Mitsubishi sells its history and quits the U.K.
Mitsubishi Motors is gearing up to leave Great Britain and is selling off a fleet of 14 heritage cars at auction before its own Brexit in fall 2021.
The Japanese company says it will continue to support the 400,000 Mitsubishi owners in the U.K. with aftersales and service, but anyone wanting to buy a new model will be out of luck in a few months. Despite its Outlander PHEV being a surprise hit, thanks mainly to tax incentives, Mitsubishi has struggled for some years in the U.K. with just over half a percent market share in 2020 and sales of 9076 cars.
Fans of the brand are now being offered the opportunity to buy a piece of history as it sells of its fleet of heritage vehicles. Highlights of the sale, which will run on autoauction.co.uk through April, include two of the earliest cars sold in Britain.
The 1974 Colt Lancer is a sweet-looking 1.4-liter two-door which actually sat on the stand at the 1974 British Motor Show, and there’s also a two-liter four-door Colt Galant from the same year. Other cars that caught our eye include a 1979 Jeep CJ-3B which was made under license from Willys and brought to Britain in 1983, a 1988 Starion Turbo, and a 1992 3000GT.
Rally enthusiasts will be lining up to bid on a 1989 Galant that’s a replica of the car entered in the 1989 Lombard RAC Rally by Pentti Airikkala and an ex-works Evo IX which won the British Rally Championship in 2007 and 2008. Other Evos offered are a 2001 Tommi Makinen edition Lancer Evo VI signed by Makinen himself, 2008 Lancer Evo IX, and a 2015 Evo X. All cars are offered without reserve, alongside a lineup of private number plates.
