Is The Mitsubishi FTO Rare?

The Mitsubishi FTO is one of the ‘best kept secrets’ of Japan’s Golden Era of performance motoring – the 1990s/early 2000s.

In the age of Gran Turismo 1 and 2, just about every Japanese manufacturer had multiple options with regards to performance cars.

Mitsubishi was no exception, selling such great cars as the Lancer Evolution (read our buyer’s guide here), the 3000GT/GTO, and even the Galant/Legnum VR-4 which was sold primarily on the Japanese Domestic Market. You can learn more here about what JDM means if you’d like some clarification on the topic.

These days, Mitsubishi doesn’t make a single performance car and instead focuses on economical SUVs and hatchbacks.

How the mighty have fallen!

But in the 1990s, Mitsubishi did have a genuinely fantastic lineup, including the FTO.

While the FTO always played “little brother” to the 3000GT (or GTO as it was known in non- American markets) there FTO had a lot going for it.

A blend of sharp styling, good handling and powerful engines in higher trim cars still make a well-sorted FTO a good driving experience in 2022.

Back in the day, it was so good that the car even won the coveted Japanese Car of the Year award.

So, what if you want to get your hands on one of these “modern classics”? Is the Mitsubishi FTO rare – or can you still find decent examples?

In this edition of Car Facts we are going to explore the rarity of the Mitsubishi FTO.

How Many FTOs Were Made?

From 1994-2000, around 36,500 FTOs were made in different trims (36,471 according to data on https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/835984)

More than 50% of FTOs – ~20,000 cars – were built in the first year of production, tapering off massively over time.

With less than 40,000 units ever built, the FTO was hardly the most common car on the roads at the best of time.

However, if you’ve read our Mitsubishi FTO buyer’s guide, then you’ll know that despite originally being produced only for the Japanese Domestic Market, many FTOs found their way into markets like the UK and New Zealand as unofficial used imports.

How Many FTOs Are Left?

This is a lot harder to measure.

However, we can do a bit of calculation to try and get a gauge of how many FTOs are left.

According to a few sources, around 20,000 FTOs were imported into the UK at various stages. Let’s call it a flat 20,000.

According to Car Log Book UK, there are only 364 FTOs left on the road.

As a percentage, this means that around 1.82% of all FTOs imported to the UK are still on the road.

Now it’s worth bearing in mind that rust is the number one killer of FTOs (like many Japanese cars) and in markets like Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Japanese domestic market, rust isn’t such an issue.

Therefore, let’s adjust the “survivor percentage” figure up to 5%, to be charitable.

Assuming that 5% of the total FTO fleet is still on the road, that means around 1800 FTOs still exist in the wild.

Even if 10% were still on the road (almost 30 years after the first car rolled off the production line) that would still only be 3650 cars in roadworthy condition.

With that in mind, it’s fair to say that in 2022 the Mitsubishi FTO is a rare car, and will only become rarer.

Why Are So Few Left?

You might be sitting there wondering how a car that was so well-received in its heyday, and which has so much going for it, has come to exist in such small numbers, relative to its production volumes.

Surely people would have clung to these classics-in-waiting, deserving of preservation, right?

Unfortunately, there was a period of time where the FTO got very cheap.

When I was learning to drive in the mid 2000s, here in New Zealand you could pick up a low spec FTO in decent condition for $2000-3000.

They became cheap cars – even the more desirable GPX models got to a tantalizingly low price at one point – and so many were picked up by “everyday” motorists who needed a cheap second car, or simply couldn’t afford anything else, or by first car owners who went on to abuse and improperly maintain their FTO.

To this day, if you see an FTO in New Zealand it is usually a clapped-out, Star Trek mileage example with the basic engine, tiptronic gearbox and a space-saver spare permanently attached.

The natural progression of age & mileage, in conjunction with just how cheap FTOs got when they were “unloved” and before JDM prices started climbing, means that few are left on the road now.

And the worst bit? Anyone with a good one (especially a desirable spec model) knows what they’ve got and will therefore ask a higher price.

Conclusion – Is The Mitsubishi FTO Rare?

Yes, it is in 2022.

Considering that less than 40,000 cars were ever built, the FTO wasn’t a particularly common car in its day.

However, there is now an ever-shrinking pool of survivor cars left, meaning it’s fair to call the FTO a rare car.

Anecdotally, we used to see plenty of FTOs here in New Zealand. However, I cannot remember the last time I saw one (even the 3000GT/GTO is a more common sight) and if you do see one here it is generally in appalling condition and looking fit for the scrap heap.

A true shame, when you consider that the FTO was considered an impressive car in its time – and in the right spec/trim is still a good vehicle today. In fact, a good GPX FTO is still a worthy competitor to the Honda Integra Type R DC2.

If you get the chance to save one of these rare beasts, then you should consider doing so. Make sure you read our FTO buyer’s guide and model history here for more information on the FTO.