1991 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4

In 1991, 2000 VR-4's were produced for the U.S. and another 1000 in 1992. At the time I owned the Galant GS that I bought in 1989. It wasn't until a few years later that I traded in the GS for a used VR-4. Good trade. These cars are one of the greatest sleeper cars every made. Would you look twice at this car? With it's AWD package, rain slick roads or gravel just aren't a concern anymore. Huge (for its day) 10.4 inch brakes front and rear with ABS bring this heavy sedan to a halt with authority. The leather interior is plush and ready for 16 hour days without putting your backside to sleep. On our running of the Rally of the Lost Patrol, we had no problems with traction, power, or stopping abilities driving above the Arctic Circle in February.

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 Originally introduced to comply with the new Group A regulations of the World Rally Championship, it was eventually superseded as Mitsubishi's competition vehicle by the Lancer Evolution.

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, with 3,000 reaching the United States in 1991 and '92. 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 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.

1991 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Specifications
Sixth generation (E38A/E39A)

Basics