1994 Mitsubishi FTO GPX (DE3A)

来歴History & Motorsport Heritage

Mitsubishi released the FTO in Japan in October 1994. It was a two-door front-wheel-drive coupe built on components shared with the Mirage, and Mitsubishi's own 2000 company report called it "the little brother of the GTO." The launch catalog's line translates as "This athleticism is no ordinary thing."

The reception was immediate. In December 1994 the FTO won the 1994–1995 Car of the Year Japan. Until the Honda Integra Type R arrived in 1995, the GPX was widely described in Japan as the fastest front-wheel-drive car built there. Racer and critic Shinichi Katsura said that if front-drive cars had their own drift category, the FTO would be the best car in it.

Mitsubishi showed an all-wheel-drive FTO as a motor show concept but never built it, so every production FTO drove its front wheels.

The FTO raced in the All-Japan GT Championship's GT300 class in 1998 and 1999 as a JAF-GT car entered by Team Taeivon Ralliart. The race car swapped the 6A12 V6 for a 4G63 engine:

- 1998: Akihiko Nakaya and Takahiko Hara finished fifth in the GT300 standings
- 1999: Nakaya and Ralph Firman finished sixth

Outside circuit racing, FTOs ran in Japanese gymkhana and dirt trial events. One heavily modified entry tackled the Pikes Peak hill climb's Open class with its engine relocated to the passenger area and driveshafts running to the rear and back to the front.

Mitsubishi also used the FTO as a technology testbed. The 1998 FTO-EV used a lithium-ion battery and a 70 kW motor, reached 186 km/h, and covered 2,000 km in 24 hours in December 1999. Data from the project fed into Mitsubishi's later MiEV program.

The FTO's reputation outlasted its production run in Britain, where grey imports made it a familiar sight. It was voted Best Used Sports Car at the UK Auto Trader Awards in November 2007.

希少性Exclusivity & Production Run

The FTO was built at Mitsubishi's Mizushima plant from 1994 until July 2000. Production ended alongside the GTO because updating both cars to meet new Japanese side-impact rules was judged uneconomical. Sales finished in September 2000.

The production total is reported two ways. English-language records give 36,805 cars built, while Japanese sources give 38,028 sold. Both show the same pattern, with sales peaking in 1995 and falling sharply after:

- 1994: 9,232 built (7,035 sold)
- 1995: 19,629 built (20,773 sold)
- 1996: 3,811 built (5,536 sold)
- 1997: 1,994 built (2,433 sold)
- 1998 to 2000: 2,139 built (2,251 sold)

The GPX was the most common FTO. Production by grade breaks down as:

- GPX: 13,803 (one source table gives 13,083)
- GR: 12,433
- GS: 4,201
- GX Sports Package: 1,343
- GP Version R: 542
- GP Version R Aero: 370
- GX Aero: 295

Automatics dominated. Of the cars built, 24,996 had the four-speed automatic and 1,950 the later five-speed automatic, against 9,859 manuals. That makes a manual GPX a minority choice in the used market.

The DE3A code covers all V6 FTOs, and the grade decides the engine. The GPX and GP used the MIVEC V6, while the GR and GX used the standard 6A12. The DE2A covers the 1.8-liter GS.

Several special editions followed the Car of the Year award. The April 1995 GPX Limited Edition "COTY" came in Dandelion Yellow, with 207 built (20 manual, 187 automatic) and a limited-slip differential and rear wiper as standard. Japanese sources describe a 500-unit Dandelion Yellow edition, so the exact count is disputed. The Nakaya-Tune dealer package, limited to 300 cars across the GPX, GP and GR, added a stainless silencer, uprated pads, a carbon lip spoiler and Öhlins dampers that lowered the car by 35 mm.

The lightweight GP Version R arrived in February 1997, with HID headlamps, thicker anti-roll bars and some equipment removed. Japanese catalog listings also show a GP Version R briefly in mid-1996.

New prices for the GPX stayed close to ¥2.3 million throughout:

- 1994 GPX: ¥2,287,000 (manual), ¥2,397,000 (automatic)
- 1997 GPX: ¥2,333,000 (manual), ¥2,458,000 (five-speed automatic)
- 1997 GP Version R: ¥2,160,000 (manual)

Mitsubishi never planned to export the FTO, but grey importers sent cars to the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Near the end of production, Mitsubishi in the UK authorized roughly 1,000 dealer-supplied cars, and Ralliart in Dudley adapted many UK imports with a rear fog lamp and an English fuse box cover. Australian cars arrived almost entirely as private imports.

意匠Aerodynamics & Design Philosophy

The pre-facelift FTO measures 4,320 mm long, 1,735 mm wide and 1,300 mm tall on a 2,500 mm wheelbase. From the February 1997 facelift, length grew to 4,365 mm. Track widths are 1,490 mm at the front and 1,485 mm at the rear.

The GPX carried the sportiest exterior of the early range, with 16-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and side air dams as standard. Japanese reviewers also noted the body was unusually rigid for a Japanese car of the period.

The February 1997 facelift reshaped the front and rear:

- Front bumper: one large intake with a front splitter, replacing the earlier twin intakes
- Lamps: four round fog and indicator lamps instead of two, plus revised headlamp internals and an optional HID setup
- Rear spoiler: redesigned as a raised "B-wing"

From November 1997, Mitsubishi also offered "Aero Series" versions of the GX and GP Version R, identified by decals.

Mitsubishi did not publish a drag coefficient for the FTO.

機関6A12 MIVEC V6 · Powerplant

The GPX's 6A12 MIVEC is a 1,998 cc DOHC 24-valve V6 producing 200 PS (147 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 20.4 kgm (200 N·m) at 6,000 rpm, with a 10.0:1 compression ratio. Peak torque arrives at 6,000 rpm, so the engine rewards high revs.

MIVEC is Mitsubishi's variable valve timing and lift system, first used in 1992 on the 4G92 four-cylinder. It uses two cam profiles. At low engine speeds a low-lift cam reduces valve overlap for a stable idle, and at a fixed engine speed oil pressure engages a high-lift cam for maximum power. Mitsubishi has not published the exact switchover point for the 6A12, and figures quoted online vary.

The FTO range used three engines, and the GPX had the strongest:

- 6A12 MIVEC (GPX, GP, GP Version R): 200 PS at 7,500 rpm
- 6A12 (GR, GX): 170 PS at 7,000 rpm, raised to 180 PS in February 1997 with a larger throttle body
- 4G93 (GS): 1,834 cc four-cylinder, 125 PS at 6,000 rpm

The GPX came with a five-speed manual or Mitsubishi's INVECS-II automatic. INVECS-II, based on Porsche technology, learned the driver's style and offered a manual "Sport Mode," and Japanese sources describe it as the first automatic in Japan with a manual shift mode. Early cars used a four-speed version. From February 1997, MIVEC automatics moved to five speeds.

The 6A12 is reliable when serviced, but two items dominate ownership costs:

- Timing belt: the 6A12 is an interference engine, so a failed belt can destroy it. A full kit with tensioner, idlers and water pump costs about $700 to $1,400.
- INVECS-II automatic: shift flare between second and third gear and delayed engagement are the common faults, and a rebuild can cost $1,800 to $4,000.

A 60-liter tank feeds the engine.

車台Chassis, Suspension & Handling Dynamics

The FTO uses MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link rear suspension. Because the V6 adds weight over the nose, Mitsubishi set the suspension up fairly firm. Key GPX figures:

- Curb weight: 1,170 kg (manual), 1,210 kg (automatic)
- Brakes: ventilated front discs with larger twin-piston calipers on MIVEC models, solid rear discs
- Tires: 205/50R16
- Turning circle: 5.3 m minimum radius

The non-MIVEC grades used single-piston front calipers, so the GPX's brakes are a visible way to confirm a genuine MIVEC car.

Differential and stability equipment changed over the run. The GPX Limited Edition used a viscous limited-slip differential, while the facelift GP Version R used a Torsen-type unit. ABS was optional on early cars and standard from February 1997, and some early cars offered traction control. The GP Version R also stiffened the anti-roll bars to 20 mm front and rear, up from 17 mm and 18 mm.

The GPX's handling still draws praise. Top Gear's 2024 assessment described a manual car at around 1,200 kg as having a "surprisingly alert drive." The Nakaya-Tune package's Öhlins dampers and 35 mm drop were the factory-adjacent route for owners who wanted more.

名義Nomenclature & Lore

FTO stands for "Fresh Touring Origination," roughly the idea of creating a new kind of youthful touring car. The name revives the 1971 to 1975 Galant Coupé FTO, a rear-wheel-drive coupe from Mitsubishi's past.

Mitsubishi positioned the FTO as the GTO's little brother, and that relationship is the closest thing it has to a nickname. In the UK, Top Gear notes it is sometimes jokingly called "the Supra we have at home."

相場Auction Records & Modern Market Value

Under the US 25-year rule, the first 1994 cars became eligible in 2019 and the last 2000 cars in 2025, so every FTO can now be imported. Mitsubishi never built a US-specification version.

US auction data is thin. No recent Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids results were found, and most cars for sale are still in Japan. A snapshot of 23 FTO listings in 2026 ranged from $4,800 to $15,995, averaging about $9,286, with only two cars in the US:

- 1995, Pennsylvania: $9,999
- 1999, Washington: $15,995

Only six of those 23 cars had a manual gearbox. A US buyer's guide quotes a wider range of $7,000 to $28,000 with a median around $14,500, though it gives no individual sale results.

In the UK, prices are lower for automatics:

- 1996 GPX, automatic, about 95,000 miles: £2,531 including premium at Hampson Auctions, March 9, 2025, no reserve
- GPX, manual, 136,000 on the odometer, rust-free: listed at £11,995, highlighted by Top Gear in August 2024

Buyer's guides name rust and prior crash repairs as the biggest value killers. A rust-free manual GPX with a documented timing belt service is the version to look for, while automatics need evidence of INVECS-II health.

継承Keeping the Legend Alive (Restomod & Specialist Culture)

The FTO had no direct successor. Mitsubishi left the coupe market in Japan when the FTO and GTO ended in 2000, and did not return until the Eclipse Spyder in 2004. The FTO-EV prototype's data fed into Mitsubishi's MiEV program.

The car has also become a drag racing platform. In 2014 Richard Batty's FTO, fitted with a Lancer Evolution engine producing 1,051 hp, set a European front-wheel-drive record of 8.859 seconds at 174.59 mph.

For owners keeping cars standard, the priorities are consistent:

- Timing belt: a full belt, tensioner, idler and water pump service on the interference 6A12
- Automatic: fluid service and diagnosis of shift quality on INVECS-II cars
- Body: rust repair in the sills and wheel arches
- Recalls: four minor defects led to recalls, three of them in 2004

The rarest grades, the GP Version R and GP Version R Aero, total only 912 cars between them, and the GPX Limited Edition in Dandelion Yellow is rarer still.