Mitsubishi’s first car to be recreated for 100th birthday, but with a twist
The Mitsubishi Model A will be recreated, but substantially updated, for Mitsubishi Motors’ 100th birthday later this year.
Overnight, Mitsubishi Motors’ North American arm announced, in conjunction with West Coast Customs, it would recreate the 1917 Model A.
As noted in Forbes, the original Model A was based on the Fiat Tipo 3, and was powered by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine cranking out 26kW of power.
While the recreation will look like the original Model A, it will use a version of the “platform of the brand’s most technologically advanced vehicle”, the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid.
The Outlander PHEV’s drivetrain features a 2.0-litre petrol engine, two electric motors, AWD capability, a 12kWh battery pack, and a total power output of 120kW.
Due to be completed during the northern summer, the Model A recreation will be built by West Coast Customs in Burbank, California, and will be featured in an episode of the Inside West Coast Customs TV series.
Above: Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid.
Envisioned as a luxury car for wealthy businessmen and high-ranking officials, the 1917 Model A had seating for up to seven people.
Built by hand, the Model A was expensive and a slow seller. The company stopped production after four years with just 22 vehicles built, although it claims the Model A was “Japan’s very first series of mass-produced vehicles”.
Despite the failure of the Model A, Mitsubishi continued making vehicles, thanks to its Fuso truck line, but it wouldn’t step back into the passenger car market until the 1960s.