Early Moparbishi: Dodge Colt / Champ and Plymouth Colt
by Sean Cappuccio (appended over time by the Allpar staff and Jay David Schuck)
The Dodge Colt was an import from Mitsubishi, which began selling in the last quarter of 1970 (1971 model year) and kept going for over two decades. Plymouth owners waited to get a similar car; in Canada, the British import dubbed Plymouth
Cricket switched to the Mitsubishi in 1974.
In 1971, Chrysler noted that the Colt had standard front bucket seats with reatable vinyl (except in the coupe); the seats could move forward and backward by five inches, with reclining backs (except in the coupe). Tilt wheel was standard on all models, along with flow-through ventilation. The standard transmission was a four-on-the-floor with all forward gears synchronized; ratios were 3.53, 2.19, 1.44, and 1:1, with a reverse gear of 3.87 to 1. It was made by Mitsubishi and had a 98 cubic inch (1.6 liter) engine producing a respectable 100 horsepower (versus the 198 slant six's 125).
The wiper/washer controls were at the end of the turn signal stalk, along with the headlight dimmers. A single key operated all locks. Station wagons had an antenna that could be locked into the full-down position; radios were optional. The company wrote, "We're anticipating 60,000 Colts in 1972, nearly twice as many as the 36,000 we marketed in the nine-month period in 1971...by 1975, Dodge expects to be receiving 125,000 Colts."
Changes for 1972 included noise reduction by reducing the drive-shaft diameter, increasing brake efficiency by adding cooling scoops to the front wheel disc brakes, and enlarging rear drum cylinders. Self-adjusting rear brakes and larger front disc brakes were added for 1972.
The following photos are from a modified 1974 Dodge Colt:
Jim Benjaminson wrote in the
Plymouth Bulletin:
In 1976, Plymouth's import stable included its long-awaited Mitusbishi product. The Colt had been in Dodge's stable since 1971 when Chrysler answered the sub-compact challenge of Ford's Pinto and Chevy's Vega with captive imports. (Chrysler had purchased financial interest in Mitusbishi in 1971.) Dodge had an instant hit with its Japanese built Colt. Plymouth had gotten the short end of the deal when given the British-built
Cricket.
When the plug was mercifully pulled on the Cricket in 1973, observers assumed Plymouth would get its own version of the Colt. That's exactly what happened in Canada, but not stateside where Plymouth had to carry on with no subcompact offering. Finally, it was 1976 and Plymouth had its Mitsubishi import. Rather than a version of the Colt, it was another single-body-style offering, a very attractive fastback coupe that offered a more sporting flair than Colt's hardtop.
Called the Arrow, it fit in with Plymouth's Barracuda heritage with its roof line and folding rear seat.
Chrysler Canada gave the
Arrow to Dodge dealers and the newly-redesigned Colt to Plymouth dealers. Both were the same car except for the nameplates. From 1973-75 the Cricket nameplate had been shifted to a version of the Colt for Canada's Plymouth dealers. A bit more than mere "badge engineering," it also involved unique grille and taillight trim. In its first year alone, Canada's Japanese Cricket doubled the sales of the British version. But once 1976 arrived, the Cricket name was gone for good.
In 1978 Chrysler introduced another captive import, the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth
Sapporo.
The 1977 Colt Coupe M/M ("Mileage Maker"), with a 1.6 liter engine and four-speed manual transmission, boasted a whopping 29 city, 45 highway miles per gallon, partly stemming from 200 pounds of weight reduction and nine inches of length reduction. Standard features all Colts included a trip odometer, carpeting, tinted glass, vinyl front bucket seats, locking gas cap, tilt wheel, power front disc brakes, and an electric rear window defroster. A Mileage Maker sedan was also sold. Air conditioning was standard on all models, using built in ducts. FM radios were optional.
Two Colt engines were available, both with Silent Shaft technology (essentially, a vibration-reducing reciprocal mass system), displacing 1.6 and 2.0 liters. The 2-liter engine was available on Colt Wagon, Carousel, and GT. Transmissions included a four speed manual on Mileage Maker, five speed manual on other models, and a three-speed automatic. Both engines were similar in design; they had hemispherical heads, two-barrel downdraft carburetors (the 3.7 liter slant six got a two-barrel in 1977 for the first time in many years), and a fairly conventional design other than the counter-rotating balance shafts. Four different gear ratios were used, starting with 3.31:1 (coupes with manuals), 3.55:1 (automatics), 3.89:1 (2-liter with manual), and 4.22:1 (1.6 liter with manual).
The transmission was a Chrysler design - the TorqueFlite automatic, "Proved in cars over billions of miles on American roads." The automatic had a console shift with a sporty wide handle.
Front brakes were nine inches in diameter; drums were in the back. Steering had a recirculating ball design.
The 1977 Colt GT included a rallye cluster with 8,000-rpm tachometer, fuel and temperature gauge, and woodtone panel. The steering wheel had a lock-to-lock of three and a half turns. Again, the interior included vinyl bucket seats, but the exterior got exclusive side and rear stripes and a blacked out grille; tires were 165 wide radials, wheels were 13 inches. The GT came standard with the 1.6 liter Silent Shaft engine, with the 2.0 being optional.
| 1977
Coupes | 1977
Carousel/GT | 1977
Wagon | 1980
Hatch | 1980
Wagon | 1980
Challenger |
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Wheelbase | 92.1 | 95.3 | 95.3 | 90.6 | 99 | 99 |
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Length | 162.6 | 171.1 | 172.1 | 156.9 | 179.3 | 183.1 |
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Width | 60.4 | 63.6 | 62.8 | 62.4 | 65.2 | 65.9 |
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Height | 53.5 | 54.4 | 55.7 |
50.6
| 52.4 | 51.8 |
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Max track | 50.6 | 51.8 | 51.8 | 53.9 | 53.9 | 53.9 |
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Headroom (F) | 38.8 | 36.9 | 38.2 | 36.8 | 37.2 | 36.8 |
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Headroom (R) | 36.8 | 35.5 | 37.3 | 36 | 36.2 | 35 |
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Legroom (F) | 40.0 | 42.7 | 42.7 | 40.6 | 41.7 | 41.7 |
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Legroom (R) | 30.5 | 30.5 | 30.5 | 29.7 | 32.3 | 31.3 |
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Shoulder room | 48.8 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 51 | 52.8 | 51.2 |
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Hip room | 50.2 | 51.2 | 51.2 | 51.6 | 53.3 | 52.8 |
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Trunk capacity | 6.0 cf | 6.0 c.f. | 58.8 c.f. | 6.5 / 27.4 | 57.9 | 10.9 |
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Gas mileage, manual
(1.6 liter, Federal) | 29/45 | | | | | |
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Gas mileage, auto
1.6 liter, Federal) | 26/35 | | | | | |
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Weight (lb) | | | | 1800 | 2741 | 2700 |
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Colt Carousel had a special denim color scheme setting off the two-door hardotp design; a five speed manual, with all forward gears synchronized, had a fuel-saving .85:1 fifth gear, and a "faux wood-free" light blue applique on the instrument panel.
Finally, the 1977 Colt Wagon had a cargo area of 58 cubic feet, with the rear seat folded - around six feet long by three feet wide - with a counterbalanced liftgate that was easy to lift up. The Estate Wagon Package added a clock, sport steering wheel, roof-rail grips, armrests, woodtone trim panels, and carpeting with skid strips in the cargo area. Upholstery was still vinyl; the spare was underneath the car on a swing-away holder.
In 1979, the Colt was redesigned and the Champ was introduced. Chrysler also brought out the Mitsubishi-designed and built
Ram D50 and Arrow minitrucks that same year. The Arrow coupe was eliminated after 1980, and the
Sapporo/Challenger were eliminated after 1982 (the trunk was made deeper in 1982, their final year). The Arrow pickup also disappeared in the early 1980s.
A 4-door hatchback was introduced in 1982 as standard. The prices ranged from $4995 to $5995. For 1982, the fuel tank was made deeper, so it could hold 13 gallons, 10 liters more than the prior design. Liftgate outlets improved airflow, especially in back.
1983: Plymouth Champ disappears, replaced by Plymouth Colt
The Champ nameplate was changed in 1983 to Colt.
These two cars were equipped with MCA Jet Valves available on two engines, the 1.4L (1410 cc) and the 1.6L (1597 cc). The 1.4L was standard with 4 speed manual transmission & manual dual mode (power/economy) transmission. The 1.6L was an optional engine with an optional automatic transmission or standard 4 speed. Turbocharging was introduced in 1984.
The Colt was made by Mitsubishi, and sold by Chrysler in hatchback form. The unique manual transmission, the Twin-Stick, operated like a 10-speed bicycle, with a low and high gear and a set of standard gears. The GTS Turbo was a pocket rocket with stunning acceleration, and the GTS provided good handling and a sporty image without the cost of the turbo. The Colt E was Economical, and the DL provided various comfort and convenience features. All were front wheel drive. The GTS Turbo was new for 1984, and a number of other minor changes were made for the year.
Other options included A/C, am/fm 4 speaker stereo, power mirrors, roof rack, rear wiper with defroster, cloth seats, ashtray light, larger fuel tank (13.2 gal), tachometer with trip odometer and warning lights including low fuel.
The fuel economy was impressive with both engines and transmissions. The 1.4L with 4 speed got 28/37 mpg and the optional 1.6L with automatic got 27/35 mpg.
During the 1980s, Mitsubishi built cars with Hyundai on the same platform as the Colt and Champ. The Hyundai Excel shared many parts with the twins like brake drums, CV axles and shafts, oil filter, air filter, transmission filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and PCV valve. An entire exhaust system from the twins was used for Hyundai, from the manifold to the tailpipe.
The 1980 models used the 1.6 liter MCA-JET engine across the board, except for the hatchback with manual transmission; that had the 1.4 liter version, still with MCA-JET, coupled to a Twin-Stick manual that made the most of the little engine. The Colt wagon and Challenger had a standard five-speed manual standard, with an optional automatic.
For 1986, an upshift light was made standard on non-turbo models with the five-speed; the turbo package was revised, and the GTS dropped; 5-mph bumpers were standard on sedans, and a third brake light was added; new 14 inch aluminum wheels were optional on GTS Turbo, and standard on Premier; a manual remote driver's side mirror was added to DL; a new deck lid luggage rack became optional; red and blue interiors were added, along with cloth seat and door inserts on DL; and an electric rear defroster was made standard on DL. In this year, three trim levels were available (E, DL, and Premier), all except Premier available as a two-door hatch or four-door sedan. Premier was only available as a sedan. The hatch on two-door hatch models held 6.2 cubic feet of cargo with seats up and security panel stretched out, 26.4 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats folded down; the trunk on sedans held 10.9 cubic feet.
The four-door Colt Vista wagon was closely related to the Colt, but was arguably one of the first crossovers; it was taller than a standard Colt or wagon, and had optional all wheel drive. Powered by a 2-liter engine with two-barrel carburetor, driven by a five-speed stick-shift, the Colt Vista attracted a small but hard core group of owners who kept their cars visible for many years, partly due to the 64 cubic feet of cargo space (with second and third row seats folded) and seating for seven - an even more parkable
minivan, one might say.
Chrysler wrote in 1988:
MacPherson-type strut front suspension with shock absorbers mounted within coil springs is standard on all Colt models. Lower control arm rear bushings have asymmetrical spring characteristics for stability and an excellent ride. Colt's rear suspension is "U" shaped with two trailing arms and struts (shock absorbers)-with improved rubber bushings and progressive rate springs for a compliant ride. The trailing arms carry the spindles for the rear wheels. The struts are mounted adjacent to the coil springs with lower mounts bolted to the trailing arms and upper mounts bolted to the car structure. A Sport Suspension with higher rate springs, front and rear antisway bars and gas-pressurized front shock absorbers is included in the Turbo Packages available on the Colt DL 3-door hatchback and on Colt Premier 4-door sedan.
Although designed for different purposes, Colt and Colt Vista both have versions of strut and coil spring independent front suspension and trailing arm rear suspension with coil springs and shock absorbers. Both vehicles have front and rear antisway bars to add stability to the ride.
The new Colt DL 5-door station wagon featured an exclusive 3-link rear suspension with two trailing arms, track for coil springs and shock absorbers.
1988 Vehicle
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Engine
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Manual Trans.
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Automatic
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