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Sanctifier
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 Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:46 am Post subject: The History of Mitsubishi in Motor Sports. |
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Presenting!... The Chronological History of  in Motor Sports:
An eye-opener! I didn't realise that had achieved so many "firsts"
along the road to Motor Sports greatness...
Motor Sports Data from: History of Motor Sports. Click here!
Enjoy! 
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick! 
Last edited by Sanctifier on Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:41 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
Okay let's start the ball rolling with one of the first to show the genius that is
1962-1963: The Mitsubishi 500... The beginning!
| Quote: | M MC's long and successful history in motor sports had its beginnings in 1962. However, the history of the MMC itself goes all the way back to 1917 when the predecessor to MMC, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co.,Ltd., began taking the first steps in the world of motor vehicle production when development of the Mitsubishi A model started.
Then, in the mid 1950s, the European moves toward the production of 'mini' vehicles resulted in an explosion in the number of vehicles built and this trend caught on in Japan also. There were a number of mini cars developed domestically during this period and Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. as MMC was called at that time, began work on their own small passenger vehicle in 1957.
In 1960, after a long period of development and testing, the first Mitsubishi passenger car was produced. The "Mitsubishi 500" as it was called, was given a boost in engine size for the next year of production (1961) and the 594 cc unit gave improved acceleration and durability.
It was this vehicle which became the base for the very first of Mitsubishi's motorsport competition machines, the "Mitsubishi 500 Super Deluxe", several of which were entered in the Macau Grand Prix held in November of 1962. Competing in the under 750 cc class, not only did the example driven by Kazuo Togawa win the category but Super Deluxe took the first four places in the class in an incredible debut result.
A crushing victory in the very first race, with the very first racing car the company had ever made! It was in this way that Mitsubishi's motorsport activities started, and a new era in motorsport dawned. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
Last edited by Sanctifier on Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:42 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:12 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1963-1964: Colt 600.
| Quote: | D ue to the Macau GP debut victory, the performance of Mitsubishi cars gained a very good reputation very quickly. However, the unforeseen scale of the expansion in demand for Mitsubishi products as a result of these victories made it imperative that there be changes made to the road cars to meet the expectations of consumers. So the "Colt 600" was born.
Based on the 500, but with radical changes to the shape of the rear of the car, the 600 followed in the ground breaking steps of the 500 in the world of motorsport. In the 1963 Malaysia Grand Prix the Colt 600s humbled the Fiats from Italy in the under 600 cc class, took second and third as well, and by posting this stunning result showed the world the strength of these little cars.
In the same year, the first running of the "Japan Grand Prix" saw Kazuo Togawa, entered in the C 2 class in a borrowed Colt 600, take 11th in class. And it can be said that from this day, the running of the 1st Japan Grand Prix, that the Japanese racing scene changed for ever. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:26 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1964-1965: Colt 1000.
| Quote: | The chassis developed after the Colt 600 was the Colt 1000. The new Colt, which differed greatly from the Mitsubishi 500 and 600 in that it was not RR (rear-engine, rear wheel drive) as the previous two models had been, but was now FR (front-engine, rear wheel drive) and had a four door sedan body.
The capacity of the engine had been greatly increased to 977cc and produced 52.2 h.p., which made it the world's most powerful engine in its class. Because of their powerful engine, ram manifold, and other newly developed technical advances, the Colt 1000 was used widely in motorsport activities.
1964 saw the 2nd Japan Grand Prix run by JAF and officially recognized by the FIA. It drew a crowd of 2,400,000, which gives an idea of the importance of the race at that point in time. Most car manufacturers entered factory teams, and the Colts were entered by Sohei Kato in the 700 - 1,000 (T3) class. The result 1-2-3 in class, amply proving the technically advanced level of the car. Nevertheless, Mitsubishi ceased factory competition in touring cars and started to concentrate its efforts on the open-wheel 'formula car' categories from the following year, 1966. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:47 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1966: COLT F3A. The first of the single-seaters.
| Quote: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (renamed from Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. in 1964) moved its motorsport activities from passenger car based 'Touring Cars" to the Formula Car, open-wheeler classes in 1966. The circumstances that led to this change in emphasis were, among other reasons, the entry of Honda into Formula 1, the building of the first domestic formula car, and the suspension of that year's Japan GP. In general, the center of interest in world motorsport was moving away from touring cars and toward open-wheel formula cars.
The first formula car from Mitsubishi was the 'Colt F3A'. This car was an original design tubular steel chassis fitted with a Colt 1000 R28 engine and was entered in the Japan Grand Prix of 1966. The modified R28 engine was a straight overhead valve (OHV) configuration of 997 cc capacity that produced 90 h.p. at 8000 rpm.
At this time in Japanese motorsport the formula car classes had only just been introduced and were called "Exhibition" races. However, the Colt F3A was competitive from the beginning and, taking on the imported Lotuses and Brabhams, won the Exhibition class of the 1966 Japan GP, an amazing victory for a domestically built chassis. During that season the F3A won a majority of the races it contested. This year also saw the completion of Fuji Speedway and the start of a new stage in the development of Japanese motorsport. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:31 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1967: COLT F2A
| Quote: | After the 1966 season the undivided attention of MHI was devoted to the development of a new machine that would be able to be competitive at the 4th Japan GP (1967).
A Colt 1500 engine was bored out to 1589cc and the 160 h.p. R46 straight four OHV unit was then put into an improved version of the Colt F3A chassis.
The new improved machine was called the Colt F2A and lived up to the expectations that people had of its speed when it was entered in the Japan GP of that year. This was the year when the formula cars were an officially recognized class of the event, indicating that Japanese motorsport was indeed coming of age.
The Mitsubishi factory cars demonstrated their superiority in the class when they qualified 1st and 2nd in the hands of Osamu Mochizuki and Osamu Masuko, and then proceeded to decimate the opposition by recording a 1-2 finish and lapping every other car on the circuit on the way to victory.
In this way, Mitsubishi showed everyone the way you should go about formula car racing, their efforts in car design and preparation bearing fruit in a way that would stand up to the strictest examination. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:52 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1967: COLT 1000F. The start of the dream.
| Quote: |
It was in 1967 that Mitsubishi actually made its first big step into the world of international rallying. As has been mentioned above, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. history began in the Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. era with the Mitsubishi 500 mini car.
It was this machine that was also the starting point of Mitsubishi motorsports history, and after the 500 came the Colt 600, Colt 1000, and Colt 1500, these machines tracing the history of MMC's passenger vehicles as well as its motorsport legacy.
In a similar way Mitsubishi's participation can be traced from one car, the Colt 800. Going on sale in 1965, the Colt 800 was later exported to Australia and from there came a strong demand for a car that could compete in the Southern Cross Rally, an event that started in 1965 and was extremely popular at the time.
In response, the Colt engine was replaced with a four-stroke unit and the new 'Colt 1000' was entered in the 1967 Southern Cross Rally. Hence, the Colt 1000F became the very first Mitsubishi rally machine. It was equipped with only a small 977 cc capacity engine but in its debut event came fourth outright and won its class, and because of this fantastic result the Mitsubishi rally sport story began.
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:56 am Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1968: COLT F2B.
| Quote: | As the Mitsubishi formula car program entered its third year, the decision was made to take the team and its technical expertise one level higher. Until this time the engines used in the formula cars were improved versions of the Colt 1000 and 1500 mass production units, but from 1968 Mitsubishi would start to produce and develop their own pure racing engines. The first of these engines, the R39, was completed the same year.
The capacity of 1598 cc was unchanged, but the engine evolved into an in line DOHC 4-cylinder unit with a maximum power output of 220 h.p. and a maximum speed in races of 260 kmph. The R39 was produced solely for the purpose of formula car racing and its 4 valves per cylinder and fuel injection to improve induction and exhaust were state of the art for their time.
The engine was mounted in an improved version of the Colt F series, was designated F2B, and four of this type were entered in the fifth Japan Grand Prix (1968). Even though they were competing alongside Mazda rotary and 2,800 cc engined cars the Colt F2Bs overwhelmed the opposition and, even though Mochizuki unfortunately retired, the team scored a powerful 1-2 outright victory.
That year the F2B scored three victories in the same class and also competed in their very first overseas event, the Macau GP. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
Last edited by Sanctifier on Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Plex
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| excellent infor.. |
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks plex. More coming up later. 
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1969
COLT 1500SS
| Quote: | In the third year of international rallying the Mitsubishi factory were on a roll and in an effort to improve their already very good record, it was decided that the chassis of the next generation of Mitsubishi passenger cars, the 'Colt 1500SS' (New Colt 1500) should be used as the base for the rally machine.
The new chassis was already being used on race circuits in the guise of a Colt 1000, and it had the refined longer wheel base of the Colt 1500, a two door model was already being included in the line-up, the R46 racing engine from the formula car was being improved and tuned for rally use and all of this was to form one package called the Colt 1500SS.
Two were entered in the 4th Southern Cross Rally, but because of a mismatch between the 120 h.p. engine and the suspension the outright win that had been the reason for all of the improvements was not possible. However, third place was still a good result for a brand new car. |
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1969
Colt F2C
| Quote: | In 1969 the high level of Japanese formula car motorsport had become well recognized and formula car events were the major events on the calendar. Among these events was the JAF Grand Prix which was Japan's first International formula car event and participants from as far away as Australia came to compete.
27 cars were enter in the race, with the Mitsubishi factory team of 3 improved F2Bs (entered as "Colt F2C"s) on the grid to do battle. The F2Cs, basically F2Bs fitted with wings, were in the hands of the top Japanese drivers of the day and it was one of these drivers, Tetsu Ikuzawa, who showed the speed of the local product when he qualified on pole position.
In the race the foreign contingent fresh from the Tasman Series (a series of races held in Australia and New Zealand during the European off-season) took the top two places but one of the F2C's took third outright.
In addition, following on from the entry at Macau the previous year an F2C driven by Sohei Kato took 3rd position in the main race of the event, giving even more evidence of how the technical expertise of Mitsubishi was now of world rank.
Another important point about this year was that it can be regarded as the first year of the real internationalization of Japanese motorsport, with an increasing number of international events being held from this time on. |
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Walk softly... and carry a BIG stick!
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Sanctifier
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| Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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The Chronological History of in Motor Sports:
1970
COLT 11F SS
| Quote: | In addition to the Colt 1500SS entries by the Mitsubishi factory in the 1969 Southern Cross
Rally, two "Colt 11F SS's" were also entered. Both rally cars were built on the same base
chassis, the Colt 1000 F. They were then equipped with a Colt 11F engine bored out by
100 cc and fitted with twin SU carburetors which gave a maximum power output of 73 h.p.
The Colt 11FSS had already competed in and won domestic Japanese rallies and in the
'69 Southern Cross Rally it took 7th outright which, added to the results of the Colt 1500 SS,
earned Mitsubishi the Manufacturer's Prize in that year.
As the successor to the Colt 1500 SS, the Colt 11F SS was used in 1970 as the official factory
chassis and it was in this year that three 11F SS rally machines were entered in the Ampol Trial,
an Australian long-distance rally that was an even bigger event than the Southern Cross.
The Ampol Trial, held over the last part of June and first part of July, saw the 3 Colt 11FSSs
not only finish 4th, 6th and 7th outright, but also totally dominate their class with a wonderful
1-2-3 result. As had become traditional by then, the Colt 11FSS was entered in the Southern
Cross Rally of that year and again took a podium finish with 3rd position overall.
1970 was the final year that the rally machines based upon the Colt 1000 were used,
because the following year the newly developed Galant would become the official chassis
for the factory, a change which also signaled an even more serious commitment to
rally competition by the Mitsubishi factory. |
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