressive, with widened arches. The neutral handling was mostly due to the good balance of 53:47 front/rear weight distribution. The car used MacPherson struts front and rear and the spring rates were set hard, so body was minimal but at the cost of a very firm ride. Out back two things helped to down power, one being wider tyres than the front with 225/50xl6s, the other being a limited-slip differential.

Mitsubishi Starion Specifications