I discovered this channel a couple weeks ago and have been binge watching the barn finds. I remember you from the Fifth Gear days. I love this channel. Makes me want to find an old car to get running again.
Thank you Matthew, welcome aboard TLBS. You've joined us at a good time, as there will be a #barnfind every week this month (aka #bff aka #BarnFindFebruary)
The shortened form of "japanese" is considered pretty offensive to most people of Japanese origin living in English speaking countries. Please consider changing it.
no waaay, I just googled him up, can't believe that's him. I found this channel really recently too, and I knew he's familiar but I couldn't recognize his voice, because in Hungary where I grew up shows like Fifth and Top Gear were narrated. this is just awesome :)
out of all the barn finds, this is the one that needs restoring and giving back to the owner. keeping a dream alive for 30 years, kudos to that man. don't give up. it will get done
How is it ending with this car 😮 it needs a full restoration to make it beautiful again. The car deserves that. Please don’t put it back for again many years. 😢
I would happily contribute to a gofundme for getting this car restored to tip top condition. Such a beautiful car. Genuinely deserves to have plenty of money thrown at it to bring it back to life.
You've genuinely solved a mystery for me. Im 33 now and when I was a kid In around the mid-nineties, my mum's step dad had a gold Mitsubishi parked outside my Nan's house. It'd been there for donkeys years and I never saw it run or move. Whenever I asked him about it his eyes lit up about getting it back on the road, talking about how sporty and rare it was. It ended up being towed away (probably for scrap) a few years before he sadly died, but I never knew what exact model it was until now. All I remembered was the sleek coupe look and those cool round dash clocks. So, thank you for this barn find. Now I have to fight the urge of wanting one 😅
What a cracking find. The owner seems such a genuine guy. He's definatly a candidate for car sos. Would be great if they could get the car on the road for him.
Sigma was the model range, with scorpion being used for the sportier variant. A relative had one and the timing chain broke after about 5 months, damaging much of the engine. Nasty warranty fight ensued. I think it was the 1.8l one? They seemed quite popular, but disappeared from Oz roads rather quicker than most...
@@chrlz904 the only scorpions in Australia at the time had 2 litre engines the 78 to 79 and after that starting in 1980 which is the one I got were 2.6 litre. The sigmas yes are the ones with the smaller engines and I had 2 friends who had the sigmas and had no problems. Luck of the draw I guess.
I purchased a car 2 weeks ago which i have been after for 3 and a half years. It belonged to an elderly gentlemen. I visited him on a regular basis, but i could tell he was not ready to part with it, until 2 weeks ago. The car is a 1999 Mercedes SL500 R129. The mileage is 31k, and it is mint, He was the second owner, and the first owner was Lord Colin Marshall the former CEO of British airways. I called back to see him with some of his belongings i found in the car, and he said that he would not have sold it to anyone else. My patience paid off.
This was a good one. Wish there was a Japanese car specialist who'd donate a bit of time to maybe just getting it past an MOT , the owner seems a lovely guy and deserving of it.
Maybe the best barn find edition ever. Really feel for the owner as he sounds like he’s had a tough life. This would make a perfect ‘restoration’ project. Might be worth quite a bit now given the low numbers in the UK.
To Telcontarnz. Quite logical he HAS had a HARD time of it! This is Britain, not the promised land.Went in the garage in Thatcher era, I myself lost my job due her cuts, and it's stayed bad ever since! A person who has the good taste to own this car DESERVES financial help!
Hi Johnny. What a great find and an unbelievable result 🙂 In Australia these were called a Mitsubishi Scorpion. My mum had one back in the day and it was the 2.6 litre astron engine. It really was a great car, well made... solid....so I shouldn't be surprised that everything works after 30 sitting idle. Great show! A lovely trip down memory lane....👍
I also do real life rescues like this in the states. Just rescued a VW convertible that had been in a barn since 1984, a BMW E30 that had been sitting for a decade, and rescued a Mercedes 190e that was left for dead with moss on it. I also just purchased a 91 Ford mustang 5.0 L that had been in a storage unit for eight years. Love rescuing cars, love bringing them back to life, and putting them back on the road to be seen and enjoyed once more. I remember these Mitsubishi’s as a kid, that was a great time for American/Japanese car collaborations, and gave way to many future icons!
What a great car, sits for 30 years then starts up. That's what I love about old cars - they might have their faults, but are simple and easy to get running again.
as a young boy, before I fell hard for the Starion EX, this was my first real love. I must have been 8, which was its first year of production! I did not know that. Gorgeous car, still. Have had a few opportunities to buy one, but they needed so much work, which in order to be worth doing, you have to be able to do most of it yourself; and I couldn't, still can't. And my purse is not that deep, but my word, what a gracious presence that car has!! Thanks again for your guests and for choosing your channel to share their stories and cars with us!
My word! That’s a survivor of a car. Couldn’t believe it started and ran perfectly. Enjoyed the look on his face when it started. Enjoyed that very much. Cheers Johnny and team
Here in Australia these were called the Mitsubishi Sigma Scorpion, and later just the Mitsubishi Scorpion. These came with the 88 kW 4 cylinder 2.6 litre Astron engine here too, I don’t recall the 2.0 in Oz. Rare seeing any these days!
Wow, that takes me back. My 6th grade teacher had the Dodge Challenger version of the Sapporo and I thought it was the coolest car around. It still looks awesome today. Thanks for this video!
My brother had one of these from new in Australia, it was called a Mitsubishi Sigma Scorpion. The Mitsubishi Sigma was the four door and the Scorpion was the coupe.
Cool to see. I had a black one of these (same year model) for a short time in the 90s. Bought it cheap for £250 out of local paper. They had a book value of £700 at the time. Needed a little bit of cosmetic work doing. Plan was tart it up & sell it on quick make some dosh & move on. But I fell for it. Loved how it drove & looked. Relaxed smooth cruiser. Liked the fact you didn't see many around. Something different. Kept it well over a year before letting it go. Have some of my favourite car memories from that Sapporo.
In Australia this car was called the Mitsubishi Scorpion and my best friend said it looked like a spaceship. I bought it brand new in 1978 and loved it but had to sell it in 1982 because it was not practical for carrying our new baby. The smoothness that Johnny mentions is due the Astron engine having two balance shafts that rotate at twice the engine speed and cancel vibrations. This feature was also used in the later 2.6 litre Astron engine and that one also produced the low vibration levels of a small V8 (but not the power of course).
These were sold as the Mitsubishi Scorpion in Australia. The 2 litre Astron engine that's in this car were also in Mitsubishi Sigmas , Mitsubishi L200 utes, and AFAIK, Mitsubishi L300 vans. Parts availability should be actually pretty reasonable. The Astron engine came as a 2.6 litre as well.
I've been looking for one of these for years, my late father owned a 78 GSR in a wine red, was such a lovely car, it was like a space ship to me, I was about ten or eleven at the time, must have been 1989. What a car!! Love this.
In Australia they were called Scorpions and were the big brother to the Sigma, which was similar looking. My boss, at the time when they first came out, had one and was very pleased with the way it travelled.
The Scorpion was effectively a two door version of the Sigma and survived for both versions of the Sigma before it was replaced by the Magna. Had the 2.6 Astron as standard whereas the Sigma had a two litre option as well and maybe a 1.6 from memory.
@@downesy68 The first generation Sigma (GE & GH) which were badged as Chrysler were assembled in Adelaide and had 1.6l Saturn, 1.85l Astron, 2.0l Astron, 2.0 Turbo Astron and 2.6 Astron. The 1.85l was dropped mid way through the GE cycle and replaced by the 2.6l and the turbo 2.0l was released with the GH producing 116kw for a limited run of 500. The original Scorpion in GE configuration had a 2.0l motor only. This was replaced with the 2.6l either right at the end of the GE or as part of the GH upgrades.
@@MrCarrera28 thanks, great info. It sounds like you have a pretty intimate knowledge of them. I’m from Adelaide and my brother had a first gen Sigma SE with the 2.6. They were a significant local product here in SA.
That shot of the rear silencer disintegrating couldn't have been timed better! Always a pleasure to watch and thank you for sharing another barn find. Was I the only one who was relieved it had stopped raining before the car ventured outside? Edit: You washed it and introduced water! 😭
Having worked on Datsun/Nissan through 70’s and 80’s this touched me. Those carbs (Nikki’s) were really robust and that dash is like 1970 challenger. Best bit is that special feeling when it goes from non runner to running smooth. So many emotions. Also, briefly had a four door one of these in the 90’s in bronze with alloys.
What an amazing thing to do, the smile on that man's face is worth more than money can buy. I really hope this has inspired him to give his dream some love and get it back on the road again. Cheers Jonny, excellent stuff as always!
My Dad actually had one of those jackets in the brochure, the Navy blue one with the removable sleeves. He worked for Colt Cars/ Mitsubishi UK for over 30 years, he was actually in the process of organising the archive for the company before he retired, a year before MMC pulled the rug out from under Mitsubishi UK car sales. Such a pity. Some great cars in the Mitsubishi line up over the years with so genuine production firsts.
This barn find made me smile so much, as a teen growing up in the UK in the 80’s cars like this were so desirable. This car is so ready to be brought back to life and turn its wheels in anger again. Thanks for this series Jonny and team, love it!
That was a Mitsubishi Scorpion in Australia which came with a 2.6 down there. Essentially a 2 door Sigma. The Mitsubishi Starion was the JDM Mitsubishi to have in that era.
There was also the Cordia Turbo, with optional super shift gearbox! NSW police ran a few Cordias in the mid 80's, apparently they suffered from severe brake fade if used in pursuits
Absolutely brilliant. I get a little emotional when engines fire back into life after many years. Its like they are coming back to life. Awesome work team
Helpful hint: Next time you find a working cassette deck and a casette tape from the '80s try fast-forwarding or rewinding the cassette fully before playing it to free up the supply & take-up reels within
In Australia it was called the “scorpion” and it was like the sports version of the Sigma - interestingly you can use the transmission mount from one of these to repair a rotten mount in a fiat 130 coupe. I think in Australia it was made at the Mitsubishi plant in Adelaide
The first car I owned upon arrival here in the US in 1985 was a used bright orange Dodge Challener/Mitsu Sapporo. Automatic, heavy and underpowered. Pretty bulletproof aside from a mech fuel pump that I replaced myself. Loved the overhead "console". Car took me places though. Sadly got t-boned in a hit and run on the passenger side. Used it for a couple more months before being replaced by a brand new Toyota truck. What a find there,Jonny!
This car so reminds me of my Dads RWD Mazda 626 Coupe from the 80s when we lived abroad. It was so ahead of its time compared to other makes, with an electric sunroof, electric mirrors aircon, the lot.
Absolutely fantastic! Made my Sunday! So much better than Sunday Atiques Road Show vibes from the 80s when I was a kid! (still haunts me) 😅 Great barn find, love a barn find! 👍
As a 90s kid I can confirm parents watching Antiques Road Show on Sundays gave me a taste of what a slow death must be like, I still shudder at the thought of it.
Love this era of Japanese cars when many of us were still driving old Ford Anglias and Morris Oxfords. Despite many dissolving in to rust dust they made them simple, nice to drive, and were very well engineered.
The engine was called a ‘balancer engine’ it had a separate cam that cancelled out engine shake , that’s why it runs so stable, by the way the interior of my first one was the same jazzy tartan 😁 my wife loved it !
Just fantastic Love how it starts and runs fine after 30 years in a lock up! Japanese cars of the 70’s- 80’s are so well engineered for reliability ( not rust): I saved a one owner 87 Celica GT - had been locked in the original owners garage for years unused. We changed all the brakes fluid’s fuel and cambelt plugs etc - it started first turn of the key and everything worked - wish I’d made a film or it
In Australia it was called the Mitsubishi Sigma. It came in a 2 door coupe (as seen here, it was called the Sigma Scorpion), four door and 5 door wagon variants. It had 2 engine options, a 2 ltr and a 2,6 ltr, both 4 cylinder. The 2.6 ltr "Astron" engine made it an interesting proposition, but it never really captured the interest of engine tuners. Edit: 26:08 "..no vibration at all" If I remember correctly, the Atsron engines (2 and 2.6 ltr) had balance shafts.
Never seen this car before but the story, Kevin's face when it started and then topped off with some celebration tunes on the working tape deck! I hope he can keep it and get it back running! Must've been a great day for all involved.
Hey Jonny, look up Mitsubishi Scorpion. They were quite popular at one stage in Australia. Came with up to a 2.6 litre 4 cylinder here. Much the same without the glorious tartan though!
In Australia these were quite popular as the Mitsubishi 'Scorpion'! The engine may actually have been the Astron 2.6 which might have been technically the 4G52. Certainly, the update version of 1982-4 had the 2.6.
This brings back memories. My music teacher and friend of the family owned one, with red interior, and I got to ride in the snug back seats several times. It felt like an advanced and luxurious car. Certainly an experience worth remembering for a young boy in the early eighties.
I hope the owner can get it back on the road and enjoy it since he's had it for so long. I've seen pictures of the US versions in books and old magazine but never one in the wild. Very cool car.
Absolutely gobsmacking that every single part of the car worked like it'd just been parked up for a week. This car needs to see the road again, it's too good. Kevin definitely deserves to take this beauty down to a car show and get some pats on the back for it, it's just amazing.
Jonny, you absolutely made that chaps day and indeed ours too. We do miss cars of this era, never sold in huge numbers and as you said single digits left. Can you do a what happened next at some stage please?
In 1978 this car was also released under the Chrysler brand in Australia as the Sigma Scorpion. The model was updated in 1980 when Mitsubishi bought out Chrysler Australia and all cars were then branded Mitsubishi. In 1982 it had a third facelift with a minor change in 1984 until it was discontinued in 1985. Also in 1979 the Australian made Sigma as we knew it was exported to the UK firstly under the Colt car company then later in 1982 was imported as the Lonsdale sedan or Estate. I also believe a few Magna cars as we called them were exported to the UK in 1986 as the Sigma Estate.
Earlier today i stumbled upon the Ür quattro video from 8 months ago and noticed criticism the way Jonny tried to start from the 30 y/o fuel tank without any precautions. It's delightful to see that no one is too old to improve and inspiring to learn something new every day! Makes watching these extra enjoyable (: keep up the good work lads
Fantastic video, my dad used to race these and the Starion back in the 80s for the local Mitsubishi dealership. The stories he has are fantastic! As part of BFF could we get an update on the cars previously seen in this series?
Love the Mitsubishi history. Most of my dealings with Mitsubishi has been through Chrysler Corp. Here in the US they had so many unique products that I liked. The Colt name was used to badge Too many body styles it was confusing. I even had a Plymouth Arrow that later with the wide body kit was the "Starion".
Now you're in my nostalgic sweet spot - I LOVE this era of Mitsubishi cars - they're even more rare, more quirky and unique than the similar era Subarus and Isuzu models. Mitsus were stylistically space age/jet era unicorns and much bolder and inventive than their contemporary rivals. They all suffered from rust rot build quality and grab bag components but when they were new and well maintained they were quite something. I just love it - well done, Jonny - so good!
Ah! Got seven of these here at the Ranch. They came with the Property when I bought it.....4 Challengers and 3 "Sappy's." I've bought and had given to me over the years lots of Parts like that "SPORTAAA" Steering Wheel (s), some Doors, Fenders,ect. Most of mine are 79's and 80 models. One of them has Factory T-tops. One's an Automatic the rest are 5-Speeds. Got lots of Accessories like Aluminum rear Window Louvers, Luggage Racks,ect. And of course the DRY New Mexico Desert 🏜️🏝️ has been very kind to the Sheet metal 😀👍. And I don't even like the Damn things 👀😒🤨🙄......
Oh, hey! It’s a Mitsubishi Scorpion. We had them here in Australia. They were even manufactured here I think in the Chrysler/Mitsubishi factory. If memory serves we right, these ram the 2ltr Astron engine (or maybe the precursor that I can’t remember the name of).
What a great episode. Incredible how much still works after being sat for so long. Barn finds are my favourite part of this awesome channel. Keep up the great work Jonny and the team.
Hi Jonny I owned a 1983 Mitsubishi Sigma (NZ) four door 2ltr for 25 years. One lady owner before me Green with a Vinyl roof 90.000kms a real little jem. Thank you for bring that back to life for me by showing us the Mitsubishi Colt Sapporo. Cheers
Oh my, you just made my heart skip a beat. Many moons ago when I was a care free and confident young'un, I part exchanged my Nova Merit 1.2 saloon for a Mitsubishi Colt Celeste ST. I saw it down a little side road on my way to work one day and two days later it was mine. My parents were not impressed as the Nova was a nice little sensible car. The Colt though... it was something else. All my mates were jealous, it was by far the coolest car I have ever owned. It was bright yellow with a little bit of black pin striping. Light sky blue tinted windows that had chrome surrounds. Deep pile brown interior carpets and a wonderful dash of individual sunken dials. I ran it for a couple of years but the engine was getting a bit 'tappitty' so I laid it up and started sharing my girlfriends Fiat Uno 1.3 auto which was a bit of a come down. I sold the Colt on after another year(ish) as my parents were fed up with the sight of it on their drive with no work being done on it. Don't get me wrong, I like my comfy modern mondeo... but I will never be that cool lad in the yellow thing again. All the other lads my age had Escorts and Fiestas, whipping round the Dartford one way system. Not that I was fully fledged boy racer then, I did like to just go for a couple of laps every now and then just because...
I discovered this channel a couple weeks ago and have been binge watching the barn finds. I remember you from the Fifth Gear days. I love this channel. Makes me want to find an old car to get running again.
Thank you Matthew, welcome aboard TLBS. You've joined us at a good time, as there will be a #barnfind every week this month (aka #bff aka #BarnFindFebruary)
@@TheLateBrakeShow That is very good news, Jonny. Love these episodes, big fan from Amsterdam 🇳🇱!
The shortened form of "japanese" is considered pretty offensive to most people of Japanese origin living in English speaking countries. Please consider changing it.
no waaay, I just googled him up, can't believe that's him. I found this channel really recently too, and I knew he's familiar but I couldn't recognize his voice, because in Hungary where I grew up shows like Fifth and Top Gear were narrated. this is just awesome :)
@@jesipohl6717 ❄️
out of all the barn finds, this is the one that needs restoring and giving back to the owner. keeping a dream alive for 30 years, kudos to that man. don't give up. it will get done
Yep come on @latebrakeshow let’s see your Car SOS side and make some dreams come true
Kudos to his Mum also
Give it to his mother you mean! Shes the one paying the rent on it for a full 30yrs!!
How is it ending with this car 😮 it needs a full restoration to make it beautiful again. The car deserves that. Please don’t put it back for again many years. 😢
Great looking car, hope it gets restored.
Have to say Jonny is not just a car guy but a great people person.
With out doubt one of the best on TH-cam. 😎
Sean, that is a lovely comment. You've made Jonny's weekend. Thank you
I'd easily go to the pub with him, which I couldn't say for a lot of car content presenters online or from television.
I agree. I think he could and should think about doing other TV as well. I think he's be great at it.
@@TheLateBrakeShow That's great because it clearly made Kevin very happy too! Really enjoyed this BF video!
I would happily contribute to a gofundme for getting this car restored to tip top condition. Such a beautiful car. Genuinely deserves to have plenty of money thrown at it to bring it back to life.
That's so kind. Maybe we should. Kevin definitely has got his motivation back after we filmed.
@@TheLateBrakeShow Do it Jonny. Kevin deserves it
Yes I hope so.
Or what about Car SOS?
@The Late Brake Show gofundme or a car sos collab, but this needs doing. The man and the car both deserve it.
This just backs up the fact how good Japanese engines are. I knew straight away that it’d run. What a motor
This car is from an era where affordable quality still existed , today quality is just for the rich.
You've genuinely solved a mystery for me.
Im 33 now and when I was a kid In around the mid-nineties, my mum's step dad had a gold Mitsubishi parked outside my Nan's house. It'd been there for donkeys years and I never saw it run or move. Whenever I asked him about it his eyes lit up about getting it back on the road, talking about how sporty and rare it was. It ended up being towed away (probably for scrap) a few years before he sadly died, but I never knew what exact model it was until now. All I remembered was the sleek coupe look and those cool round dash clocks.
So, thank you for this barn find. Now I have to fight the urge of wanting one 😅
To 64 Bakes. Don't fight the urge to get one, give in and try to GET one!
28:19 Aw, Kevin's smile is a picture! Hope he can somehow get this thing restored. Kudos to his folks for paying to store it all these years!
What a cracking find.
The owner seems such a genuine guy.
He's definatly a candidate for car sos. Would be great if they could get the car on the road for him.
I was also thinking of Car SOS, he so deserves this restored!!
They were quite popular in Australia where they were badged as Mitsubishi Scorpions with engines up to the 2.6 litre Astron (105 hp).
Yep I had one, and I miss it.
Sigma was the model range, with scorpion being used for the sportier variant. A relative had one and the timing chain broke after about 5 months, damaging much of the engine. Nasty warranty fight ensued. I think it was the 1.8l one? They seemed quite popular, but disappeared from Oz roads rather quicker than most...
@@chrlz904 the only scorpions in Australia at the time had 2 litre engines the 78 to 79 and after that starting in 1980 which is the one I got were 2.6 litre. The sigmas yes are the ones with the smaller engines and I had 2 friends who had the sigmas and had no problems. Luck of the draw I guess.
The originals were badged Chrysler Sigma Scorpion.
@@billyhong5071 yes and a badge on front passenger dash side saying designed by Mitsubishi. I had a new one in 1980.
I purchased a car 2 weeks ago which i have been after for 3 and a half years. It belonged to an elderly gentlemen. I visited him on a regular basis, but i could tell he was not ready to part with it, until 2 weeks ago. The car is a 1999 Mercedes SL500 R129. The mileage is 31k, and it is mint, He was the second owner, and the first owner was Lord Colin Marshall the former CEO of British airways. I called back to see him with some of his belongings i found in the car, and he said that he would not have sold it to anyone else. My patience paid off.
This was a good one. Wish there was a Japanese car specialist who'd donate a bit of time to maybe just getting it past an MOT , the owner seems a lovely guy and deserving of it.
Wouldn't need a mot now as it's exempt down to age.
@@chriscollins550 It needs one if it's been off the road for more than 5 years regardless of age.
Maybe the best barn find edition ever.
Really feel for the owner as he sounds like he’s had a tough life.
This would make a perfect ‘restoration’ project. Might be worth quite a bit now given the low numbers in the UK.
Yes, I hope things have picked up for him and he gets this car back on the road.
To Telcontarnz. Quite logical he HAS had a HARD time of it! This is Britain, not the promised land.Went in the garage in Thatcher era, I myself lost my job due her cuts, and it's stayed bad ever since! A person who has the good taste to own this car DESERVES financial help!
Hi Johnny. What a great find and an unbelievable result 🙂 In Australia these were called a Mitsubishi Scorpion. My mum had one back in the day and it was the 2.6 litre astron engine. It really was a great car, well made... solid....so I shouldn't be surprised that everything works after 30 sitting idle. Great show! A lovely trip down memory lane....👍
Starion, not scorpion!
No. The Starion was a completely different car!
@@paulorchard7960 Pretty sure the Starion was the replacement for the Scorpion in the 80s. It was much more boxy.
@@paulorchard7960 Starion was a very different looking car and factory turbo as well.
Yeah def a scorpion, had a few and my principal at primary school had a starion turbo we used to stare at in the carpark at school
I also do real life rescues like this in the states. Just rescued a VW convertible that had been in a barn since 1984, a BMW E30 that had been sitting for a decade, and rescued a Mercedes 190e that was left for dead with moss on it. I also just purchased a 91 Ford mustang 5.0 L that had been in a storage unit for eight years. Love rescuing cars, love bringing them back to life, and putting them back on the road to be seen and enjoyed once more. I remember these Mitsubishi’s as a kid, that was a great time for American/Japanese car collaborations, and gave way to many future icons!
The smile on the owners face … you just can’t beat that!
Kev was really shocked at how good it had survived, and how well it struck up!
This is the definition of Feel Good Content 🙂 hope the owner can find the time and money to bring it back on the road 🤞
What a great car, sits for 30 years then starts up. That's what I love about old cars - they might have their faults, but are simple and easy to get running again.
It's Japanese, of course it will start. That's what marked them out against British cars of the same period....
@@smhorse Sadly true. Japanese cars drove,British cars parked broken down, and worked on their rusting.
Known as the Scorpion in Australia , a great Coupe design . Keep this series going Jonny some amazing hidden gems
All your videos are great Jonny but you can't beat a Barnfind edition ❤️
100%
as a young boy, before I fell hard for the Starion EX, this was my first real love. I must have been 8, which was its first year of production! I did not know that. Gorgeous car, still. Have had a few opportunities to buy one, but they needed so much work, which in order to be worth doing, you have to be able to do most of it yourself; and I couldn't, still can't. And my purse is not that deep, but my word, what a gracious presence that car has!! Thanks again for your guests and for choosing your channel to share their stories and cars with us!
My word! That’s a survivor of a car. Couldn’t believe it started and ran perfectly. Enjoyed the look on his face when it started. Enjoyed that very much. Cheers Johnny and team
Many thanks David
@@TheLateBrakeShow your welcome
Are there gonna be any ‘barn find revisiteds’? I would love to know what happens after your cameras stop rolling… love the channel 👍👍👍👍
Here in Australia these were called the Mitsubishi Sigma Scorpion, and later just the Mitsubishi Scorpion. These came with the 88 kW 4 cylinder 2.6 litre Astron engine here too, I don’t recall the 2.0 in Oz. Rare seeing any these days!
In 1978 they were badged Chrysler and had a 2 litre engine.
The front end does resemble a Delorean... But man that two tone console is gorgeous!
Such a great series. I'm not interested in 70s Japanese cars normally but seeing such a time warp example is a real treat. Thanks
Wow, that takes me back. My 6th grade teacher had the Dodge Challenger version of the Sapporo and I thought it was the coolest car around. It still looks awesome today. Thanks for this video!
I laughed years ago when I found out the Sigma Scorpion was sold off as a Challenger
My brother had one of these from new in Australia, it was called a Mitsubishi Sigma Scorpion. The Mitsubishi Sigma was the four door and the Scorpion was the coupe.
Just love all the crud falling out of the rotten back box! I'm amazed there was any space left in the exhaust for the actual gases to get out! 😆
Looked like it was crapping itself
Looks like it had a very upset stomach....
I liked the fact that the production sticker was still on the exhaust when the box decided to poo itself
Pop down to the local Kwik Fit as I'm sure they'll have a back box in stock 🤣
Cool to see. I had a black one of these (same year model) for a short time in the 90s. Bought it cheap for £250 out of local paper. They had a book value of £700 at the time. Needed a little bit of cosmetic work doing. Plan was tart it up & sell it on quick make some dosh & move on. But I fell for it. Loved how it drove & looked. Relaxed smooth cruiser. Liked the fact you didn't see many around. Something different.
Kept it well over a year before letting it go. Have some of my favourite car memories from that Sapporo.
In Australia this car was called the Mitsubishi Scorpion and my best friend said it looked like a spaceship. I bought it brand new in 1978 and loved it but had to sell it in 1982 because it was not practical for carrying our new baby. The smoothness that Johnny mentions is due the Astron engine having two balance shafts that rotate at twice the engine speed and cancel vibrations. This feature was also used in the later 2.6 litre Astron engine and that one also produced the low vibration levels of a small V8 (but not the power of course).
The tape deck working was tops. Playing car wash while washing the car would have been next level. Awesome video.
In 1978 I remember being at the Plymouth dealer with my Dad here and seeing a bunch of these. ive always liked these very much.
100% the Barn Find series is definitely the best part of your show.
The rear exhaust box dropping crud was an interesting look😊
It vomited rust.
I must say that I was skeptic about the chNnel at first but this barn find stuff is epic, great stuff, congratuliation Johnny.
These were sold as the Mitsubishi Scorpion in Australia. The 2 litre Astron engine that's in this car were also in Mitsubishi Sigmas , Mitsubishi L200 utes, and AFAIK, Mitsubishi L300 vans. Parts availability should be actually pretty reasonable. The Astron engine came as a 2.6 litre as well.
Love Johnny's enthusiasm.
Some great barn finds on this channel. Really watchable.
In Australia these were called "Scorpion" and aligned with our Sigmas. The later version came with the larger Astron engines.
What an absolute classic video, really brightened up my Sunday evening.
Love the Barn Finds!
Thanks Jonny
I've been looking for one of these for years, my late father owned a 78 GSR in a wine red, was such a lovely car, it was like a space ship to me, I was about ten or eleven at the time, must have been 1989. What a car!! Love this.
This is brilliant, wholesome and nostalgic. Probably my favourite barn find yet 👌🏻
Live you beautiful ba5tard.
In Australia they were called Scorpions and were the big brother to the Sigma, which was similar looking. My boss, at the time when they first came out, had one and was very pleased with the way it travelled.
I owned a Sigma in '91 as my first car and always wished it was a Scorpion with the 2.6l engine.
The Scorpion was effectively a two door version of the Sigma and survived for both versions of the Sigma before it was replaced by the Magna. Had the 2.6 Astron as standard whereas the Sigma had a two litre option as well and maybe a 1.6 from memory.
@@downesy68 You should write that in the Comments.
@@downesy68 The first generation Sigma (GE & GH) which were badged as Chrysler were assembled in Adelaide and had 1.6l Saturn, 1.85l Astron, 2.0l Astron, 2.0 Turbo Astron and 2.6 Astron. The 1.85l was dropped mid way through the GE cycle and replaced by the 2.6l and the turbo 2.0l was released with the GH producing 116kw for a limited run of 500.
The original Scorpion in GE configuration had a 2.0l motor only. This was replaced with the 2.6l either right at the end of the GE or as part of the GH upgrades.
@@MrCarrera28 thanks, great info. It sounds like you have a pretty intimate knowledge of them. I’m from Adelaide and my brother had a first gen Sigma SE with the 2.6. They were a significant local product here in SA.
I can't believe it this is my hometown! Just outside of Darlington I can hear the town clock in the background. Amazing
That shot of the rear silencer disintegrating couldn't have been timed better!
Always a pleasure to watch and thank you for sharing another barn find.
Was I the only one who was relieved it had stopped raining before the car ventured outside?
Edit: You washed it and introduced water! 😭
Very cool. We had these in Australia too where they were badged as a Scorpion instead of Sapporo.
Having worked on Datsun/Nissan through 70’s and 80’s this touched me. Those carbs (Nikki’s) were really robust and that dash is like 1970 challenger. Best bit is that special feeling when it goes from non runner to running smooth. So many emotions. Also, briefly had a four door one of these in the 90’s in bronze with alloys.
What an amazing thing to do, the smile on that man's face is worth more than money can buy. I really hope this has inspired him to give his dream some love and get it back on the road again.
Cheers Jonny, excellent stuff as always!
My Dad actually had one of those jackets in the brochure, the Navy blue one with the removable sleeves.
He worked for Colt Cars/ Mitsubishi UK for over 30 years, he was actually in the process of organising the archive for the company before he retired, a year before MMC pulled the rug out from under Mitsubishi UK car sales.
Such a pity.
Some great cars in the Mitsubishi line up over the years with so genuine production firsts.
This barn find made me smile so much, as a teen growing up in the UK in the 80’s cars like this were so desirable. This car is so ready to be brought back to life and turn its wheels in anger again. Thanks for this series Jonny and team, love it!
That was a Mitsubishi Scorpion in Australia which came with a 2.6 down there. Essentially a 2 door Sigma. The Mitsubishi Starion was the JDM Mitsubishi to have in that era.
There was also the Cordia Turbo, with optional super shift gearbox!
NSW police ran a few Cordias in the mid 80's, apparently they suffered from severe brake fade if used in pursuits
Absolutely brilliant. I get a little emotional when engines fire back into life after many years. Its like they are coming back to life. Awesome work team
Really cool car! A follow up to this episode would be great or even a you tube restoration project, she's def worth it.
AEF 405T, what lovely simple and easy to remember registrations we used to have. Great to see her go.
Helpful hint:
Next time you find a working cassette deck and a casette tape from the '80s try fast-forwarding or rewinding the cassette fully before playing it to free up the supply & take-up reels within
Lovely to see and hear some of these barn finds fire up into life again after so long..
In Australia it was called the “scorpion” and it was like the sports version of the Sigma - interestingly you can use the transmission mount from one of these to repair a rotten mount in a fiat 130 coupe. I think in Australia it was made at the Mitsubishi plant in Adelaide
No my 1980 scorpion was full assembled in Japan.
Mitsubishi Scorpion here in Australia. We got the 2.6 L Astron 4 cylinder engine. It’s very rare to see them on the road here now.
The first car I owned upon arrival here in the US in 1985 was a used bright orange Dodge Challener/Mitsu Sapporo. Automatic, heavy and underpowered. Pretty bulletproof aside from a mech fuel pump that I replaced myself. Loved the overhead "console". Car took me places though. Sadly got t-boned in a hit and run on the passenger side. Used it for a couple more months before being replaced by a brand new Toyota truck. What a find there,Jonny!
This car so reminds me of my Dads RWD Mazda 626 Coupe from the 80s when we lived abroad. It was so ahead of its time compared to other makes, with an electric sunroof, electric mirrors aircon, the lot.
Absolutely fantastic! Made my Sunday! So much better than Sunday Atiques Road Show vibes from the 80s when I was a kid! (still haunts me) 😅 Great barn find, love a barn find! 👍
As a 90s kid I can confirm parents watching Antiques Road Show on Sundays gave me a taste of what a slow death must be like, I still shudder at the thought of it.
One of the finest interiors I've ever seen.
Love this era of Japanese cars when many of us were still driving old Ford Anglias and Morris Oxfords. Despite many dissolving in to rust dust they made them simple, nice to drive, and were very well engineered.
Fantastic! Love these videos.
The cassette player working was the icing on the cake.
The engine was called a ‘balancer engine’ it had a separate cam that cancelled out engine shake , that’s why it runs so stable, by the way the interior of my first one was the same jazzy tartan 😁 my wife loved it !
To Pierre etc. Tell your wife she has taste! I love it too!
Just fantastic
Love how it starts and runs fine after 30 years in a lock up!
Japanese cars of the 70’s- 80’s are so well engineered for reliability ( not rust): I saved a one owner 87 Celica GT - had been locked in the original owners garage for years unused. We changed all the brakes fluid’s fuel and cambelt plugs etc - it started first turn of the key and everything worked - wish I’d made a film or it
In Australia it was called the Mitsubishi Sigma. It came in a 2 door coupe (as seen here, it was called the Sigma Scorpion), four door and 5 door wagon variants. It had 2 engine options, a 2 ltr and a 2,6 ltr, both 4 cylinder. The 2.6 ltr "Astron" engine made it an interesting proposition, but it never really captured the interest of engine tuners.
Edit:
26:08 "..no vibration at all"
If I remember correctly, the Atsron engines (2 and 2.6 ltr) had balance shafts.
Starion, not scorpion!
@@paulorchard7960 Starion was a completely different car.
Never seen this car before but the story, Kevin's face when it started and then topped off with some celebration tunes on the working tape deck! I hope he can keep it and get it back running! Must've been a great day for all involved.
I love how Jonny’s excitement comes through in these Barn Find videos in particular!
Cheers Tom. He never tires of the barnfind thrill.
‘Running on a little can of hope!’ Simply brilliant Jonny, bloody brilliant.👍
Hey Jonny, look up Mitsubishi Scorpion. They were quite popular at one stage in Australia. Came with up to a 2.6 litre 4 cylinder here. Much the same without the glorious tartan though!
That’s the best barn find video yet i love them all but for some unexplained reason i was so chuffed when the car fired into life
In Australia these were quite popular as the Mitsubishi 'Scorpion'!
The engine may actually have been the Astron 2.6 which might have been technically the 4G52.
Certainly, the update version of 1982-4 had the 2.6.
I don't believe the 2.6 was sold in Europe, it wouldn't have suited tax regimes in a lot of countries
This brings back memories. My music teacher and friend of the family owned one, with red interior, and I got to ride in the snug back seats several times. It felt like an advanced and luxurious car. Certainly an experience worth remembering for a young boy in the early eighties.
That is an Australian what we called Scorpion also we had the Sigma as well as a 4 door. Getting rare here as well but they still do come up
Always love the barn finds but getting the tunes on was next level!
I hope the owner can get it back on the road and enjoy it since he's had it for so long. I've seen pictures of the US versions in books and old magazine but never one in the wild. Very cool car.
@Russians are the new Nazis. Very true!
Great barn find. His face when the tape deck worked ha ha
These were known as a Scorpio in Australia & you could get a 2.6ltr in them I think, great video as usual Jonny, Rj in Oz
Many thanks RJ 👊🏽
Absolutely gobsmacking that every single part of the car worked like it'd just been parked up for a week.
This car needs to see the road again, it's too good. Kevin definitely deserves to take this beauty down to a car show and get some pats on the back for it, it's just amazing.
Jonny, you absolutely made that chaps day and indeed ours too. We do miss cars of this era, never sold in huge numbers and as you said single digits left. Can you do a what happened next at some stage please?
In 1978 this car was also released under the Chrysler brand in Australia as the Sigma Scorpion. The model was updated in 1980 when Mitsubishi bought out Chrysler Australia and all cars were then branded Mitsubishi. In 1982 it had a third facelift with a minor change in 1984 until it was discontinued in 1985. Also in 1979 the Australian made Sigma as we knew it was exported to the UK firstly under the Colt car company then later in 1982 was imported as the Lonsdale sedan or Estate. I also believe a few Magna cars as we called them were exported to the UK in 1986 as the Sigma Estate.
Earlier today i stumbled upon the Ür quattro video from 8 months ago and noticed criticism the way Jonny tried to start from the 30 y/o fuel tank without any precautions. It's delightful to see that no one is too old to improve and inspiring to learn something new every day! Makes watching these extra enjoyable (: keep up the good work lads
what a great find, I'd never heard of the Sapporo before
In Australia they were called the Mitsubishi scorpion I wanted one as a teen but they disappeared here very quickly, probably all just rusted away
Those moments when these things come back to life...brilliant, just, brilliant! Thank you, Jonny.
Fantastic video, my dad used to race these and the Starion back in the 80s for the local Mitsubishi dealership. The stories he has are fantastic!
As part of BFF could we get an update on the cars previously seen in this series?
I love the debris falling from the exhaust when it started!
Love the Mitsubishi history. Most of my dealings with Mitsubishi has been through Chrysler Corp. Here in the US they had so many unique products that I liked. The Colt name was used to badge Too many body styles it was confusing. I even had a Plymouth Arrow that later with the wide body kit was the "Starion".
Now you're in my nostalgic sweet spot - I LOVE this era of Mitsubishi cars - they're even more rare, more quirky and unique than the similar era Subarus and Isuzu models. Mitsus were stylistically space age/jet era unicorns and much bolder and inventive than their contemporary rivals. They all suffered from rust rot build quality and grab bag components but when they were new and well maintained they were quite something. I just love it - well done, Jonny - so good!
Ah! Got seven of these here at the Ranch. They came with the Property when I bought it.....4 Challengers and 3 "Sappy's." I've bought and had given to me over the years lots of Parts like that "SPORTAAA" Steering Wheel (s), some Doors, Fenders,ect. Most of mine are 79's and 80 models. One of them has Factory T-tops. One's an Automatic the rest are 5-Speeds. Got lots of Accessories like Aluminum rear Window Louvers, Luggage Racks,ect. And of course the DRY New Mexico Desert 🏜️🏝️ has been very kind to the Sheet metal 😀👍. And I don't even like the Damn things 👀😒🤨🙄......
Send this guy a steering wheel!
Oh, hey! It’s a Mitsubishi Scorpion. We had them here in Australia. They were even manufactured here I think in the Chrysler/Mitsubishi factory.
If memory serves we right, these ram the 2ltr Astron engine (or maybe the precursor that I can’t remember the name of).
The amount of rust that came out of the rotten muffler 😂
This channel brings us Hope and Love. Long may it continue. Thanks, Jonny!
Back in the garage for another 30 years
What a great episode. Incredible how much still works after being sat for so long. Barn finds are my favourite part of this awesome channel. Keep up the great work Jonny and the team.
You have such a gentle manner, Jonny. It’s so nice to see.
Hi Jonny I owned a 1983 Mitsubishi Sigma (NZ) four door 2ltr for 25 years. One lady owner before me Green with a Vinyl roof 90.000kms a real little jem.
Thank you for bring that back to life for me by showing us the Mitsubishi Colt Sapporo. Cheers
Oh my, you just made my heart skip a beat. Many moons ago when I was a care free and confident young'un, I part exchanged my Nova Merit 1.2 saloon for a Mitsubishi Colt Celeste ST. I saw it down a little side road on my way to work one day and two days later it was mine. My parents were not impressed as the Nova was a nice little sensible car. The Colt though... it was something else. All my mates were jealous, it was by far the coolest car I have ever owned. It was bright yellow with a little bit of black pin striping. Light sky blue tinted windows that had chrome surrounds. Deep pile brown interior carpets and a wonderful dash of individual sunken dials.
I ran it for a couple of years but the engine was getting a bit 'tappitty' so I laid it up and started sharing my girlfriends Fiat Uno 1.3 auto which was a bit of a come down. I sold the Colt on after another year(ish) as my parents were fed up with the sight of it on their drive with no work being done on it.
Don't get me wrong, I like my comfy modern mondeo... but I will never be that cool lad in the yellow thing again. All the other lads my age had Escorts and Fiestas, whipping round the Dartford one way system. Not that I was fully fledged boy racer then, I did like to just go for a couple of laps every now and then just because...
I worked on these Mitsubishi's when I was learning to be a car mechanic, I was 18 at the time. Greetings from the Netherlands.
This onereally made me smile for some reason, just the way it fired up like it wanted to and live again for a few minutes.
Just brilliant this Colt Sapporo coupe firing up survived so well after its 30 year old slumber love these barn finds Jonny just class👌👌👌👌👌👌