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VW Designer Reimagines the Mitsubishi 3000GT Into the Futuristic-Looking 4000GT

Remember when Japanese sports cars used to be great? By most accounts, the last hurrah was in the 1990s when Nissan had the 300ZX, Mazda the RX-7, and Mitsubishi the GTO. Known as the 3000GT elsewhere in the world and even as the badge-engineered Dodge Stealth in North America, the four-seat and four-wheel-drive grand tourer was seriously impressive.
Mitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew Parsons 16 photos
Photo: Matthew Parsons on Behance
Mitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew ParsonsMitsubishi 4000GT design study by Volkswagen South Africa automotive designer Matthew Parsons
Now only did it feature active aerodynamics in the guise of auto-adjusting front and rear spoilers, but customers were also treated to twin turbocharging, electronically controlled suspension, four-wheel steering, and pop-up lamps. Indeed, the GTO is a modern classic by all accounts.

What comes as a bit of a surprise is that Mitsubishi didn’t follow up on this car, instead focusing on the Eclipse and Lancer Evolution. Those two are no longer in production, but the Eclipse nameplate soldiers on in the guise of a rather boring compact crossover utility vehicle.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the biggest problem that Mitsubishi is facing. Not only does it have some of the most uninspiring cars and utilities in the industry, but the lack of sporty cars – let alone a trailblazing design such as the GTO – is what renders the automaker a has-been.

There are reports the Lancer EVO is coming back with 48-volt mild hybridization and close to 350 horsepower, yet nothing official has come out of Mitsubishi headquarters in Japan. In the meantime, a gent by the name of Matthew Parsons is wishful thinking about the 4000GT.

“I found the original design had equal length overhangs front and rear, and decided to create a much shorter rear overhang,” said the automotive designer who currently works at Volkswagen South Africa. “The 4000GT name indicates an obvious successor to the 3000GT and the VR-5 emblem indicates an evolution of the VR-4 system” (i.e., viscous real-time 4WD).

A personal project that invokes nostalgia along with hope for the future of Mitsubishi, the rendering in the photo gallery is unmistakably Japanese in terms of exterior design. What comes as a surprise is that Matthew decided on a two-seat layout for the cabin and widebody aesthetics in the guise of integrated flares, giving the car a sportier appearance than the 3000GT.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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