"An impossibly pretty car" -Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear
Proof that "Whistles and Bells" do not always make a great car. The IS gave you everything, from reliability to blazing power. What it failed at was giving me the joy of actually driving the car. 1,5 years later I trader her in.
My intro to the European car scene.... The Audi was simply a stunning drivers car. Sadly we parted far too soon due to an accident. Her lack of reliability had me look for a Japanese equivalent, and I bought the Lexus IS350.
Built by Mitsubishi America, the Stratus is a front wheel drive, 5 passenger hardtop. She shares much of the Galants chassis and drive train, and Eclipse interior. A great cross from sport coupe up to something with a rear seat and legroom for 5.
(Note: Here's a great photo of Ron Gregory's '92, identical to mine in style
and color.)
Imported in very limited numbers (2000 in 1991, and 1000 in 1992), this
four-door grocery-getter has some very serious tricks up her sleeve!
Sporting Mitsubishi's 195 hp turbocharged 2.0L twin overhead cam engine, this
little rocket also grips with All Wheel Drive, and All Wheel Steering! Toss in a
full leather interior, and excellent sound system, and it proves a pleasure to
drive!
Inversely, rig this little beast with a long throw race suspension, dump the
weighted interior, and you have a quick offroader that has taken home many
yearly championship in the international pro rally circuits!
And although not truly a DSM car (the Galant was built completely in Japan, thank god! ), you can find out a little more from Club DSM
The Subaru WRX takes all the talk these days, but we VR4 owners would simply like to shake their hands and welcome them to the fun world we have been enjoying for more than ten years before they hit the scene. 'Bout time you caught up Subie... took ya long enough..... She may not be State-of- the-art by todays standards, but she was definitely WAY ahead of her time!
Now, if we could only get the 2002 GVR4 here in the US.
Check out some winning history for the Galant, VR4
wins in the '80's and VR4
wins in the '90's!
(1 of approximately 4000 made?)
Although the actual number of units produced is not yet confirmed, this
"Limited Series" is an interesting combination for 1975. Built at the
Fremont plant in CA, the chassis is 3/4 ton, suspended on 1/2 ton axles.
(Commonly referred to as a "Heavy Half"). This allowed GMC to avoid
the addition of catalytic converters (Then required on half-ton trucks in CA.).
Powerplant is GMC's big 454, and amenities included special two-tone paint,
cruise control, tilt wheel, A/C, Fog lamps, and now irreplaceable "Beau
James" decals and hood ornament.
This truck was a recent gift to me from my father, and to date still has only
65K original miles.
Rides of my past: (Just fer da heck of it)
1973 Honda Trail 90
1962 Ford Falcon (inline 6 w/3 on the tree)
1975 (76?) Honda CB350 twin
1970 Mercury Cougar (Great 351 Cleveland engine)
1979 Yamaha 650 Special (My first "new" ride)
1982 Daihatsu Mini-Van
1974 Opel Manta Rally (German built, and tough)
1979 Toyota Corolla (wife)
1976 Fiat 124 Spider (Fun)
1985 GMC S15 Extended cab (wife)
1980 Dodge Challenger (Mitsubishi Sapporo)
1979 Mustang (Commuter)
1988 Mitsubishi Starion (picture)
1991 Galant VR-4 (wife)
1975 GMC Beau James
1982 Yamaha Seca Turbo
2002 Ford Explorer XLT (wife)
2002 Dodge
Straus R/T Coupe
2005.5 Audi A4 Quattro
2006 Lexus IS350
2007 Jaguar XK
Check back later, as this page grows.... (and grows.... and grows....)
Yeash!
Updated Mar 2006
