October 05, 2009

Mitsubishi Colt

A little history

Used for almost half a century, the Colt name can hardly be split from that of Mitsubishi. The very first Colt was a tiny 600 cc twin unveiled in 1962. The name reappeared in 1979 when it was applied on the American version of the newly-launched Mirage hatchback. This Mirage went through several models during the Eighties, but the Colt name renamed on many export models, though on some markets the car was confusingly badged as a Lancer. By the first years of the new millenium, the Mirage/Lancer had grown into a much larger car, and Mitsubishi felt the need of reassigning the car to the compact city car class. This rectification became really for model year 2003 when was introduced the new car, which now adopted the Colt name, including on its home market. A European version, built in the Netherlands, followed one year later. This latest Colt is still produced today.

About the model

Model: Mitsubishi Colt
Year: c.2004
Maker: Vitesse
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Vitesse
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

An excellent model by Vitesse, nicely detailed, well assembled and correctly priced. Though I’m not fond of modern cars as you have probably noticed by now, such quality really makes me enjoy them as scale models. My rating is 15/20.

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10 comments:

JB said...

Vitesse have good models this is one of them.

JB

JDMike's Diecast Site said...

I haven't seen this around, nice model sir Laurent, and this would look good together with the Minichamps Mitsubishi Colt 1980. :-)
I was supposed to get one but slippped my fingers. Oh well... :-)

lorenzo721 said...

@ JB:

Agreed.

lorenzo721 said...

@ JDMike:

Nope, I don't have this Eighties Colt. I'd like to though: at that time it was one of the only Japanese car visible on French roads.

Jovet's Garage said...

Very cute, nice find! A friend of mine has a 1:1 and I find the leg room spacious for a compact car.

May I ask where you got this? Does it come in white? My friend who owns one lives inside the affected area of Ondoy and I'd like to give him one as a gift. Though his car was spared, he lost his Mazda 323 and a lot of personal belongings. Thank God they were all safe.

lorenzo721 said...

Thanks Jovet! Nevertheless I'll make you notice that where/when I bought each model is always indicated in the post hahaha ;) In that case Hong Kong. I know about a silver one, but I think Vitesse always proposes several colours, so why not white? I tried to make a research but that's usually the facelifted 2009 version that turns up. But above all, good luck to your friend.

Jovet's Garage said...

Spot on! You got me there, lol! Yes, I noticed it after submitting my comment. Thanks again, the search for the white is on! =)

lorenzo721 said...

I forgot to mention that the 2009 Colt by Vitesse is available in white, so there are really no reason why the 2004 wouldn't have been released with such a common colour.

Unknown said...

I'd like to get one for my colt... where can i get it? I'm from malaysia...

lorenzo721 said...

Hello Lee,
Well, if you can't find it in Malaysia, and have no opportunity to visit Hong Kong, most probably you can find one on e-bay. I just had a look for you, but only found the next generation Colt though, so be patient if you look for one there.