Mitsubishi Lancer – From Humble Beginnings

We’re not looking to start any fights here, we’re just being honest. In the 1970s, British cars were a bit rubbish. Look, they were. Yes, many of us look back on them now with a certain fondness, and that’s absolutely fine. For many of us, the terrible British cars of the 1970s are woven into the very tapestry of our lives. Holidays, learning to drive, our first slice of wheeled independence. All good stuff. But the thing is, it’s the memories that are good, the cars themselves were a bit crap. And that’s fine. Positive memories don’t need to be reinforced by positive things/places. For example, our Editor’s old Mini was hopeless, but in being so, it became the basis of many an amusing tale.

Now, cars that provide amusing anecdotes are all well and good, but on the day to day, they’re a pain. British Leyland was only concerned with strike action and shoddy quality in the 1970s, and for us motorists, that meant many a motoring frustration. We needed a solution, we needed to get from point A to point B without the aid of AA. 

Japan knew this. It had been watching from afar, it had seen our terrible cars and it had decided it was time for their cars to infiltrate. Not only us, but the Americans, too. There was an automotive invasion on the cards, and it would change the way we looked at mobility, as well as increase our expectations.

The truth is, Japan started importing cars in the mid 1960s, but it took a decade for them to truly take hold with cars that we were actively interested in. One car to come to the UK from the land of the rising sun was the car you’re looking at here. This is a 1974 Colt Lancer. The car wasn’t branded as a Mitsubishi at first, and was instead sold under the Colt Car Company brand, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi created solely as part of its global expansion plans. It would be another ten years before it re-branded to being Mitsubishi Motors, bringing the company in line globally. 

When we think of the Lancer today, that name will no doubt bring up images of WRC cars, turbochargers and people called Darren who like to vape. We think of the chatter of turbos, of four-wheel drive, of eye-watering speed and handling. In reality though, the Lancer was a far more humble offering in its early days. It was a car pitched squarely against the likes of the Austin Allegro, or the Triumph Dolomite, or perhaps the Morris Marina. Cars, then, that would pose as easy prey for the advanced, well-engineered Colt Lancer.

This was a revelation compared to the cars we were used to. The Colt Lancer was tight, it was screwed together by people that had never been on strike. It was comfortable, spacious and somewhat radical in the way it looked. And that name. Colt Lancer. It just sounded great, it still does in fact. 

Available in two-door or four-door saloon guise, as well as five-door estate, the Lancer could be all things to all men. It was, in 1600GSR a performance car that could rival any Escort, in 1,187cc guise it was a frugal family runabout, or in 1,439cc it was a bit of both.

The car in the pictures here has that middle engine, and thus is the best way to experience the Colt Lancer. The car belongs to Mitsubishi Motors in the UK and is in fact the original press car from back in 1974, which is quite something. An original survivor car, this little Colt has lived a life wanting for nothing. It’s maintained to perfection and in tip top condition. There’s only one thing left to do, and that’s drive it. We’ve driven the Ford and the British Leyland offerings of the time, but never a Japanese car of this era. Will it live up to the hype? In short, yes it will. 

Colt Car marketed the Lancer by saying “the Colt Lancer is a totally new motoring experience. As lean and agile as a cat, Colt Lancer has a tight, sporty feel to it that can turn an ordinary drive into an adventure.” Quite a bold statement, but not a million miles away from the truth. The little Lancer might not be as agile as an actual feline, but it is tight and direct. The driving experience is far more alive and involving than cars of the same era built on home soil. We’d even go so far as to say that it feels better to drive than an Escort, but only just.

It’s also laden with kit as standard. It had a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, a collapsible steering column for safety, it had reverse lights and hazard lights, reclining bucket seats, two-speed wipers, electric rear window de-mist, handbrake and door open warning lights, a stereo, a clock and a cigarette lighter. It was an exceptionally well appointed car. And none of this was the result of ticking endless option boxes. This is how it came. It made an Allegro look about as well-equipped as portaloo. 

Back to its on-road behaviour. The Lancer is a car that rightly had the British worried. It’s good. It’s really good. Even today, it blends in with traffic without cause for concern. The dual circuit brakes are sharp and direct, the steering is refined and there is a loot of feel back through the wheel. The car feels steady and complaint through the bends, and the 1400 engine chirps along with a pleasing eagerness. It’s not the fastest car in the work, and the power is something you have to work at exposing, but once you get the old girl up to speed, it’s a delight. And not at all a chore to drive. 

And that’s how these cars managed to so perfectly infiltrate our roads. Once people made the leap, they were rewarded by car that was not revolutionary or scary. Instead, it was just a car as a car should be. Built with care, attention and longevity in mind. They were reliable, these Japanese machines, and that was the one thing we really couldn’t manage here in the UK, and that’s why cars like the Lancer, quite rightly, found favour here.