Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

First entry for November-- I realize it's kind of late. I've been busy. Enough blabbering nonsense, let's get to the car. What we have here is a first generation Mitsubishi 3000GT. Mind you, this is not the lackluster FWD SL version, this is the full-bore AWD Twin Turbo VR-4 edition. Making 276 (rated) horsepower from its 3.0L 6G72 V6, this (along with its Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo twin) was one of the cars responsible for the short-lived Japanese performance monster market in the US. Cars like the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo and Toyota Supra Twin Turbo also played a significant role, but like this badass Mitsu, none of those sold well either.
Marketing during Chrysler's partership with Mitsubishi, this was car mature DSM owners would be. Packing the same formula as its much smaller Eclipse brother, this car utilized the American idea of big motor plus lots of tech equals a fast car. And it worked. Equipped with active aero, electronic differential control, ABS with manual override, this AWD performance car was a technoligical wonder. As such, it could run with Porsches, and to certain extents, Ferraris and Lamborghini. Doing 0-60 in about 5 seconds, this VR4 was quicker to 60 than a Testarossa or a 964 Carrera. Sound familiar? While not made by Mitsubishi, I believe the GT-R is the "successor" to this car. Why, you ask? Major tech, extremely heavy, and AWD. Like the GT-R, this Mitsu is also tons faster than it should be, as from what I understand, was a ball to drive hard. Again, the press has said about the Nissan GT-R. I know, I know, comparing a Nissan to a Mitsu shouldn't be right, but in this case, I think it is. Infact, I'd go as far as to say that perhaps some magazine should do a comparison test comparing the new "Japanese heavyweight" to the ones of the past decade to see how they stack up. Are you listening Automobile?
This example was pretty straight, showing no mods, riceboy or otherwise. It's even got the factory 5 spoke aluminums on it, which is rare sight these days. Paint quality, as you would expect, is pretty decent for a Minnesota car. While there is no rust, there definitely are some signs of fading. I'm betting even though this example was pampered, it certainly wasn't a garage queen. You can tell the tires have been rotated/changed on a regular basis because of the lack of a centercap. Oh well-- at least the owner gets use out of such a wonderful car. I wasn't around to hear this one start up and leave, so I'm curious how it sounds without any performance enhancements.
Like always, I have to debate whether or not I'd drive the car in its current state. For this one, yeah I would. I think this is a great "time capsule" example of a forgotten "budget exotic." Will these be collectible in a few years? Who knows for sure, but like the Nissan GT-R (sorry), these along with their Stealth R/T twin have a massive cult following. I think they will be collectible. So will Supras and 300ZX TTs.