Do you remember when Mitsubishi ‘owned’ the world rally circuit? Yes, there was a time when Mitsubishi was the rally king and even our own ‘Flying Singh’ the rally driving legend, Karamjit Singh had a few years behind the wheel of this amazing sedan that seemed unstoppable in the wet, mud and also tarmac.
The Galant VR-4 was a sports sedan product in Japan starting in 1989. It was used with much success in World Rally circuit as well as ASEAN rallies from 1989 to 1992.
The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors’ Galant model. Originally introduced to comply with the new Group A regulations of the World Rally Championship, it was eventually superseded as Mitsubishi’s competition vehicle by the Lancer Evolution.
Would you look twice at this car? With its AWD package, rain slick roads or gravel just aren’t a concern anymore. Huge 10.4 inch brakes front and rear with ABS bring this heavy sedan to a halt with authority.
Engine Type: turbocharged and intercooled 4-in-line, iron block and aluminum head, liquid cooled
Displacement: 1997cc
Engine Control system: Mitsubishi electronic with port fuel injection
Turbocharger: Mitsubishi TD05H w/6cm turbine housing
Wastegate: Integral
Maximum boost pressure: 11.1 psig
Valve Gear: belt driven double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters
Power (SAE Net):195bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque (SAE Net): 203lb-ft @ 3000rpm
Group A regulations dictated a turbocharged engine of 2.0L displacement and a four-wheel drive transmission. In order to satisfy the mandatory minimum sales requirements of 5,000 units, Mitsubishi made it available in New Zealand, Australia, Japan & other Asian Pacific Rim territories.
In road-going trim the four-door sedan produced 195hp to 235hp depending on market, giving the car a top speed of over 130 mph and allowing it to accelerate from 0-60 in an impressive 7.0 seconds, with a quarter mile elapsed time of 15.3 seconds. This car also featured power-assisted speed-sensitive four-wheel steering: the rear wheels steered in the same phase as the front wheels above 30 mph, up to 1.5 degrees.
The sixth generation Galant was also the first to see the introduction of the VR-4 variant, which was the basis for Mitsubishi’s participation in the 1988 to 1992 World Rally Championships. The Galant’s 4G63 two litre DOHC turbocharged engine and 4WD transmission was later adopted for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with little modification, and would remain in production for fifteen years.
