Brand New Classic: 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

 Today, we introduce a new feature to the Winding Road universe. Brand New Classic is exactly what it sounds like; a feature about vehicles that have just crossed the magical 20-year mark, and are now considered classics (at least according to some definitions). Of course, 20 years a classic does not make. After all, who’s going to argue that a 1991 Pontiac Sunbird deserves the title of classic? With that being said, feel free to chime in on whether our current car deserves to be a classic, along with any personal experiences you may have with it.

 

If you grew up playing the original Gran Turismo (as many of the Winding Road staff did), you are intimately familiar with the fabled badges of Japanese performance cars. The Honda NSX, Mazda RX-7, and Toyota Supra dominated our waking hours, while the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R kept us waking in a cold sweat.

 

There was always a dark horse candidate to these powerhouses though. It was just as much a technological powerhouse as the GT-R; power came from a biturbocharged V-6, and was routed through a manual transmission to a cutting-edge all-wheel-drive system. It was called the 3000GT. With 296 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque on tap, it was no slouch. This blown Mitsu boasted identical horsepower numbers to the Ferrari 348 while still generating an extra 80 pound-feet of torque. Like we said, it was no slouch.

 

Today’s Brand New Classic currently sits in Mulliken, Michigan. It has 118,407 miles on the odometer, including “48,000 to 58,000” on a new engine, this red 3000GT has been housed by no fewer than eight owners. It is a clean looking car, but as the owner has repainted it, we would be somewhat weary. It wears Motegi wheels wrapped in unspecified Kumho tires, and has also been gifted with new ball joints and springs.

 

The owner claims to have receipts totaling $21,000, but is only asking for $14K. Interestingly, the Buy It Now price at eBay Motors is only $8900, with the reserve not yet met and less than a day remaining on the auction. The current bid is at $4150. You know you want to.