Mitsubishi has a long and storied racing heritage that includes vehicles like the Gallant, Lancer, Pajero, and Montero, just to name a few. Under its Ralliart subsidiary, it successfully competed in the World Rally Championship and Dakar rally. That's why when the company added a series of vintage rally videos to its YouTube channel this week, it was like finding a treasure trove for fans of the three-diamond company.
The videos cover 40 years of Mitsubishi and Ralliart off-road racing. Starting with the original Colt in 1967, you can watch highlights of WRC and the Dakar rally, events that Mitsubishi won multiple times, establishing the company as a force to be reckoned with. In all, there are 28 videos of about 20 to 30 seconds in length. Each video shows a montage of a particular event, focusing on one car or team.
Besides being a good way to kill a half hour, the videos are there to whet the appetite of Mitsubishi motorsport fans. Ralliart went dormant after the 2009 season when it campaigned both the Lancer and Pajero. A combination of global recession and lack of funding shuttered Mitsubishi's racing program. Then two years ago, Mitsubishi announced it was reviving its racing program and would bring back the Ralliart name.
Last fall, Mitsubishi returned to rallying with its Triton Ralliart racer. Led by Back-to-back Dakar champion Hiroshi Masuoka, the Triton Ralliart participated in the 2022 Asian Cross Country Rally, which features stages in Thailand and Cambodia. The Ralliart team took first and fifth place overall, adding another chapter in Mitsubishi's storied history.
Mitsubishi also revived the Ralliart name in the US to create special editions of the Outlander, Outlander PHEV, Eclipse Cross, Outlander Sport, and Mirage for the 2023 model year. Each vehicle is available with White Diamond paint, a contrasting black roof, special graphics packages, and other rally-inspired touches. The company hopes the special edition vehicles and revival of the Ralliart name will help generate more interest in the brand for the US market. In 2021 Mitsubishi sold 102,037 models in the US, with the Outlander generating a third of those sales.
