The Mitsubishi Galant first appeared on American streets as the 1971 Dodge Colt and then a bit later with Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo badges. Mitsubishi Motors finally began selling Galants from its own U.S. showrooms for the 1985 model year, and Galant sales continued here through four more generations before getting the axe in 2012. We saw some interesting and/or quick Galants along the way, including the Sigma, VR-4, GS-X and Ralliart; today's Junkyard Gem is a rare example of the sporty eighth-generation Galant GTZ sedan, found in a North Carolina self-service wrecking yard recently.
Then the 1999 model year arrived, and so did the 6G72 V6 engine under Galant hoods.
The GTZ was sporty-looking, but not as loaded with luxury features as the LS.
The 1999 Galant got a grille that resembled the one on its upscale Diamante big brother, which had five years to live at the time.
Those prices were in the ballpark with the Galant's Camry and Accord rivals; the Camry LE V6 with automatic started at $22,748 ($43,412 now) with automatic transmission, while the Accord LX V6 with automatic was $21,700 ($41,412 today). Both those cars had a lot more power than the Mitsubishi, though: 194 horsepower for the Toyota and 200 for the Honda.
The factory wing on the GT-Z is serious.
Collectible today? Hardly, but an interesting bit of automotive history.
The 1999 Galant DE really was a good deal for the price.
As always, the JDM advertising was more fun.
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