The Mitsubishi FTO

Some of this information may be out of date, but since I haven't had an FTO since 2004 I won't be updating it!

This page is dedicated to the Mitsubishi FTO. What is a Mitsubishi FTO? Well, it looks like this...

...and it sounds like this. At least, that's what mine sounds like! This was recorded from under the bonnet of my car whilst driving up a fairly steep hill.

What is it?

The Mitsubishi FTO is a Japanese sports coupe, manufactured between 1994 and 1999. It won the Japanese Car of the Year 1994-1995, and as such was the first sports car to win this since the MR2 in 1984. It was never intended to be sold in the UK, and so until recently has only been a 'Grey Import' imported by enthusiasts who wanted to bring a fine, and rare car to the UK. It is now also imported 'officially' by Xtreme Automobiles (formerly known as Ralliart).

Unfortunately (and fortunately) the car is not so rare anymore. There was a time about 4 years ago when there were very few in the country, and every one would turn heads, as no-one knew what the beautiful car that had just passed them was. Now it seems that people know the car and it draws less awe. That said, it still remains one of the most stylish cars on the road, offers reasonable performance and exceptional handling for a front-wheel driven car, all at very reasonable costs.

Being an import, maintenance costs can be expensive in terms of parts, and, since the car isn't mass-owned, there aren't a huge number of aftermarket parts available. Servicing can be expensive too, for example it can take 5 hours to change the cambelt!

If that worries you though, then you shouldn't be buying a Mitsubishi FTO. It is a wonderful car to own and drive, but it will cost you more than a Ford Mundano in fuel (20-25mpg if you're lucky) and regular servicing, but after a year of ownership I am still grinning like a cheshire cat every time I drive it, and I don't care what it costs (within reason!)

Specifications

I'm not going to duplicate details of performance, specifications etc as there are many good websites already with all the details you could ever want about the FTO. Instead, I will provide some links to the best details the web has to offer: -

There are many more excellent FTO websites on the internet, these are just a select few 'veteran' sites. Links to many more sites can be found on the 'Links' page, here on www.stuffandting.com. There are also many images available on the 'Gallery'. This will be updated regularly with pictures taken from FTO meetings, and anything else FTO related, so please check back regularly.

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