Mitsubishi GTO

Mitsubishi GTO / 3000GT (Z16A, 1990 to 2001)

About the most technology you could buy in 1991, and it still shows

The Mitsubishi GTO went out to export markets as the 3000GT, and in the States it wore a Dodge badge and was sold as the Stealth. Same car underneath. This was Mitsubishi throwing the whole engineering department at a coupe to make a point, and for a while it was about the most technically loaded thing on the road short of an outright supercar.

Under the bonnet sits the 6G72, a 3.0 litre V6. There is a naturally aspirated version that makes a nice cruiser, but the one everybody actually wants is the twin-turbo. Japanese cars are quoted at the usual gentlemen's-agreement figure of 280 PS (roughly 276 bhp), though export and later US VR-4 cars were rated a touch higher. Do not lose sleep over the exact number. With two turbos feeding all four wheels, it launches like it has been fired out of something.

The real story, though, is the sheer amount of kit. A top-spec twin-turbo carried full-time all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering that nudges the rears to sharpen it up, an active aero setup with a front air dam and a rear spoiler that physically move at speed, electronically controlled suspension you could firm up, and an exhaust with a valve that switched between quiet and loud. In 1991. Most of that was science-fiction stuff on a road car back then, and it came as standard.

All that hardware has a cost, and the cost is weight. A twin-turbo tips the scales at somewhere around 1.7 tonnes, give or take by year and spec, which is a fair old lump for a two-door. Set your expectations accordingly. This is a fast, planted grand tourer and a serious straight-line bruiser, not a featherweight back-road scalpel. It bulldozes rather than dances. Once you make peace with that, it is hugely satisfying, and it still covers ground in a way that feels quick today.

Why bother? Presence, mostly. The thing still looks like the future turned up a decade early, and the all-wheel-drive twin-turbo shove is properly addictive. It also stays a relative bargain next to a Toyota Supra or a Nissan Skyline GT-R, so you get most of the era's tech and drama for a good chunk less money.

The flip side of all that cleverness is that complexity is the enemy, so budget upfront for the clever bits playing up. The all-wheel drive, the four-wheel steering, the active aero, the adjustable suspension: any of it can get cranky with age, and when it does the parts and the know-how are neither cheap nor common. Check the twin-turbo 6G72 for general health and any history of overheating, because these will cook themselves if the cooling has been left to slide. The engine is an interference design running a timing belt, so you want proof the belt has been done on schedule. If it lets go, the pistons and valves have a very expensive argument. Look hard for rust, and be wary of anything wearing heavy or cheaply done modifications.

The one to buy is a stock, well-kept twin-turbo with every system still doing its job the way the factory intended. Pay the premium for that car and thank yourself later. A neglected one looks like a bargain right up until you start fixing it, and then it quietly empties your wallet.