Welcome to the Lancer 2000 Turbo Register Europe website

What could never be suspected at Mitsubishi is that this series of Mitsubishi Lancers - once made to make the mandatory number of 1250 units for homologation for the WRC, the World Rally Championship   - would become a cult car. The car was developed by Tatsuhiko Kuwabara and colleague Kenji Morisaki - Engineers at the time in the motorsport division of Mitsubishi Motors.  

Purpose of the Website

The purpose of this website is to connect all owners, enthusiasts and interested parties of the Mitsubishi Lancer EX 2000 Turbo (A176A - Box-Type) all over the world. By connecting this, the enthusiasts can help each other with technical advice, parts or even tip each other when a Lancer Turbo comes up for sale.

Numbers

In total, 1250 units of the Mitsubishi Lancer EX 2000 Turbo were made. These were both left and right hand drive vehicles.

In the Netherlands, 107 official Lancers have been sold by the Mitsubishi organization. An estimated 12 have been imported “grey”. The Lancer 2000 Turbo is only available in black or white color. The year of manufacture is 1981 but some were registered later. Some dealers actually didn't want to sell the car. There are currently 25 Lancers of the 2000 Turbo model in the Netherlands. Not all running, some are in storage, others are waiting for an extensive restoration.

​

Cost

Where the most expensive model (The Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR) had to cost around 16,000 guilders, more than 35,000 guilders were asked for the Lancer 2000 EX Turbo.  The technology, speed and exclusivity therefore had to be settled.

​

Mitsubishi Turbo

At that time, Mitsubishi had a Turbo version of every model in its range. From Colt to Starion, but the Lancer 2000 EX Turbo stood out with the number of sales in the Netherlands.  Nice detail is that the turbos used were made by Mitsubishi itself, where other car brands later bought the Turbos from Mitsubishi or produced them under license from Mitsubishi.

Specifications

With an empty weight of 1075 kg, a power of 170 hp (we are talking about 1981!) and a torque of 245 nm at 3500 rpm, this was a car that was faster than an Alfa, BMW or even a Porsche.  The Lancer EX 2000 Turbo could be driven from 0 to 100 km/h in under 8 seconds and has a top speed of over 200 km/h. These were values that were rare at the time.

The well-known 4G63 engine with balance shafts, a patented innovative system from Mitsubishi used as the basis. With a bore of 85 and a stroke of 88 mm we are talking about an almost square engine which is perfect for handling fuel flows (larger valves), less load on pistons and connecting rods.  In addition, Mitsubishi was one of the first car brands to introduce a fully electronically controlled Injection System (ECI) for these engines.  A regulated Turbo with waste gate provided the back pressure that the Lancer is so famous for. This engine was coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission which powered the rigid rear axle.

Anecdote

A nice anecdote from that time is that the owner of a Mitsubishi Dealer from Ridderkerk (driving with a Black Lancer 2000 EX Turbo and equipped with  green dealer plates) once drove past a Police Porsche 911 Targa on the highway at a slightly too high speed.  The agents of the National Police gave chase, but the Porsche did not really manage to get any closer.

The dealer stopped at a gas station and even before the Rijksagents had climbed out of the Porsche, he stood by them at the car and asked; “Problems gentlemen? Is your Porsche defective - there's really no going on today - would you like to borrow my car?“  the officers stood transfixed. 

At that time, it was still possible to do something with this, and after the agents had made a good test drive in the new Lancer Turbo, the dealer was asked to drive a little more slowly and to put on his seat belt from now on…….the good old days.