The Dodge Colt were subcompact cars manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors and marketed by Dodge for model years 1971-1994 as captive imports. Badge engineered variants included the Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, marketed by Plymouth.
The Colt was initially a rebadged variant of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive Mitsubishi Mirage subcompacts in 1979.
First generation
1972 Dodge Colt - In this episode, we're leaving the confines of the Turbo Garage to check out my buddy Nate's wonderful and rare 1972 Dodge Colt, also known as the Mitsubishi ...
Introduced in 1970 as model year 71, the first generation Dodge Colt was a federalized first generation Mitsubishi Colt Galant. Available as a two-door pillared coupe, two-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, and 5-door wagon, the Colt had a 1,597 cc (97.5 cu in) four-cylinder engine. The unibody layout was traditional, front engine and rear-wheel drive with MacPherson struts in front and a live rear axle. Standard transmission was a four-speed manual, with a three-speed automatic being an option. The engine initially produced 100 hp, but this dropped to 83 in 1972 when stricter emissions standards took effect. For 1973 a sporty GT hardtop coupe was added, featuring rally stripes, sport wheels and a center console amongst other features. The Dodge Colt was Chrysler's response to the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega but because it was a captive import from Mitsubishi, the Colt competed directly with other Japanese imports, such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Datsun 1200.
Second generation
Based on the underpinnings of the first generation model, Galant sedans and coupes received a new, somewhat rounder body in 1973, while wagons continued with the old body and new nose. The new version, with single headlights rather than the doubles of the previous generation, became the 1974 Dodge Colt in the US, available in the same bodystyles as the first one. The base engine also remained the same, but a larger G52B "Astron" engine became optionally available (standard in the GT coupe). This one develops 96 hp (72 kW) at 5500 rpm. Ratings varied from 79â€"83 hp (59â€"62 kW) for the smaller one and 89â€"96 hp (66â€"72 kW) for the larger engine in different publications.
A four-speed manual or three-speed automatic remained available, but for 1977 a five-speed became available (standard in the GT and Carousel coupes). The Carousel, introduced in 1975 along with larger bumpers, was more luxurious and carried a blue and white paintjob. For 1977, the "Silent Shaft" version of the smaller engine became available, and was fitted as standard equipment in GT and Carousels. The introduction of the new Dodge Colt "Mileage Maker" meant there was a mix of second and third generation models in 1977. Second generation 2-door hardtops and wagons continued alongside 2- and 4-door "Mileage Makers". The wagon was also available with an "Estate" package, including wood grain applique and adjustable reclining seats.
This model was also sold as the Dodge Colt 1600 GS in South Africa, only as a two-door hardtop coupé.
Third generation
The third generation Dodge Colt was effectively made up of two lines: coupes and sedans were of a smaller, Lancer-based series, while the Wagons were based on the new Mitsubishi Galant Sigma. In late 1976, for the 1977 model year, the smaller A70-series Mitsubishi Lancer became the Dodge Colt, with two-door coupe and four-door sedan bodies. While the wheelbase was only slightly shorter than that of the second generation Colt, overall length was down from 171.1 to 162.6Â inches (4346 to 4130Â mm). The new Colt was also referred to as the Dodge Colt "Mileage Maker" to mark it as different from its larger predecessor. Second generation Coupe and Wagon versions remained on sale for the 1977 model year.
The engine was the familiar 4G32 iteration of Mitsubishi's Saturn engine family, of 1597Â cc and still with 83Â hp at 5500Â rpm. A "Silent Shaft" (balance shaft) version of this engine along with a five-speed manual transmission (instead of the standard four speeds) were part of a "Freeway Cruise" package, which also included a maroon/white paintjob. For 1978 power dropped to 77Â hp with the introduction of the "MCA-Jet" high-swirl system.
For 1978 a new, larger Dodge Colt Wagon also arrived, a rebadged Mitsubishi Galant Sigma. It came with the same 1.6-litre MCA-Jet four as the smaller sedans and coupes, but a 2.6-litre, 105 hp (78 kW) Astron engine was an option, as was a five-speed manual. While the last year for the Lancer-based Colts was 1979, the wagon lingered on alongside the front-wheel drive Mirage-based fourth generation until 1981 when it was effectively replaced by the domestic Dodge Aries K wagon. The larger Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupé was also marketed as the Dodge Colt Challenger from 1978, although the "Colt" part was later dropped. It shared the chassis as well as the engine options of the Colt Wagon.
Fourth generation
From late-1978 for model year 1979, the Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ nameplates were applied to the front-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Mirage imports into North America. The Colt and Champ (Plymouth Colt after 1982) was a 3-door hatchback, and came in Deluxe or Custom equipment levels. These imports used a 70Â hp Mitsubishi Orion 4G12 1.4-liter overhead-cam, four-cylinder engine at first, which received the highest United States Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy rating in its debut year. This engine was joined by the 1.6-liter 4G32 Saturn engine (80Â hp) at the end of the year. For 1981, a bare bones "low-line" version was introduced. An RS package also became available, with stiffer suspension, sportier interior with extra gauges, and a larger fuel tank.
There were three manual transmissions and one automatic transmission available. There was a KM110 four-speed manual transmission, or a novel "Twin Stick" (Mitsubishi Super Shift) version of the transmission that used a two-speed transfer case to give 8 forward and 2 reverse speeds. There was also the option of a KM119 five-speed manual transmission or a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission.
For 1982 a five-door hatchback joined the lineup. The names of the equipment levels changed to "E" and "DL". At some point claimed power dropped to 64 and 72Â hp respectively for the small and large engines, while the 1.6 was only available with the automatic transmission. In August 1983, for the 1984 model year (which was to be the last year of this model of Colt), the GTS Turbo model arrived along with a naturally aspirated GTS package, similar to the earlier RS one. Unique for North America - the turbocharged Colt/Mirages sold elsewhere had a 1.4-litre engine - this used the fuel-injected 1.6-litre 4G32T engine also seen in the next-generation Colt, providing 102Â hp (76Â kW) at 5500Â rpm and considerable performance. It, too, featured the eight speed Twin Stick transmission and also received ventilated brakes in front. Both GTS models, available with three-door bodywork only, received a larger 13.2Â USÂ gal (50Â L) gas tank rather than the E and DL's 10.6Â USÂ gal (40Â L) tank. They also featured a sporty appearance with uprated suspension, blacked out trim details, and a sizable front air dam.
Fifth generation
In 1984, the fifth generation Dodge/Plymouth Colt appeared (model year 1985). A carbureted 68Â hp 1468Â cc four was the base engine, while the upscale Premier four-door sedan and GTS Turbo models received the 4G32BT turbocharged 1.6-litre already seen in the last model year of the previous Colts. A first for FWD Colts was the availability of a three-box sedan body, though this was no longer available after 1986. From 1988 (and lasting until 1991), this car was also marketed as the Eagle Vista in Canada. There was also a five-door minivan/station wagon called the Dodge/Plymouth "Colt Vista"; this was simply a rebadged Mitsubishi Chariot.
Early cars have small rectangular headlights in black inserts, while later models received more aerodynamic, flush-fitting units. The lowest priced model was the "E" (for Economy), followed by the "DL" and topped by the turbocharged (but short-lived) Premier and GTS Turbo.
The Colt Wagon, while never available with the turbocharged engine, did receive a more powerful 1,755Â cc engine in the four-wheel-drive version. Unlike the FWD version, the DL 4x4 was not available with an automatic transmission. While the Hatchback Colts were replaced for 1989, the Colt Wagon continued to be available until the 1991 introduction of the Mitsubishi RVR-based Colt Wagon, which also replaced the Colt Vista. This car was also marketed as the Eagle Vista Wagon in Canada.
Sixth generation
In 1989, Eagle began marketing its Summit as another rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage.
Since the demise of the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon in 1990, the Colt was the only subcompact in the Dodge and Plymouth lineups. The Colt sedan was not sold in the United States for the sixth generation (though it was sold in Canada), as it would be replaced by the Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance liftbacks in the Dodge/Plymouth lineup for 1989. In Canada only the Eagle Vista, a carryover model that replaced the Colt sedan continued when the Colt underwent a redesign. The sedan bodywork was available to American consumers as an Eagle Summit however, and the Dodge/Plymouth Colt sedans returned for 1993-94 as a variant of the next generation Eagle Summit. The Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Eagle Summit, and Mitsubishi Mirage of this generation used a 1.5 or 1.6-litre inline-four engine.
A model powered by the 1.6-litre 4G61T 135Â hp (101Â kW) turbocharged four-cylinder was produced for the 1989 model year only. There are a rumored 1500 of these special editions to have been produced. The engine was only offered in the Mirage and the Colt GT Turbo, which were distinguished by their ground effects and spoilers (although these parts were also available for a price as add-ons to other model ranges) and by their extra features not normally found on base model ranges such as power seats, power windows, power locks, and power mirrors, special colored interior and seats, as well as a 150Â mph/9000 rpm gauge cluster. The Turbo Colt/Mirage Turbo was one of Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best for 1989. A naturally aspirated version of this engine was available for the following years Colt GT, with power down to 113Â hp.
Power of the 1.5-litre 4G15 was up to 82Â hp (61Â kW) thanks to multi-point fuel injection. Top speed was 160Â km/h (99Â mph).
The Colt Wagon was redesigned in 1991, now based on the RVR, and continued in production until the 1996 model year.
Seventh generation
The seventh generation of the Colt was the same as Plymouth's version, and also the same as the Eagle Summit. As usual, they were all simply badge-engineered versions of the Mitsubishi Mirage/Lancer. The two-door coupe bodystyle was unique to the North American market. There was no hatchback version of the seventh generation Dodge/Plymouth Colt. Originally available in Base and GL versions, the ES (with supposedly more sporting intentions) was added later.
1.5 and 1.8 litre four-cylinder engines were used, with the larger engine originally only available to four-door Colts. While the sporting variants offered in the sixth generation were not renewed, the two-door ES was available with the more powerful sixteen-valve SOHC 1.8 for the 1994 model year. The smaller engine has 92Â hp (69Â kW) while the larger version has 113Â hp (84Â kW). The previous Colt Wagon (Mitsubishi RVR) continued to be sold until 1996, while the Dodge Colt was replaced by the new Neon after the 1994 model year.
Related versions
The Plymouth Cricket nameplate was used (in addition to Dodge Colt) on Galants sold in Canada between mid-1973 and 1975, after Chrysler stopped using the Plymouth Cricket name for a rebadged Hillman Avenger-based model sourced from the United Kingdom (and sold across North America between 1971 and 1973).
The Plymouth Arrow was offered from 1976 to 1980 as a rebadged version of the Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste, not to be confused with the rebadged Mitsubishi truck sold as the Plymouth Arrow starting in 1979.
References
External links
Media related to Dodge Colt at Wikimedia Commons Media related to Plymouth Colt at Wikimedia Commons
- Colt/Champ/Cricket infos on Allpar
- Forum dealing with rwd mitsubishi cars "colts"
- Australian Based forum dealing with old mitsubishi cars
- Colt/Summit/Mirage US based forum
- Dodge Colt at the Internet Movie Cars Database