Honestly these cars should have had an optional V8, it would have been way less of a laughingstock/afterthought. I know it's a Mitsubishi, and they didn't manufacture V8s but Chrysler could've ordered some without engines and stuffed a lil 318 in there.
My grandparents had a Sapporo. It wasn’t a bad little car. The only problem it had was that my grandmother completely missed the Japanese connection. Several years after they bought the car, she somehow happened to see the name MITSUBISHI on the engine, and had a raging fit over “Eye-a-toca” lying to her and wasn’t a real ‘Murican Chrysler. (Yeah, Grandma could be racist at times) She got rid of that Sapporo as fast as she could. She was in such a hurry, and so mad at Chrysler, that they ended up with a (used) ‘72 Chevy Impala. She never forgave Chrysler. Nobody had the heart to tell her later on that her little Geo Prizm was actually a Toyota…
Across the pond, my Grandfather said he'd never go in a Japanese car because "of what they did to our boys in the war" but was glad to be in a British Range Rover, I also omitted to tell him of the German underpinnings 😂
Just a slight correction. The Celica had rear wheel drive until the 1986 model, the Challenger was discontinued in 1983. I owned a 1983 Celica GT-S which had the independent rear drive suspension, same as the Supra at the time. Loved that car.
a buddy of mine had an 83 Challenger at same time i had my 86 Shelby Charger, while these cars wouldn't win any drag races the were a blast to drive when most cars just didn't have much in HP. and its not like they were eye sores. currently my pride and joy is my 1999 Chrysler 300-M. it is in near showroom condition with 80K on the clock. I've owned upwards of 80 cars in my life not including motorcycles or trucks. i always enjoy seeing these types of videos thank you for taking your time putting them together.
A guy I worked with in college had one, this would have been around '91. It was very trashed, however I rode in it a few times and was impressed at how smooth it was. That "silent shaft" really worked.
In the B2600, Mazda borrowed that engine for their trucks and it really was smooth for a big 4. I owned one for awhile. Its only drawback at least in the trucks, it wasn't very powerful. Emissions controls had a lot to do with that.
That's an interesting video, thanks! I am Australian but very familiar with this car. Here in Australia, Chrysler (Aust.) hit hard times in the late 70s also. They began manufacturing (under license) the Mitsubishi Galant - both four door and two door versions in South Australia, to be badged Sigma (4dr) and Sigma Scorpion (2dr). These cars were a sensational hit to say the least. In fact, the Sigma (particularly) saved Chrysler Au. for a few more years, having become the best selling 4cyl in the country - for many years. This of course allowed Chrysler Au. to continue manufacturing the poor selling Valiant, Regal and Charger, until Chrysler Au's ultimate demise in 1981 when Mitsubishi took them over. Having said all that, the Sigma/Scorpion were great cars, in fact I still own my 1979 Chrysler Sigma SE 4dr Sedan. The 2dr Scorpions (your Challenger) are extremely rare nowadays, but a sorted one will fetch serious money. I can't help but think the "Scorpion" name would have been a good choice for your Dodge Challenger - imagine it - Dodge "Scorpion"...food for thought!.... 🙂
@@goodbonezz1289 I had a 1981 Sapporo and a 1984 Starion. Basically the same cars, one a 2.6L 2bbl sedan, the other a hatchback with the same 2.6L with EFI Turbo. My appreciation for the Sapporo influenced me to get the Starion. Awesome way ahead of their time vehicles.
@@vertanux1 I can’t believe I was never tracking that the two were the same platform…but it makes sense! In 89 I owned a 83 Challenger…I knew it was nothing akin to the original but I liked it. A 5 speed little get around..we took it in trade at the dealership I worked at. Bought it for $350. It was mint. Also always liked the Conquest/Starion and was well. I was very aware of them at the time also. I never put 2 and 2 together to realize the little underpowered but decent handling Challenger had morphed into the potent Conquest/Starion. Nice.
One correction I'd like to suggest. Celica did have RWD until it split from the platform that it and the Celica Supra shared. Supra became it's own model after the second gen Supra was succeeded by the 3rd gen Supra. Last Celica that was rear wheel drive was the third gen and production ended in 1984. T160 platform Celica came out in 1985. Supra still still on the Celica platform until 1986 which was last year of the gen 2 Celica Supra. I know it gets confusing with all this, but I owned a 1985 Celica Supra so that's only reason why I know all about that. 😊 Edit: In case anyone brings it up, I am aware that the 2nd Gen Celica Supra production officially ended in December 1985. However, the second gen leftover Celica Supras were sold as 1986 model year in order to deplete leftover inventory. In some markets the second gen Celica Supra was sold alongside the 3rd gen Supra (which also came out in 1986). One day I will buy another 2nd Gen Celica Supra or get a 3rd gen Supra. Parts are hard to find for the 2nd Gen though and the aftermarket hasn't yet stepped up to make reproduction parts such as gas tanks, interior trim, etc and that's the only reason I sold mine at the time. Hopefully that changes by the time I'm ready to start looking again.
@@GreenHawkDrive oh it gets even crazier lol, the Celica also had some AWD models (4th Gen GT-Four / All-trac, 5th gen GT-Four, 6th Gen GT-Four) which aren't very common and are probably the best examples of the Celica platform. They were all turbocharged. 😊
In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, the major Japanese brands (except for Honda and Subaru) tended to lag the industry in the switch to FWD. So the Celica was still RWD at that point. At the time, I liked this Challenger much better than the previous US-made stuff.
I owned a 79, orange with plaid interior. Was slow but reliable. I never had major rust issues but I lived in the south. I remember not needing to really use the clutch, I could just glide the shifter into gear it was so smooth. It was also really comfortable. They should have used a different name though. Challenger was known to be a beast just a few years earlier and this was just a Mitsu gallant. I always thought it looked very "Pontiac" in the front/nose.
This generation Dodge Challenger was a pretty solid and reliable car….. I wish you could still get a rebranded Chrysler for a Mitsubishi price nowadays lol. Love the videos, than you so much for making such awesome content! 😎
Mitsubishi cars were junk! They actually brought Chrysler down! My uncle owned a Chrysler dealer back then and every Mitsubishi badged or powered car was junk!
I had a 1983 Sapporo and it was a great reliable fast little car. 5 Speed and fairly good quality, yes the sheet metal was thin and crap, but the engine and drive train seemed pretty good. Thanks for your video....
And that’s a whole other can of worms that opens up too, because at the time Mitsubishi was trying to compete in group B rally and were in process of making an awd starion which led to what eventually became the galant vr4, then Transferred the info they gathered racing the galant into a lancer and what we now know as the Evo. Most of it was birthed from the Starion and Conquests
My first Car was a 1982 Mitsubishi Scorpion, which was the Australian name for it. It was a 2.6 Litre Automatic. It was previously my Mum's. It was 4 Years Old when I got it. It might not have been a V8, but it had a heap of grunt for a 4 Cylinder without a turbo.
Fun Fact - Chrysler in Australia did the same thing and rebadged many Mitsubishi products and sold them as Chryslers in the 70's and early 80's before Mitsubishi bought out Chrysler Australia, took over Chrysler's operations and introduced the Mitsubishi brand in 1980. The second generation Dodge Challenger for example, was sold as the Chrysler Scorpion in Australia, before being sold as the Mitsubishi Scorpion. The Dodge D50 Ram Pickup you've mentioned in this clip, was sold initially as the Chrysler D50 Ute (Pickup) in Australia, then as the Chrysler L200 Express Ute, before being rebranded as the Mitsubishi L200 Express Ute. Today we know it as the Mitsubishi Triton Ute.
Some time in the early 80's I heard a Mitsubishi Challenger rumble into the gas pumps opposite me and I immediately stepped up and asked "what was in that thing". The guy was happy to show me and popped the hood revealing a 400 small block chevy tucked in as nice as you please.
I purchased new a 2nd gen 2.6 liter 5 sp. Sapporo. Fantastic car and unbelievably quick. I loved it for the first few years but then it just became too unreliable. Shifter ball wore out, I replaced the fuel pump 3 or 4 times, the seats started unraveling and rust appeared all over. If I had to do it again I'd buy another but sell it after 3 years while it was still worth something.
I mean you're not wrong. I see both ends of the stick in this situation. I think Dodge really stepped up their game after the second generation in 2008. However, it honestly pisses me off that they gave it the same name.
Bought one of these in 78. I might be the exception, but I had nothing but trouble with it. After about 3 carburetor rebuilds, I finally found a mechanic that suggested removing the fuel tank, boiling it out and recoating it. After that, the rust buildups in the fuel filter and carb bowl disappeared. Shortly after, the distributor shaft developed excessive wobble and would not hold dwell and point gap. To its credit, it did get great mileage and was a fun car to drive when it wasn't having trouble. Nevertheless, I was not unhappy to see it drive off with a new owner. Kinda soured me on Mitsubishis.
I had a 1981 Sapporo and a 1984 Starion. Basically the same cars, one a 2.6L 2bbl sedan, the other a hatchback with the same 2.6L with EFI Turbo. My appreciation for the Sapporo influenced me to get the Starion. Awesome way ahead of their time vehicles, especially with the "Technica" versions, sitting in the Sapporo made you feel like you stepped into the future with backlit gauges and buttons, power everything, door ajar chimes, power mirrors, great stereo, high tech adjustable seats, and digital clock. Then sitting in an American car you realized how old fashioned the domestics were. When I first drove my silver Sapporo to high school it was complimented by many students for its modern look and high tech interior, it was significantly faster than most cars of the time for a 4 cylinder. Rust was not an issue for my 81 model even after years of winter salt driving. Surprisingly, both cars had summer overheating issues, especially the Starion because it was modified during a recall when they swapped using the engine oil to cool the turbo, to radiator cooling (I believe I was told it was a design flaw using engine oil to cool the Turbo - caused premature engine oil degradation). Once the recall was applied you just had to carry a bottle of coolant and check it regularly because the coolant system now had to perform double duty on an already strained radiator.
I'm pleasantly surprised. I've never heard about this one before, but I love it! It reminds me of an of-the-era Mazda 626 coupe in its styling. I agree with you one hundred percent: Chrysler should never have used the Challenger name for this one. It strikes me as a car that could've stood on its own merits. Thanks again for a terrific video Green Hawk. You really put them together well. Keep em coming!!! Happy New Year to you and yours. 🥂
I had one of these Challengers, a black & silver manual. I think it had the larger engine but I can't really remember. I moved to New Orleans from Oklahoma in it. Good little car.
Great Vid! Chrysler didnt EXACLTY drop the Challenger due to the Daytona though. When Mitsubishi redesigned the car in the 80s, it was called the Starion. It actually rode on the same platform as this Challenger. Dodge,Plymouth,and Chrysler sold it as a Conquest untill 1988. In 89, the Mitsubishi Chrysler co op continued with the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Chryser branded clones.
@GreenHawkDrive Yeah..I much preferred the Conquest TSI over a turbo Daytona as it was RWD. The Daytona had some torque steer. I've also driven a Omni GLH and Spirit RT. I've been in the car biz since the mid 90s, so I've been behind the wheel of just about everything non exotic you could think of from the 80s on.
Happy New Year! You keep learning about the cars and the industry. You will become better. The videos are a good effort as they require you to research and learn.
Thank you Olds. It's really cool learning about the cars before my time. I really wish I could drive these cars so I can really get a feeling for how they were. My grandpa has a '83 Monte Carlo SS with under 40,000 miles. He's getting older now and is unable to drive her anymore. He's doing okay, just getting older. Anyway, being able to at least drive that car with him in it would be amazing. Thank you for your continued support.
@@GreenHawkDrive You are welcome. You will get to drive the Monte Carlo one day. Be thankful your grandfather is still here and doing fine. He may want you to drive him one day.... who knows?
My first car. Found it on a used lot in 1984 in Killeen TX. Silver/Black with heavy tinted windows. Had only 6 months as i got stationed overseas. But, drove it from Ft Hood,TX to CR, Iowa and back.
Believe it or not. I met a hot rodder who managed to shoehorn a 440 into a 1982 Challanger! On the Mississippi Gulf Coast every year people bring restored muscle cars, antique cars, and street rods. Sometimes for instance a 1965 Ford Fairlane may have a Chevy engine a Dodge transmission and a American motors rear end. For the street rod. I even saw a 49 Mercury with a Curtis P-40 aircraft engine. He had bought the engine from a army surplus store and it had a bullet hole in the engine he repaired. He had run the engine in a dragster in the late 50s and early 60s. Bought the Mecury in 1967 and spent 5 years restoring it. But it had no engine or transmission. So he used what he had. It had to have 100 to 110 octane aviation feul.😊
I thought it would be cool to find a mint 2nd-Gen Challenger. Then after shaking my head, I remembered that I had a near-mint White 1985 Toyota Celica Supra in the 2000's with 132,000km. ...straight 6 and 5 speed. That car was miles ahead. Wish I had it today.
Minor correction: The Toyota Celica was RWD until 1986 - so at the time of the Challenger/Sapporo, they were comparable (on paper). The Celica (2nd generation) by this time were a 2.2l engine, and the Mitsubishis mostly had the 2.6l option. (I don’t think I ever saw one with the smaller engine). The “silent shaft” (balance shafts) were an innovative way of tackling engine vibration, and the result was a car that delivered plenty of power without the characteristic vibration of a 4 cylinder under load. What I recall about these engines is that they were somewhat notorious for gasket and seal problems (I’m not sure if that’s really unusual for the era - gaskets and seals used to be pretty routine maintenance items)
Had an '83, automatic 2.6 liter, red. Bought it new in Pittsburgh. Great car while it lasted. One day in '91, coming home from work, I hear a clunking noise underneath the car. I stopped and looked. I see nothing. Continue to drive. Clunking. Stopped and looked under again. Nothing hanging under the car. I look in the trunk. Both shocks had rusted through the wheel wells. My mechanic said it couldn't be fixed. No rust on the body though. I traded it in with no shocks for a '91 Cavalier. Big mistake.
An '82 Challenger was my first-ever brand new car, and I loved it. Test drove one with an automatic and it was as disappointing as I'd expected it to be. With the manual, it was a completely different experience. I put 70K on it in three years with only one repair, the air conditioning. Finances got tight and I sold it, to a local lady who wrecked it twice but had it repaired both times; the last time I saw her in it was about nine years after I'd sold it to her.
We bought a Challenger new in 78. The only thing I regret is that the dealer didn’t explain there were two engine choices. We got the anemic 1.6 with the 5-speed. The car had some pretty advanced features for the time: electric side mirrors, and a hidden radio antenna. The silent shaft motor was ultra smooth (once you got it up to highway speed). I don’t know about rust, because we lived in Southern California at the time, and we only had it for 2 years. We traded it in on a Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) station wagon with the bigger 2.6L engine, 5-speed and air conditioning.
Please do a video on the ram 50 / Mitsubishi mighty Max. I loved mine it was a great truck. When the mini pickup market started to dissolve in the '90s they had to leave the country due to lack of sales
@@GreenHawkDrive it was an automatic and four-wheel drive. It was a very mid to high revving engine. Which was counterintuitive cuz it was a 2.6. when the mikuni carburetor gave me trouble I ended up putting a little Holly two barrel on it and that up the power of it lowered the fuel economy.
I remember when growing up (in the 80s), a friend of mine had an aunt who had one of these Challengers. Never really thought much about them at the time, but currently being an owner of a 21 Challenger, I don't think these are all that bad at all. For an early 80s econo car, I think they look pretty nice.
My older cousin bought the Dodge Challenger in 1978 and although it was a car he was really happy with it he found the getting parts was not that easy. At least not compare to my brother who bought his 1978 Celica on the same day and like all Toyotas never had such a problem. We all wondered if the Mitsubishi would be as reliable and it was.
7:07 - correct use of "captive import". You obviously read and learn from the comments. Good job on building your channel. I enjoy the range of your content.
I once had a Plymouth Sapporo 2 door 5spd/ 2.7L. I bought it for $50 from a friend and after beating the crap out of it for several years, I sold it for $400 to another friend, who drove it into the ground. It was a wallowy, overweight thing with a tendency to underwhelm AND understeer, but the engine was torquey and allowed one to chirp the tires upon occasion. Mine was blue, I painted black double racing stripes over it with a side stripe from the middle of the trunk down the rear fender, sort of like on a Superbee. It was fun to own as a beater and I'd do it again if I could.
Great history lesson. This was the direction of late 70s sport coupes. But people weren’t ready for it so they didn’t sell well. Seems a perfect alternative to a Toyota Celica of the time, if you wanted something more unusual. Pretty car, in retrospect.
A friend of mine in high school had a Sapporo. It was a really cool car, till he hit a deer going about 70mph! Even though he personally welded a new front end on it, the car was never really the same. Great car that was just not marketed well.
4:04 Even at fourth glance my mind still register's this car as a 77 Delta 88.... or 98... My close friend had an 84 Turbo Z and that thing was impressive. Really had a v8 style punch to it. I had an 85 5.0 Capri that was cammed up and while yes, it had more, the Daytona wasn't too far behind. Back in the early noughties everything was pretty lack luster and I was shocked the first time I drove it. Beauty in the black with red interior.
Nice vid on a forgotten stop gap car. A friend of mine had one with a manual trans. I was too busy driving and modifying Camaros and Firebirds at the time.
Minor correction: The Celica did not become FWD until 4th Generation in 1986. The Challenger/Sapporos would be similar / competitive in what I would call a “small sporty coupe” segment (Toyota Celica, Dodge Challenger, Datsun 200SX, Mercury Capri (Ford of Europe Capri)). Smaller body cars that were providing a somewhat upscale level of fit/finish and performance - reaching the 4 cylinder car out of the “econobox” models like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla) IIRC, the biggest complaint with these was the 2.6l engines were notorious for problems with leaky seals and gaskets. I suspect that led to a lot of them being crushed long before becoming old enough to consider them collectible.
Keep up with those video's Man, im not familiar with American older cars because im from Poland, but i'm EU we have a pretty big community of old shitbox/classics fanatics, doesnt matter if theyre some old ferraris or regular traffic, alot of people like that, im sure your channel will blow up soon❤
I have fond memories of my 1981 Plymouth Sapporo. The 2.6L 4-banger was a peppy motor when coupled to the 5-speed manual. It was the only "Hemi" I have ever owned! It was my longest-lasting vehicle while I was in college. I took several long road trips in it and it drove great. I thought it was a good sporty-looking car for the Malaise Era. It did have a rust issue. I had to repair a rusted-out hole in the passenger floorboard. Overall, it was a good college car for me and made for a good trade-in when I upgraded to a 1990 Honda Civic wagon.
I love this car, gas in 1978 was expensive I remember buy $1.38 a gallon and at times you couldn’t get gas. My car got only 10 mpg 1969 impala, and it was about 12 seconds to 60
@@GreenHawkDrive I wish I had that car today, it was a piece of junk according to other people, but it was my ticket to ride. That car did things that I don’t know how I survived. It always kept me safe. My father and me overhaul the engine, he installed a high lift cam. I still remember driving down the road with the hood off and kicking in the car’s passing kick down. What a ride,
We had these down under called Sigma Scorpion, Chrysler Australia gave us a 4 door version called the Sigma we also had a version of the Charger called the Starion.
I totally agree that the later models of the second generation Challenger's looked better than the earlier models, I actually thought they looked better than the Ford Mustang's and Toyota Celica's of that time period.
I recently figured out an interesting timeline concerning the Challenger: 1970-1974 1st gen life cycle, 1978-1983 2nd gen life cycle, 1984-1993 Daytona replaces Challenger, 1995-2000 Avenger replaces Daytona, 2001-2005 Stratus Coupe replaces Avenger, 2006 The Challenger returns as a concept car, 2008-2023 3rd gen production Challenger!
He was okay, someone ran a stop sign, but the frame bent so he bought the Sapporo, it had a bad motor so he swapped the motor out and when I bought it off him he had the doors and trunk so we put the on , I payed $300 for it , had it about a year
Don't forget in the first half of the 1970s Plymouth had the Cricket. A British built Hillman Avenger. Sales for that started off OK but constant recalls for faults soon sealed it's fate. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Poor restructuring at Mopar almost made the company go bust. The Mitsubishi imports helped things combined with Mopar offloading all of it's non-North American operations to keep the company solvent. It worked, along with government help but Mopar was never the same after that.
Just like the ZB Commodore made by Opel in Germany. It killed Holden Right car Wrong badge .We we're very lucky as that car was called Chrysler/Mitsubishi Scorpion with 2.6 Astron engine.
I bought an '83 Challenger in the early 90s. On paper, it was pretty good. Big bore OHC motor, 5sp manual, RWD, 4 wheel disks, 2dr hardtop...but it was a "CHALLENGE" to keep it running. I actually liked the body style, though. I have thought about finding one in decent shape, and swapping in a modern, fuel injected motor. Possibly a turbo?
One of the selling points of the Dodge Challenger and the rest of this series is that they were supposed to be pushed downward to the ground more and more thanks to the aerodynamics the faster you went.
Born in 1960 so I started driving after the best muscle cars were built. But that meant that used muscle cars were available, numerous and affordable. Many of my friends had second or third generation Chargers with 440 automatics although one friend had a ‘69 with a stick and Dana 60 rear. There were rumors about somebody in the next town who had a 426 Hemi but I never saw it. Then we got older and those old muscle cars disappeared. Long Island NY rust and the usual wrecks took them to the junkyards. When we saw them again years later they were mostly restored and extremely expensive. And we were older with families and other liabilities. But it’s still nice to look at them at car shows and dream. Maybe some day…
Sure it is a pure blooded Mitsubishi, but it is a RWD and the engine compartment is large enough to fit a small block V-8. This could have been a Fox Body killer here.
I had a 1980 challenger with a five speed a 2.6 I love that car . He had so many different neat options. AM/FM stereo, cassette speakers and the dash had an orange glow to it that you could actually see at night not like American cars, that you couldn’t see . it had four wheel just brakes and when you got it in fifth gear car would go like mad . Have electric mirror adjustments just things that the American cars didn’t have it this time . do you only reason why I got rid of it? I need more room due to my daughter being born.
I absolutely Love this channel, and can never wait for the next vid to drop. With your content type, editing skills and narration style you'll be at 100k subs in the next few months! Keep em coming✌ (2:08 is a Charger not a Challenger ) (Mitsubishi Galant sounds like 'aunt' not 'ant' )
@GreenHawkDrive I actually had two of these, both '78s. A blue one with a 1.6L, 5 speed and an orange 2.6L 5 speed. The cars rode and handled nicely. The 1.6 got great mileage but was slow slow it couldn't get out of its own way. The 2.6 was definitely a better engine for the car but the transmission didnt hold up. For the time they were nice cars. FYI, there was a 2.0L available as well but I believe it was only in Canada
AAAACTUALLY, What you said about the Toyota Celica of this time period is incorrect. The first front wheel drive Celica launched in 1985 just after this Challenger was discontinued. I am one of the guys that was around at the time. Great series you have going here. I respect the enthusiast interest you have to make these videos👍🏼👍🏼
Right on man. It definitely is hard learning and understanding you and many others enthusiasts perspective on these cars. I don’t want to sound like a moron because I respect all of yours comments and opinions. Anyway, I genuinely thought the Celica was FWD. I was wrong.
@@GreenHawkDrive You are doing great and I get things wrong too. It’s part of learning. I am not great with mopar so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Keep it up. Good channel you have.
Like all ad executives of the time, they were afraid to get away from familiar badge names. Chrysler was the worst in the 70s, with some models that were completely different sharing a variation of the same name, like the 76 Charger Sport and Charger SE. In 75, that same Charger Sport was a Coronet.The 75 SE was a Cordoba knock off and should've been named the Magnum, but executives thought that meant performance when they were looking for more personal luxury. SE's didn't sell well either way. The 2nd gen Challenger was the same way. Slapping a flat out performance name on an import with just 105hp at best killed an otherwise none too shabby coupe. It needed a different name. Another reason why they didn't sell well was the price. Import tariffs got tacked on to the price, whereas an American or Canadian built car was much cheaper in the same showroom. People were prepared to pay a bit more for a Datsun, Toyota or Honda because they expected a bit more for their $ being an import. But this was marketed as a Dodge. 1 didn't go to a Dodge dealer to buy an import, much less a Plymouth dealer where 1 was looking for affordable transportation. I recall seeing a leftover 83 Challenger in 1984 at Oaklawn Dodge in IL. Dad was car shopping. He ended up ordering an 85 Daytona Turbo and we got it that spring. When we picked it up, that Challenger was STILL there, still for sale as a used car with just 77 miles on it..
Manufacturers recycle historic names due to the brand equity they provide. They want consumers to have a positive association with the beloved models of the past, even if the new one had/had nothing to do with the model from its heyday. It’s very similar to what Ford has been doing with the Mach E (I’m sorry but I can’t even say the word “Mustang” when bringing up this car as to me, it’s not one.
Captive imports in the 70's where RWD. Opal, Isuzu, Capri, Colt, Challerger, Sapporo, Courier, D50, Arrow. The 1st captive import FWD would be the Colt
The 360 does in fact fit. I've personally done it. They are a very different animal with the v8!!
Awesome.
Cool. How does it go around corners? Seriously.
Honestly these cars should have had an optional V8, it would have been way less of a laughingstock/afterthought. I know it's a Mitsubishi, and they didn't manufacture V8s but Chrysler could've ordered some without engines and stuffed a lil 318 in there.
If a 360 fits a 440 should too
If a 318 would fit, a 360 would fit, too...@@weegeemike
My grandparents had a Sapporo. It wasn’t a bad little car. The only problem it had was that my grandmother completely missed the Japanese connection. Several years after they bought the car, she somehow happened to see the name MITSUBISHI on the engine, and had a raging fit over “Eye-a-toca” lying to her and wasn’t a real ‘Murican Chrysler. (Yeah, Grandma could be racist at times) She got rid of that Sapporo as fast as she could. She was in such a hurry, and so mad at Chrysler, that they ended up with a (used) ‘72 Chevy Impala. She never forgave Chrysler. Nobody had the heart to tell her later on that her little Geo Prizm was actually a Toyota…
Pretty justified that generation not liking Japanese Cars. The first Mitsubishis they ever knew about bombed Pearl Harbour.
Also the ToyNova. Corolla/nova conglomeration.
If I bought a Toyota today, and found out it had a Chinese engine in it, I would be pissed, too
Across the pond, my Grandfather said he'd never go in a Japanese car because "of what they did to our boys in the war" but was glad to be in a British Range Rover, I also omitted to tell him of the German underpinnings 😂
Yeah thoae old people act like it's the companies problem lol@@Phuc_Yhou
Love your videos! Just a detail, the Celica didn't go FWD until 1985
I was about to comment this, but yeah. Actually, I don't even think they did until 1986. I've seen 1985 Celicas and they were all RWD ones.
86 was the first year for the FWD Celica.
1986 was the first year for FWD
I loved the challenger/sapporo looks
They came out on paper in 85 but sold in 86
Just a slight correction. The Celica had rear wheel drive until the 1986 model, the Challenger was discontinued in 1983. I owned a 1983 Celica GT-S which had the independent rear drive suspension, same as the Supra at the time. Loved that car.
a buddy of mine had an 83 Challenger at same time i had my 86 Shelby Charger, while these cars wouldn't win any drag races the were a blast to drive when most cars just didn't have much in HP. and its not like they were eye sores. currently my pride and joy is my 1999 Chrysler 300-M. it is in near showroom condition with 80K on the clock. I've owned upwards of 80 cars in my life not including motorcycles or trucks. i always enjoy seeing these types of videos thank you for taking your time putting them together.
A guy I worked with in college had one, this would have been around '91. It was very trashed, however I rode in it a few times and was impressed at how smooth it was. That "silent shaft" really worked.
In the B2600, Mazda borrowed that engine for their trucks and it really was smooth for a big 4. I owned one for awhile. Its only drawback at least in the trucks, it wasn't very powerful. Emissions controls had a lot to do with that.
That's an interesting video, thanks! I am Australian but very familiar with this car. Here in Australia, Chrysler (Aust.) hit hard times in the late 70s also. They began manufacturing (under license) the Mitsubishi Galant - both four door and two door versions in South Australia, to be badged Sigma (4dr) and Sigma Scorpion (2dr). These cars were a sensational hit to say the least. In fact, the Sigma (particularly) saved Chrysler Au. for a few more years, having become the best selling 4cyl in the country - for many years. This of course allowed Chrysler Au. to continue manufacturing the poor selling Valiant, Regal and Charger, until Chrysler Au's ultimate demise in 1981 when Mitsubishi took them over. Having said all that, the Sigma/Scorpion were great cars, in fact I still own my 1979 Chrysler Sigma SE 4dr Sedan. The 2dr Scorpions (your Challenger) are extremely rare nowadays, but a sorted one will fetch serious money. I can't help but think the "Scorpion" name would have been a good choice for your Dodge Challenger - imagine it - Dodge "Scorpion"...food for thought!.... 🙂
The Challenger did continue in the 80s with a turbo...as the Chrysler Conquest..
Same platform?
@@goodbonezz1289 I had a 1981 Sapporo and a 1984 Starion. Basically the same cars, one a 2.6L 2bbl sedan, the other a hatchback with the same 2.6L with EFI Turbo. My appreciation for the Sapporo influenced me to get the Starion. Awesome way ahead of their time vehicles.
@@vertanux1 I can’t believe I was never tracking that the two were the same platform…but it makes sense!
In 89 I owned a 83 Challenger…I knew it was nothing akin to the original but I liked it. A 5 speed little get around..we took it in trade at the dealership I worked at. Bought it for $350. It was mint. Also always liked the Conquest/Starion and was well. I was very aware of them at the time also. I never put 2 and 2 together to realize the little underpowered but decent handling Challenger had morphed into the potent Conquest/Starion. Nice.
no the Conquest was a different car altogether. It was the sister to Mitsubishi's Starion. It was a Sigma with a sporty body.
One correction I'd like to suggest. Celica did have RWD until it split from the platform that it and the Celica Supra shared. Supra became it's own model after the second gen Supra was succeeded by the 3rd gen Supra. Last Celica that was rear wheel drive was the third gen and production ended in 1984. T160 platform Celica came out in 1985. Supra still still on the Celica platform until 1986 which was last year of the gen 2 Celica Supra.
I know it gets confusing with all this, but I owned a 1985 Celica Supra so that's only reason why I know all about that. 😊
Edit: In case anyone brings it up, I am aware that the 2nd Gen Celica Supra production officially ended in December 1985. However, the second gen leftover Celica Supras were sold as 1986 model year in order to deplete leftover inventory. In some markets the second gen Celica Supra was sold alongside the 3rd gen Supra (which also came out in 1986).
One day I will buy another 2nd Gen Celica Supra or get a 3rd gen Supra. Parts are hard to find for the 2nd Gen though and the aftermarket hasn't yet stepped up to make reproduction parts such as gas tanks, interior trim, etc and that's the only reason I sold mine at the time. Hopefully that changes by the time I'm ready to start looking again.
Oh darn… All good man, I appreciate you letting me know!
@@GreenHawkDrive oh it gets even crazier lol, the Celica also had some AWD models (4th Gen GT-Four / All-trac, 5th gen GT-Four, 6th Gen GT-Four) which aren't very common and are probably the best examples of the Celica platform. They were all turbocharged. 😊
Yeah theres two 86 Supras....A 86 Celica Supra and 86 1/2...Supra LOL. Im actually uploading part 2 of my Celica series now! 86 to 05 models.
In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, the major Japanese brands (except for Honda and Subaru) tended to lag the industry in the switch to FWD. So the Celica was still RWD at that point. At the time, I liked this Challenger much better than the previous US-made stuff.
@@autochatter Nice! I'll have to check it out.
I owned a 79, orange with plaid interior. Was slow but reliable. I never had major rust issues but I lived in the south. I remember not needing to really use the clutch, I could just glide the shifter into gear it was so smooth. It was also really comfortable. They should have used a different name though. Challenger was known to be a beast just a few years earlier and this was just a Mitsu gallant. I always thought it looked very "Pontiac" in the front/nose.
Hated the interior, but I agree that was a smooth shifter
This generation Dodge Challenger was a pretty solid and reliable car….. I wish you could still get a rebranded Chrysler for a Mitsubishi price nowadays lol. Love the videos, than you so much for making such awesome content! 😎
I appreciate that man thank you! Happy New Year 🎆
Mitsubishi cars were junk! They actually brought Chrysler down! My uncle owned a Chrysler dealer back then and every Mitsubishi badged or powered car was junk!
I wish Mitsubishi is still together with Chrysler...Because Mitsubishi makes reliable engines...
nearly any Mitsu was better than the crap Chrysler was building at the time. And the other Japanese brands were better than Mitsubishi!
I had an 81 D-50. Great little truck. I had it in 97'. It was my grandfathers. Garaged kept. It was perfect.
I had a 1983 Sapporo and it was a great reliable fast little car. 5 Speed and fairly good quality, yes the sheet metal was thin and crap, but the engine and drive train seemed pretty good. Thanks for your video....
I still have mine , had it was new. I believe motor rated it the fastest production 4 cylinder in 1979. I had up 125 mph.
Speedo on mine only went up to 100. Buried the needle though
It must look amazing parked outside your doublewide trailer
@@Tony_417 it's an import Dodge, not a new Cadillac
The follow on to the Mitsubishi based challenger was the Starion / Conquest. It used a Turbo version of the same 2.6L Hemi.
And that’s a whole other can of worms that opens up too, because at the time Mitsubishi was trying to compete in group B rally and were in process of making an awd starion which led to what eventually became the galant vr4, then Transferred the info they gathered racing the galant into a lancer and what we now know as the Evo. Most of it was birthed from the Starion and Conquests
My first Car was a 1982 Mitsubishi Scorpion, which was the Australian name for it. It was a 2.6 Litre Automatic. It was previously my Mum's. It was 4 Years Old when I got it. It might not have been a V8, but it had a heap of grunt for a 4 Cylinder without a turbo.
Fun Fact - Chrysler in Australia did the same thing and rebadged many Mitsubishi products and sold them as Chryslers in the 70's and early 80's before Mitsubishi bought out Chrysler Australia, took over Chrysler's operations and introduced the Mitsubishi brand in 1980. The second generation Dodge Challenger for example, was sold as the Chrysler Scorpion in Australia, before being sold as the Mitsubishi Scorpion.
The Dodge D50 Ram Pickup you've mentioned in this clip, was sold initially as the Chrysler D50 Ute (Pickup) in Australia, then as the Chrysler L200 Express Ute, before being rebranded as the Mitsubishi L200 Express Ute. Today we know it as the Mitsubishi Triton Ute.
I appreciate this man, thank you!
imagine how much success it would have if chrysler sold it as plymouth sapporo in usa, would be one of the best selling plymouths imo
? it was sold in the USA
@@teknowil yeah but i am saying that as if no dodge model was made and it would be sold as plymouth
my aunt had a 1978 challenger, it was a badass. she had it for 10 years. i loved that car
Right on man
Some time in the early 80's I heard a Mitsubishi Challenger rumble into the gas pumps opposite me and I immediately stepped up and asked "what was in that thing". The guy was happy to show me and popped the hood revealing a 400 small block chevy tucked in as nice as you please.
I purchased new a 2nd gen 2.6 liter 5 sp. Sapporo. Fantastic car and unbelievably quick. I loved it for the first few years but then it just became too unreliable. Shifter ball wore out, I replaced the fuel pump 3 or 4 times, the seats started unraveling and rust appeared all over. If I had to do it again I'd buy another but sell it after 3 years while it was still worth something.
Spot on. Challenger, GTO, 442 and Cobra had their name prestige trashed during the 80s.
I mean you're not wrong. I see both ends of the stick in this situation. I think Dodge really stepped up their game after the second generation in 2008. However, it honestly pisses me off that they gave it the same name.
Bought one of these in 78. I might be the exception, but I had nothing but trouble with it. After about 3 carburetor rebuilds, I finally found a mechanic that suggested removing the fuel tank, boiling it out and recoating it. After that, the rust buildups in the fuel filter and carb bowl disappeared. Shortly after, the distributor shaft developed excessive wobble and would not hold dwell and point gap. To its credit, it did get great mileage and was a fun car to drive when it wasn't having trouble. Nevertheless, I was not unhappy to see it drive off with a new owner. Kinda soured me on Mitsubishis.
I had a 1981 Sapporo and a 1984 Starion. Basically the same cars, one a 2.6L 2bbl sedan, the other a hatchback with the same 2.6L with EFI Turbo. My appreciation for the Sapporo influenced me to get the Starion. Awesome way ahead of their time vehicles, especially with the "Technica" versions, sitting in the Sapporo made you feel like you stepped into the future with backlit gauges and buttons, power everything, door ajar chimes, power mirrors, great stereo, high tech adjustable seats, and digital clock. Then sitting in an American car you realized how old fashioned the domestics were. When I first drove my silver Sapporo to high school it was complimented by many students for its modern look and high tech interior, it was significantly faster than most cars of the time for a 4 cylinder. Rust was not an issue for my 81 model even after years of winter salt driving.
Surprisingly, both cars had summer overheating issues, especially the Starion because it was modified during a recall when they swapped using the engine oil to cool the turbo, to radiator cooling (I believe I was told it was a design flaw using engine oil to cool the Turbo - caused premature engine oil degradation). Once the recall was applied you just had to carry a bottle of coolant and check it regularly because the coolant system now had to perform double duty on an already strained radiator.
I'm pleasantly surprised. I've never heard about this one before, but I love it! It reminds me of an of-the-era Mazda 626 coupe in its styling. I agree with you one hundred percent: Chrysler should never have used the Challenger name for this one. It strikes me as a car that could've stood on its own merits.
Thanks again for a terrific video Green Hawk. You really put them together well. Keep em coming!!!
Happy New Year to you and yours. 🥂
Happy New Year to you Stinger! Thank you for the continued support man.😄
I had one of these Challengers, a black & silver manual. I think it had the larger engine but I can't really remember. I moved to New Orleans from Oklahoma in it. Good little car.
Great Vid! Chrysler didnt EXACLTY drop the Challenger due to the Daytona though. When Mitsubishi redesigned the car in the 80s, it was called the Starion. It actually rode on the same platform as this Challenger. Dodge,Plymouth,and Chrysler sold it as a Conquest untill 1988. In 89, the Mitsubishi Chrysler co op continued with the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Chryser branded clones.
I really wish I could drive the cars from the '80s especially. Cars like the turbo Daytona and Conquest.
@GreenHawkDrive I loved a Starion/Conquest TSI!
@@autochatter Did you get to drive one?
@GreenHawkDrive Yeah..I much preferred the Conquest TSI over a turbo Daytona as it was RWD. The Daytona had some torque steer. I've also driven a Omni GLH and Spirit RT. I've been in the car biz since the mid 90s, so I've been behind the wheel of just about everything non exotic you could think of from the 80s on.
Happy New Year! You keep learning about the cars and the industry. You will become better. The videos are a good effort as they require you to research and learn.
Thank you Olds. It's really cool learning about the cars before my time. I really wish I could drive these cars so I can really get a feeling for how they were. My grandpa has a '83 Monte Carlo SS with under 40,000 miles. He's getting older now and is unable to drive her anymore. He's doing okay, just getting older. Anyway, being able to at least drive that car with him in it would be amazing. Thank you for your continued support.
@@GreenHawkDrive You are welcome. You will get to drive the Monte Carlo one day. Be thankful your grandfather is still here and doing fine. He may want you to drive him one day.... who knows?
@@OLDS98 Absolutely.
My first car. Found it on a used lot in 1984 in Killeen TX. Silver/Black with heavy tinted windows. Had only 6 months as i got stationed overseas. But, drove it from Ft Hood,TX to CR, Iowa and back.
Believe it or not. I met a hot rodder who managed to shoehorn a 440 into a 1982 Challanger! On the Mississippi Gulf Coast every year people bring restored muscle cars, antique cars, and street rods. Sometimes for instance a 1965 Ford Fairlane may have a Chevy engine a Dodge transmission and a American motors rear end. For the street rod. I even saw a 49 Mercury with a Curtis P-40 aircraft engine. He had bought the engine from a army surplus store and it had a bullet hole in the engine he repaired. He had run the engine in a dragster in the late 50s and early 60s. Bought the Mecury in 1967 and spent 5 years restoring it. But it had no engine or transmission. So he used what he had. It had to have 100 to 110 octane aviation feul.😊
I thought it would be cool to find a mint 2nd-Gen Challenger. Then after shaking my head, I remembered that I had a near-mint White 1985 Toyota Celica Supra in the 2000's with 132,000km. ...straight 6 and 5 speed. That car was miles ahead. Wish I had it today.
Minor correction: The Toyota Celica was RWD until 1986 - so at the time of the Challenger/Sapporo, they were comparable (on paper).
The Celica (2nd generation) by this time were a 2.2l engine, and the Mitsubishis mostly had the 2.6l option. (I don’t think I ever saw one with the smaller engine).
The “silent shaft” (balance shafts) were an innovative way of tackling engine vibration, and the result was a car that delivered plenty of power without the characteristic vibration of a 4 cylinder under load.
What I recall about these engines is that they were somewhat notorious for gasket and seal problems (I’m not sure if that’s really unusual for the era - gaskets and seals used to be pretty routine maintenance items)
Had an '83, automatic 2.6 liter, red. Bought it new in Pittsburgh. Great car while it lasted. One day in '91, coming home from work, I hear a clunking noise underneath the car. I stopped and looked. I see nothing.
Continue to drive. Clunking. Stopped and looked under again. Nothing hanging under the car. I look in the trunk. Both shocks had rusted through the wheel wells. My mechanic said it couldn't be fixed.
No rust on the body though. I traded it in with no shocks for a '91 Cavalier. Big mistake.
An '82 Challenger was my first-ever brand new car, and I loved it. Test drove one with an automatic and it was as disappointing as I'd expected it to be. With the manual, it was a completely different experience. I put 70K on it in three years with only one repair, the air conditioning. Finances got tight and I sold it, to a local lady who wrecked it twice but had it repaired both times; the last time I saw her in it was about nine years after I'd sold it to her.
We bought a Challenger new in 78. The only thing I regret is that the dealer didn’t explain there were two engine choices. We got the anemic 1.6 with the 5-speed. The car had some pretty advanced features for the time: electric side mirrors, and a hidden radio antenna. The silent shaft motor was ultra smooth (once you got it up to highway speed). I don’t know about rust, because we lived in Southern California at the time, and we only had it for 2 years. We traded it in on a Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) station wagon with the bigger 2.6L engine, 5-speed and air conditioning.
My father-in-law gave me a 1980 2.6 5 speed it was surprisingly quick and the four-cylinder engine was silky smooth it was also pretty fun to drive
Please do a video on the ram 50 / Mitsubishi mighty Max. I loved mine it was a great truck. When the mini pickup market started to dissolve in the '90s they had to leave the country due to lack of sales
How was driving that truck if you don't mind me asking? I do plan on making a video on it in the next couple of weeks.
@@GreenHawkDrive it was an automatic and four-wheel drive. It was a very mid to high revving engine. Which was counterintuitive cuz it was a 2.6. when the mikuni carburetor gave me trouble I ended up putting a little Holly two barrel on it and that up the power of it lowered the fuel economy.
Thank you for another amazing video!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy new Year everyone! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Same to you!
I remember when growing up (in the 80s), a friend of mine had an aunt who had one of these Challengers. Never really thought much about them at the time, but currently being an owner of a 21 Challenger, I don't think these are all that bad at all. For an early 80s econo car, I think they look pretty nice.
We still have a 83 model, Black color. It is an amazing car! We got the car during the 2000
We love that car!!!
The name makes sense when you consider the sales guys hoped it would be a "challenger" to their competition
My older cousin bought the Dodge Challenger in 1978 and although it was a car he was really happy with it he found the getting parts was not that easy. At least not compare to my brother who bought his 1978 Celica on the same day and like all Toyotas never had such a problem. We all wondered if the Mitsubishi would be as reliable and it was.
7:07 - correct use of "captive import". You obviously read and learn from the comments.
Good job on building your channel. I enjoy the range of your content.
I appreciate that man, thank you!
They should of put turbos like on the conquest that came with a 2.6 pretty darn fast for a car that would do 140 mph with a 4 cylinder
I once had a Plymouth Sapporo 2 door 5spd/ 2.7L. I bought it for $50 from a friend and after beating the crap out of it for several years, I sold it for $400 to another friend, who drove it into the ground. It was a wallowy, overweight thing with a tendency to underwhelm AND understeer, but the engine was torquey and allowed one to chirp the tires upon occasion. Mine was blue, I painted black double racing stripes over it with a side stripe from the middle of the trunk down the rear fender, sort of like on a Superbee. It was fun to own as a beater and I'd do it again if I could.
The future of Chrysler without the LX platform is electric. Sad.
Electric is just soulless to me. Soulless appliances.
@@FWDSUXARSE that's what the industry wants, appliances that no one cares about, to be discarted
@@FWDSUXARSEcry about it
Great history lesson. This was the direction of late 70s sport coupes. But people weren’t ready for it so they didn’t sell well. Seems a perfect alternative to a Toyota Celica of the time, if you wanted something more unusual. Pretty car, in retrospect.
A friend of mine in high school had a Sapporo. It was a really cool car, till he hit a deer going about 70mph! Even though he personally welded a new front end on it, the car was never really the same. Great car that was just not marketed well.
4:04 Even at fourth glance my mind still register's this car as a 77 Delta 88.... or 98...
My close friend had an 84 Turbo Z and that thing was impressive. Really had a v8 style punch to it. I had an 85 5.0 Capri that was cammed up and while yes, it had more, the Daytona wasn't too far behind. Back in the early noughties everything was pretty lack luster and I was shocked the first time I drove it. Beauty in the black with red interior.
The R bodies definitely have a GM B body look (esp the LeSabre and 88).
Nice vid on a forgotten stop gap car. A friend of mine had one with a manual trans. I was too busy driving and modifying Camaros and Firebirds at the time.
Saw one of these on the highway a couple years ago. I was able to snap a picture of it.
Those D50s were great little bulletproof trucks..
I’m excited to make a video on them!
Minor correction: The Celica did not become FWD until 4th Generation in 1986.
The Challenger/Sapporos would be similar / competitive in what I would call a “small sporty coupe” segment (Toyota Celica, Dodge Challenger, Datsun 200SX, Mercury Capri (Ford of Europe Capri)). Smaller body cars that were providing a somewhat upscale level of fit/finish and performance - reaching the 4 cylinder car out of the “econobox” models like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla)
IIRC, the biggest complaint with these was the 2.6l engines were notorious for problems with leaky seals and gaskets. I suspect that led to a lot of them being crushed long before becoming old enough to consider them collectible.
I remember when the 1978 challenger came out. I really liked it. Thanks.
Keep up with those video's Man, im not familiar with American older cars because im from Poland, but i'm EU we have a pretty big community of old shitbox/classics fanatics, doesnt matter if theyre some old ferraris or regular traffic, alot of people like that, im sure your channel will blow up soon❤
Thank you from across the pond man!
I have fond memories of my 1981 Plymouth Sapporo. The 2.6L 4-banger was a peppy motor when coupled to the 5-speed manual. It was the only "Hemi" I have ever owned! It was my longest-lasting vehicle while I was in college. I took several long road trips in it and it drove great. I thought it was a good sporty-looking car for the Malaise Era. It did have a rust issue. I had to repair a rusted-out hole in the passenger floorboard. Overall, it was a good college car for me and made for a good trade-in when I upgraded to a 1990 Honda Civic wagon.
I love those old Mitsubishi cars,are more beautiful than toyotas from this era.😊🤗👍
The Toyota Celica was a RWD platform up to the1985 model year, a couple of years after the 2nd gen Challenger left the market.
I love this car, gas in 1978 was expensive I remember buy $1.38 a gallon and at times you couldn’t get gas. My car got only 10 mpg 1969 impala, and it was about 12 seconds to 60
What was it like driving that big beast?
@@GreenHawkDrive I wish I had that car today, it was a piece of junk according to other people, but it was my ticket to ride. That car did things that I don’t know how I survived. It always kept me safe. My father and me overhaul the engine, he installed a high lift cam. I still remember driving down the road with the hood off and kicking in the car’s passing kick down. What a ride,
@@SharonMcQ384 Damn. That is awesome
We had these down under called Sigma Scorpion, Chrysler Australia gave us a 4 door version called the Sigma we also had a version of the Charger called the Starion.
People shovel a lot of hate on this gen, but it's a fantastic looking car. They should have named it something besides a "Challenger"
Celica did have rear wheel drive. Was my first car. My gt couldn’t get out of its own way. This challenger was forgotten for a reason
They were called Scorpion in Australia.
I totally agree that the later models of the second generation Challenger's looked better than the earlier models, I actually thought they looked better than the Ford Mustang's and Toyota Celica's of that time period.
That image at 6:42 is such a sad sight, knowing how rare first Gen Silvias are
Being a Silvia fan, it brings tears to my eyes
It looks very much like the Mitsubishi Scorpion sold in the Aussie market.
The Celica most certainly did have rear wheel drive. I would know since I used to drive a 1985 model.
Please make a ram 50 video! Love those trucks!
I recently figured out an interesting timeline concerning the Challenger:
1970-1974 1st gen life cycle,
1978-1983 2nd gen life cycle,
1984-1993 Daytona replaces Challenger,
1995-2000 Avenger replaces Daytona,
2001-2005 Stratus Coupe replaces Avenger,
2006 The Challenger returns as a concept car,
2008-2023 3rd gen production Challenger!
I used to have an 81 Plymouth Sapporo, got from a friend who had a 81 challenger but he crashed it swapped parts from it to “improve “ the Sapporo lol
Blue Sapporo with red and silver challenger doors and trunk lid, I ran over a leaf pile and pushed the fan into the radiator
Hopefully your friend walked out okay? And darn than that must have sucked😂
He was okay, someone ran a stop sign, but the frame bent so he bought the Sapporo, it had a bad motor so he swapped the motor out and when I bought it off him he had the doors and trunk so we put the on , I payed $300 for it , had it about a year
I had a Plymouth Arrow ( Mitsubishi) it was a good little car with a slick shifting manual. Nice little car.
Don't forget in the first half of the 1970s Plymouth had the Cricket. A British built Hillman Avenger. Sales for that started off OK but constant recalls for faults soon sealed it's fate. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Poor restructuring at Mopar almost made the company go bust. The Mitsubishi imports helped things combined with Mopar offloading all of it's non-North American operations to keep the company solvent. It worked, along with government help but Mopar was never the same after that.
my mom had a second gen challenger in the silver/black paint scheme. 4 banger with an auto.
I owned one of these Dodge/Mistsu Challengers. A White & Dark Brown two-tone.
Just like the ZB Commodore made by Opel in Germany. It killed Holden Right car Wrong badge .We we're very lucky as that car was called Chrysler/Mitsubishi Scorpion with 2.6 Astron engine.
Keep bringing the vids. Just fyi, celica was rwd until the 1986 redesign.
I bought an '83 Challenger in the early 90s. On paper, it was pretty good. Big bore OHC motor, 5sp manual, RWD, 4 wheel disks, 2dr hardtop...but it was a "CHALLENGE" to keep it running. I actually liked the body style, though. I have thought about finding one in decent shape, and swapping in a modern, fuel injected motor. Possibly a turbo?
Most people forget the 88 to 92 mazda mx6 turbo, which is a hidden gem
2.6 with counter rotating shaft was a good small truck engine at the time. Lots of low-end torque.
We're watching Back to the Future. If I were Biff, I'd have a vast stash of these thangs.
I got to drive one in the early ,90 and it was a pretty neat car.
One of the selling points of the Dodge Challenger and the rest of this series is that they were supposed to be pushed downward to the ground more and more thanks to the aerodynamics the faster you went.
Could you imagine swapping a Hellcat engine in the 2nd Gen Dodge Charger? The ultimate sleeper!
Great job in your presentation !
Happy New Years to you and your family !
You as well, thank you!
Had the orange one (0.39). Pretty peppy for a 4cyl. Had to have the badge no matter what. I was a young high schooler and it was 800 bucks.
Born in 1960 so I started driving after the best muscle cars were built. But that meant that used muscle cars were available, numerous and affordable. Many of my friends had second or third generation Chargers with 440 automatics although one friend had a ‘69 with a stick and Dana 60 rear. There were rumors about somebody in the next town who had a 426 Hemi but I never saw it. Then we got older and those old muscle cars disappeared. Long Island NY rust and the usual wrecks took them to the junkyards. When we saw them again years later they were mostly restored and extremely expensive. And we were older with families and other liabilities. But it’s still nice to look at them at car shows and dream. Maybe some day…
Definitely a dream. Those cars were just something else, they hold up so well in today's time.
G. H. D. ,,, GREAT VIDEO!!! ALL DIFFERNT CARS..MY SON MAX LOVED AND I ENJOYED SEEING THESE OLD CARS.. GREAT CHANNEL,, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!
Sure it is a pure blooded Mitsubishi, but it is a RWD and the engine compartment is large enough to fit a small block V-8. This could have been a Fox Body killer here.
Great Vid! Enjoyed it and learned something too while being entertained. Thumbs UP!!
I appreciate that man, thank you
I had a 1980 challenger with a five speed a 2.6 I love that car . He had so many different neat options. AM/FM stereo, cassette speakers and the dash had an orange glow to it that you could actually see at night not like American cars, that you couldn’t see . it had four wheel just brakes and when you got it in fifth gear car would go like mad . Have electric mirror adjustments just things that the American cars didn’t have it this time . do you only reason why I got rid of it? I need more room due to my daughter being born.
I absolutely Love this channel, and can never wait for the next vid to drop. With your content type, editing skills and narration style you'll be at 100k subs in the next few months! Keep em coming✌
(2:08 is a Charger not a Challenger )
(Mitsubishi Galant sounds like 'aunt' not 'ant' )
Thank you so much man. I remember you from my other videos. Happy new years bro!
Would love to see a video on the D50!!!
Right on man! Cool little truck
@GreenHawkDrive I actually had two of these, both '78s. A blue one with a 1.6L, 5 speed and an orange 2.6L 5 speed. The cars rode and handled nicely. The 1.6 got great mileage but was slow slow it couldn't get out of its own way. The 2.6 was definitely a better engine for the car but the transmission didnt hold up. For the time they were nice cars. FYI, there was a 2.0L available as well but I believe it was only in Canada
AAAACTUALLY, What you said about the Toyota Celica of this time period is incorrect. The first front wheel drive Celica launched in 1985 just after this Challenger was discontinued. I am one of the guys that was around at the time. Great series you have going here. I respect the enthusiast interest you have to make these videos👍🏼👍🏼
Right on man. It definitely is hard learning and understanding you and many others enthusiasts perspective on these cars. I don’t want to sound like a moron because I respect all of yours comments and opinions. Anyway, I genuinely thought the Celica was FWD. I was wrong.
@@GreenHawkDrive You are doing great and I get things wrong too. It’s part of learning. I am not great with mopar so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Keep it up. Good channel you have.
@@hothatchpa I appreciate that man. Thank you. I’m excited to keep improving because my audience deserves that.
Imagine sticking a modern 2.0T into it. And a modern power train and suspension, so it won't fall apart.
Should have called it Scorpion like they did in Australia.
Like all ad executives of the time, they were afraid to get away from familiar badge names. Chrysler was the worst in the 70s, with some models that were completely different sharing a variation of the same name, like the 76 Charger Sport and Charger SE. In 75, that same Charger Sport was a Coronet.The 75 SE was a Cordoba knock off and should've been named the Magnum, but executives thought that meant performance when they were looking for more personal luxury. SE's didn't sell well either way. The 2nd gen Challenger was the same way. Slapping a flat out performance name on an import with just 105hp at best killed an otherwise none too shabby coupe. It needed a different name. Another reason why they didn't sell well was the price. Import tariffs got tacked on to the price, whereas an American or Canadian built car was much cheaper in the same showroom. People were prepared to pay a bit more for a Datsun, Toyota or Honda because they expected a bit more for their $ being an import. But this was marketed as a Dodge. 1 didn't go to a Dodge dealer to buy an import, much less a Plymouth dealer where 1 was looking for affordable transportation. I recall seeing a leftover 83 Challenger in 1984 at Oaklawn Dodge in IL. Dad was car shopping. He ended up ordering an 85 Daytona Turbo and we got it that spring. When we picked it up, that Challenger was STILL there, still for sale as a used car with just 77 miles on it..
Manufacturers recycle historic names due to the brand equity they provide. They want consumers to have a positive association with the beloved models of the past, even if the new one had/had nothing to do with the model from its heyday. It’s very similar to what Ford has been doing with the Mach E (I’m sorry but I can’t even say the word “Mustang” when bringing up this car as to me, it’s not one.
Captive imports in the 70's where RWD. Opal, Isuzu, Capri, Colt, Challerger, Sapporo, Courier, D50, Arrow. The 1st captive import FWD would be the Colt
My friends older brother bought one of these new…it was cool at the time.& my first boss had a Sapporo
I then had a Champ ( high school/ college ) & later a Starion.