Mitsubishi Starion header

Link to scan of original 87 Starion magazine ad

Link to 83 Starion Model picture

1987  Mitsubishi Starion - modified 

Car History

This car was originally purchased in California and was a one owner CA car until 1999. It was purchased by the current owner after reading about it on an internet discussion group and it was shipped to southern New Hampshire where it no longer resides (About 1 hour north of Boston). This car has never been driven in snow. (For those interested, the shipping, door-to-door on a car carrier then flatbed, was $944 and the car arrived dirty but safe).  I eventually sold the car and it was shipped to South Carolina.  That owner sold it to Dave S. who shipped it to Denmark!  Dave is doing a ton of further work on the car with the goal of making it the fastest street car in Denmark. I hope to get pictures of the work he's doing, which includes a new paint job.

Body

The car has had several body mods including an aftermarket power sunroof, custom paint, custom Epsilon wheels and most notably, the replacement of the stock hood with an '83.  As many know, this was the only year StarQuests had a hood scoop. The windows were also tinted which you can probably notice in these photos.  The police officer who pulled me over certainly noticed it and kindly informed me that I need to remove the tint from the driver and passenger windows to be legal in this state, which I did.  The combination of the paint, hood scoop and wheels give this unique car an aggressive appearance.  Overall, the paint job is pretty good.  There are a few imperfect areas, notably on the front bumper/air dam. 


Note: in this picture the back bumper looks weird, but it really is normal and uniform in color.

Engine

The engine was rebuilt in late 97 for the original owner by Top End Performance.  It has under 2,000 miles on it!  Realistically, the engine is most of what you are buying.  The previous owner put over $11,000 into the engine alone - I have all the paperwork, from the original bill of sale on up.

  • 2.6 liter turbo charged, fuel injected, intercooled engine

  • T3/T4 turbo with ceramic ball bearings

  • Stage 3 Engine including:

    JE Forged 8.0:1 .040 over pistons

    Total-Seal Piston Rings

    Clevite 77 rod and main bearings

    Balance Shaft Eliminator kit with timing component kit

    High Volume Oil Pump

    Non-Jet Valve Bare Head Casting

    TEP camshaft upgrade with H/D valve spring set

    ARP Head stud kit

    New water pump

    Ported and enlarged throttle body

  • Mandrel-bent 2.5" exhaust with Walker UltraFlow muffler - sounds mean

  • 2.25" Over The Valve Cover pipe with HKS Racing Bypass Valve

  • Reprogrammed ECU

  • Halmeter AF/30 Air Fuel Ratio Monitor

  • Two Auxiliary Fuel Injectors with Haltech AIC Computer - these injectors supply more fuel under boost - a necessity because of the tremendous volume of air the T3/T4 turbo provides.

  • HKS Electronic Valve Control  to control boost

  • K&N Air filter and box modifications

  • Centerforce clutch

  • Lightened flywheel

  • 500 MegaJoule Quartz/Lithium laser system with HUD optical tracking for blasting slower cars out of the way (OK not really but this would have been the next upgrade - there's nothing left to do for the engine)

Power output?  Top End claims it will make 360 hp at 18 psi on pump gas.  I haven't dynoed it so I'm not sure.  But it pushes you into your seat if you want it to.

Other Features (for those who don't know everything about these cars)

  • Power windows

  • Power door locks

  • Automatic Climate Control

  • Built in security system

  • Leather

  • 5-speed

  • Stereo controls on wheels

  • Rear wheel drive

  • Anti-lock brakes

  • Limited slip differential

  • Cruise control

  • Split back seats fold down to provide surprising amount of cargo room

  • Lumbar and thigh adjustment on driver seat


Notice the metal tubing where stock engines have hoses.  This is because under full boost the engine sucks in so much air that it can collapse the stock hoses.  Also notice the blow-off valve to extend and protect turbo life.

Interior

Interior mods include a steering wheel and HVAC panel from an 89, upgraded speakers, Rockford Fosgate amp and Sony CD changer with remote. Also has a turbo gauge mounted on the A-pillar and an air/fuel meter on the dash.  The stereo needs some work.  Car comes with an extra stock radio that works perfectly, which I believe should make everything OK - but not sure.  Interior is a little worn, but no rips in the black leather.  Needs a little TLC.  Previous owner mounted the CD remote to the center console.  Right now, the remote is off so the console looks rough, but that's an easy fix.

How Does It Run?

The car kicks ass. Huge power.  Pulls very strong to red line.  It has an Electronic Valve Control, so you can control the amount of turbo boost.  It has three settings.  Mild is 8 lbs of boost. Other is 13 pounds of boost.  Third setting is variable - you dial it in.  So far, I've run it up to 15 lbs of boost and at that setting...HOLD ON.  Car rockets out of first gear before I can even look at RPM.  Second flies as well.  Perhaps most impressive, is that at 80 mph it still pulls hard when I nail it.  Once it's over about 2500 rpm, there is a strong, even power band, markedly better than my slightly modified quest.  You really notice the difference all these engine mods make.  Shifting is beautifully smooth and clutch is strong.  I wish I had the chance to drag race it at the track.

Only thing is it is a little rough at lower rpm.  I think this is due to the modified cam shaft and that it trades off a little low end smoothness for high end performance. This car absolutely growls when you get on it.

The Starion was sold on 2/8/01 

Notes on my personal obsession with StarQuests

This is the fourth StarQuest I have owned.   My first was a grey, non-intercooled '85.  Then a beautiful medium blue 87 Conquest.  In all the years I had it, and to this day, I have never seen another of this color.  It wasn't the electric blue, but a muted, gunmetal blue.

Two 87 Conquests  
Two 87 Quests.  

Gold 1987 Conquest TSI is SOLD

I recently sold a Gold '87 5-speed Conquest on which I've had an exhaust upgrade to 2.5" all the way back, manual turbo boost control, and nice stereo. Other than a few chinks on the air dam, this one's in good shape with about 94k miles. Runs very strong and probably makes about 210 hp.   Interior is absolutely mint black leather. There are a couple of very small rust spots - it's early enough to take care of them easily. I've also never seen another gold one (and it isn't the champagne silverish color either) although I know there are a few out there. AC is cold.  Tires are excellent.  Stereo is a Kenwood CD, Kenwood amp powering Boston Acoustics Professional 5 inch and tweeters in doors, and 40-watt Bazooka Tube 10" subwoofer.  This is a nicely balanced stereo that won't win any volume wars, but has excellent sonic quality.  I spent $1,200 on it.

I guess the reason I love these cars so much is a combination of looks, performance and rarity.  You can drive all week long and never see another on the road.  The car constantly gets looks from people, usually wondering what kind of exotic car it is.  I love the rear wheel drive, too.   They aren't the cheapest cars to maintain, but they sure do look wicked.

Other Features (for those who don't know everything about these cars)

  • 2.6 liter turbo charged, fuel injected, intercooled engine

  • Power windows

  • Power door locks

  • Automatic Climate Control

  • Built in security system

  • Leather

  • 5-speed

  • Stereo controls on wheels

  • Rear wheel drive

  • Anti-lock brakes

  • Limited slip differential

  • Cruise control

  • Split back seats fold down to provide surprising amount of cargo room

  • Lumbar and thigh adjustment on driver seat

I am the second owner, both adults.  Bought car with 20,000 miles on it.

The air dam on the bottom has chips on both sides like this.

Leather seats are perfect with no rips or wear.

Kick panel has Boston Acoustics Pro series 5 1/4 driver.  Tweeter is mounted in door on both sides.

Kenwood CD player.  Note customized extra shelf for storing CDs.  Inside white circle is a power switch that turns on power to Kenwood 40 watt amp/side, stereo and subwoofer in back.

 

A Note about Selling these cars.

I sold both of these cars in February of 2001.  The interesting thing in selling the cars was that nearly everyone who emailed or called about them had already owned at least one, and many had owned 2, 3 or even 4 StarQuests.  It's clear there is a strong group of people, like myself, who are huge fans of this car and are interested in keeping the cars alive and well.  Personally, I have moved on to another Mitsubishi sports car, the 3000GT Spyder VR4, and so will most likely never own another StarQuest.  I wish my fellow StarQuest fans good luck with their cars and will always remember the fun I've had with these cars whenever I see one on the road.

Jeff

Link to the 3000GT Spyder Site

How to beat a speeding ticket.