Is Mitsubishi Bringing Back The 3000GT?

In our opinion, the Mitsubishi 3000GT (also known as the GTO in some markets) is one of the unsung heroes of 1990s Japanese performance motoring.

Due to its GT nature (read our article here on what GT means in cars – the 3000GT was never built to be a track monster) it was often overshadowed by the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7 and Nissan Skyline GT-R. It also wasn’t a particularly affordable car when new, as our guide to what the 3000GT cost new shows.

However, the 3000GT was a superb car in its own right across both generations, offering a brilliant blend of speed (even featuring in our guide to the fastest Japanese cars), comfort and handling prowess.

In many respects, the 3000GT was the closest Japan ever came to producing a “Ferrari fighter” that was not so compromised in terms of practicality (the Honda NSX is the bona fide supercar, but the 3000GT has a good claim as well).

In one motoring publication (can’t remember which unfortunately) the author spoke of the 3000GT as a “Japanese computer programmer’s interpretation of what a Ferrari should be” – that has always stuck with us.

As we all know, the 3000GT was discontinued over 20 years ago, with production ending in 2000.

For the last 21 years, motoring enthusiasts have been wondering “is Mitsubishi bringing back the 3000GT”?

Mitsubishi Have Stopped All Sports Car Production

In our view, it is unlikely that Mitsubishi brings the 3000GT back (or any “new” version e.g. 4000GT).

This is because Mitsubishi have made it clear on a number of occasions that they have exited the sports/performance car business for good.

As we covered in our article on why Mitsubishi killed off the Evo, they have been unequivocally clear for some time that they do not see a future for the brand in the design and manufacture of performance cars.

Instead, their future is in designing and building economical crossovers, particularly hybrids and EVs.

4000GT Concept

Back in June 2020, Matthew Parsons (an automotive designer) posted on Behance his unofficial concept for a “4000GT”  that took design cues from the original 3000GT but was very clearly a modern design – you can view the full concept here.

The Internet is awash with unofficial concepts, but we do think this one looks superb and goes to show how Mitsubishi could – if they wanted – create a modern design that still harks back to the original 3000GT.

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive … now we just need Mitsubishi to get off their backsides and make it!

Conclusion – Is Mitsubishi Bringing Back The 3000GT/GTO?

At the moment there are no plans for Mitsubishi to bring back the 3000GT. There does not appear to be any new 3000GT on the horizon.

Mitsubishi themselves have made it very clear that they see their future in the development and production of economical, practical crossovers with hybrid/electric powertrains (how exciting). It is for this reason that Mitsubishi also killed off the Evo, and have no plans to resurrect the Evo either.

Some have argued that because Mitsubishi is now one-third owned by Nissan, there is the potential for Mitsubishi to use Nissan running gear (namely the engine that will feature in the upcoming 400z) in a resurrected 3000GT/GTO.

We think this seems unlikely as Nissan are not going to want their gear used in a vehicle that might usurp sales from the 400Z, but as with all things you can “never say never”.

Therefore, if you want a car with 3000GT/GTO on the badge, you had best get your hands on a used 3000GT/GTO as there probably won’t ever be any new ones.

Go here to read our Mitsubishi 3000GT buyer’s guide for more information on how to score yourself a great example of this legendary Japanese classic.

Do you think that Mitsubishi will ever bring back the 3000GT? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.