Official Mitsi weirdo buys another weird Mitsubishi

[fuel]

So I was browsing TradeMe one night and came across this, which I eventually won the auction for a measily $1000. I've always wanted one, but finding one in this condition is hard as most of them ended up in the junk yards over a decade ago.

Introducing my 1991 F26A Diamante 30R-S. This particular example is NZ-new and is one of the few that were specially ordered already built up from Japan, as opposed to the Australian assembled Magna/V3000, or the used Japanese import models that came flooding in a few years later. Being an F26A it misses out on 4WS, it also doesn't have a sunroof, rear wiper or half as many electric gizmos as the JDM 30R-SE does. Oh, and it's AWD with a 3.545 viscous LSD rear end which makes it that extra bit special. You can definitely see where it's a stretched and widened E39A platform (firewall, strut towers, front subframes etc) but you can also see some key GTO parts in there too (V6 drivetrain, rear subframe/trailing arms, brakes).














My short term plans are to tidy it up and complete a bit of a restoration finding the original OEM wheels (or similar) as those Reflex's have to go! My long term plan is to swap in a 6G74 3.5L bottom end with some MIVEC 30M heads that I have, and possibly twin turbo conversion with 5 or 6 speed manual gearbox - but this will be a pipe dream for a while no doubt as I'm still living in Canada. My first steps are to fix up a broken exhaust and get it down to my parents place in Taumarunui.

Feel free to discuss my failings!

[fuel]

Am trying to track down some original wheels like this:

 

[mjrstar]

years ago I had a later model black 2nd gen 30M diamante, it wasn't a bad old barge went semi hard (for what it was), perhaps a bit ahead of it's time being mid 90's with a 5 speed tiptronic  trans. (i think my 2004 wagon still has a pretty similar trans too)

 

Interior of your machine looks pretty similar to how I remember mine.

[Mr Vapour]

I had a jdm 2.5 also. Was an amazing car. It was one car I regret selling. Looked like the black one above. 

Good luck with it. It looks like its worth keeping 

[kyteler]

You're a lost cause, Phil.

 

[kws]

Man that leather looks lush as. Thats such a tidy looking example

[cletus]

Must have been an expensive car when it was new?

My dad had a 2.6 povo spec one for a company car. I think it was the first car dad did a max speed run with me

[fuel]

Apparently it was over $90k when new (which I find hard to believe myself!) The previous owner's brother bought a GTO brand new but found it impractical so traded it in some months later on this.

The 2.6L Magna is so weaksauce compared to the Diamante - 120hp vs 220hp, beam axle rear suspension vs multilink (for JDM FWD) or double wishbone for AWD, shit Aus built low quality interior etc. The 1st gen Magna I had in Aus was noticeably not as well built as the JDM or even Todd built Galant/Sigma equivalents I had in NZ.   

[Toucan]

Alot of blue smoke for the $$, good work

[DoBro Jesus]

Ha! Was watching this too, fine piece of kit you got there, there was one like it on Facebook the other day, 4wd too. Would make for a nice cruiser

 

[MIRAGE-MAN]

Saw this on Trademe too, as a typical Mitsubishi foamer I, had too take a noesy at the listing. I have always liked the shape of the early 90s Diamante's. There ain't no 30R-S examples like this around now.

Glad that it has gone too a good home.

[fuel]

Ok now this is where things get a bit more serious.

Myself and Damien just collectively bought this, a flood damaged 1992 GTO twin turbo - he wants the engine and I want the rest of the driveline. It has all I need to convert to 5 speed manual (would have preferred 6 speed but they are harder to come by, especially for this price), large 4 pot brakes up front, bigger vented brakes in the rear, larger turbo diff and axles and the 17" OEM wheels which I like the look of. It looks to be lowered too so those struts could be swapped over.

 

Now I just need to book a trip back to NZ some time soon.

[HighLUX]

I like where this is going......

Manual 4wd doooort whale 

[fuel]

So I finally came back to NZ in December and gave the car a bit of a clean up, found some original 15" wheels (that I probably wont end up using now), and then put it on gen 1 GTO 16" wheels:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took the 17" wheels off the parts GTO including Enkei alloy spare and extra 17" as spare

 

 

 

Obtained some gen 2 GTO brakes along with the gen 1 GTO front brakes from parts car (rear gen 1 brakes are same as stock Diamante). Also large plenum 380 manifold obtained to modify.

 

[flyingbrick]

pretty cool car, had no idea they existed.

would be amazeballs manual with the gto turbo motor, eeeek.

[Scrubb]

Pictures aren't working for me. Are they working for anyone else?

[manamari]

Nah no photos

[Cozza]

Have you still got the relatively stock E39A as well? Building a little collection of blue smokers still I hope.

[fuel]

yeah iforce seems to be down  will chuck up on another host some time.

and yep still have the Galant VR-4.

[fuel]

I definitely have a problem.

This one is an Aus assembled but JDM Diamante 30R-SE wagon, so full spec with sunroof, leather, driver's airbag, ABS brakes. It's a higher trim grade than my 30R-S sedan but being Australian assembled it only has a SOHC engine, not as fancy climate control etc etc. It was cheap, and is another oddball so yeah.... had to have it.