At the height of Group B rallying, car manufacturers were clamoring to join the series and images of the stillborn race car that Mitsubishi was developing have now been published for the first time.
Exclusive photos were recently published by Auto Express that were sent as part of “internal correspondence” at Mitsubishi’s UK importer in 1984. The images depict a road-going variant of a Starion RWD Group B race car.
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It is understood that the Starion 4WD was developed by the automaker’s Ralliart team in the UK, combining the expertise of former Audi technician Alan Wilkinson and former driver Andrew Cowan.
Here's the kind of story that lands in my inbox at 4pm on a Friday afternoon before a Bank Holiday weekend. No, seriously, if you like #WRC or @MitsubishiUK, you might find it worth a read. #Starion #GroupB https://t.co/D2P29KQmBD
— John McIlroy (@johnmcilroy) May 28, 2021
Auto Express reports that the car would have featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing approximately 350 hp. Further aiding in the car’s performance would have been the comprehensive use of carbon fiber and Kevlar that would have kept its weight down to a touch over 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs). Mitsubishi could have also produced a more advanced ‘Evolution’ model with a larger 2.14-liter engine.
Immediately making the Starion 4WD stand out from regular models were the fitment of four circular headlights whereas the normal variant had pop-up headlights.
Mitsubishi brought prototypes (pictured above in yellow) of the Starion 4WD Group B racer to events in 1984 as part of its testing regime. There was also a plan in place to unveil the production model at the 1984 British Motor Show. Unfortunately, the Group B class was killed off after a series of deadly incidents, the last of which saw the demise of Henri Toivonen and co-pilot Sergio Cresto at the Tour de Corse rally in 1986, and the Starion 4WD never saw the light of day.
