Group A Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbo

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

From my notes and various Bathurst yearbooks it is possible piece a bit of history together on this car. Sampson did most of the 1985 ATCC series as well as Sandown and Bathurst - mayby also other late season races, as I have some gaps in my info. Sampson seems to have cut down on his ATCC programme for '86 eventually selling the car to Paul Trevethan before the endurance races, Trevethan running the '86 Sandown 500. Then I have a gap to the 1988 Winton ATCC round where Trevethan is still racing the car, but for Bathurst it's in the hands of Allan "Scotty" Taylor and Kevin Kennedy DNQing. Both will be back for 1989 with Taylor partnered by Roger Hurd and Kennedy acting as team manager. Then there's another gap in my history before Stephen Bell was making his 1992 Symmons Plains ATCC appearance. So it seems this car on and off saw action through the entire group A period in Australia and I believe this car is still active in historic racing.

Jesper

A friend of mine has recently purchased this car to compete in the Australian Historic Group A series.

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by Starion 1990

10 years already. When I say work, compared to what we have done in the past, it is a weekend job. Keep in touch.

On the subject of photos I spoke to John Gaisford today. He has taken some good shots in the past but everything is now digital. He was unwilling to search old negatives for hours for maybe nothing. All the other professional photographers will probably be the same.

Done anything with it yet? You could race it with us!!!!

[KA]

Something that hasn't come up much, if at all, is the Starion's career as a Group A rallycar.
The late Pentti Airikkala in the Safety Devices Starion on the Cartel Rally, 1988 British Open Championship
http://www.flickr.com/photos/howiend...ol-447556@N24/

[BILTEL]

That car and it's sister still exist. The original is in Wales the other in Luton. Pentti drove his old car a few years ago at Rallyday and an Autocar drift day at Brands.

[KA]

Originally Posted by BILTEL

That car and it's sister still exist. The original is in Wales the other in Luton. Pentti drove his old car a few years ago at Rallyday and an Autocar drift day at Brands.

Thanks- good to know it's still around.

Which was the sister car? I know Guy Colsoul used one in Belgium around the same time, but rally Starions aren't a great area of expertise for me....
http://www.rssp.eu/cgi-bin/dbedit/re...tarion%20Turbo

[Jesper OH]

I seem to remember "The Green Asian" as he was known (Japanese driver, but can't remember his name) brought Mitsubishi a rare WRC win at the Ivory Coast in around 1988 or 1989.

Jesper

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by KA

Thanks- good to know it's still around.

Which was the sister car? I know Guy Colsoul used one in Belgium around the same time, but rally Starions aren't a great area of expertise for me....
http://www.rssp.eu/cgi-bin/dbedit/re...tarion%20Turbo

That's the one in Luton. It's in a bit of a state, but being rebuilt. The Pentti car is in lovely condition.

[fangio]

Colin Blower ran the factory car in the UK in 1985/6, sponsored by BFGoodrich.
He also prepared the Dutch Mitsubishi Dealer Team car for me in 1986 in which I won the Dutch Touring Car Championship.
I remember doing a 500 km race at Brands with one of Colin's cars........

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

I seem to remember "The Green Asian" as he was known (Japanese driver, but can't remember his name) brought Mitsubishi a rare WRC win at the Ivory Coast in around 1988 or 1989.

Jesper

Might have been something like Kenjii Shionozuka or a similar sounding name?

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by fangio

Colin Blower ran the factory car in the UK in 1985/6, sponsored by BFGoodrich.
He also prepared the Dutch Mitsubishi Dealer Team car for me in 1986 in which I won the Dutch Touring Car Championship.
I remember doing a 500 km race at Brands with one of Colin's cars........

I got introduced to Colin Blower a few years ago, by a friend of mine, as Mr Starion. I was very embarrased, but he saw the funny side. Especially as our mutual friend was Barrie Williams.

I've got an old Ralliart video of the STP Group A car. I'll have a look and see what the names of the two Japanese drivers. Dave Brodie had a big hand in the Jap car back then. I see Dave Brodie quite regularly in passing, but have never got aound to having a conversation about Starions.

On a side note. A friend of mine has a Group B Lancer Turbo, Penttis 1000 lakes car. About 5 years ago I organised a photo shoot with that and the Pentti Starion for Retro Cars magazine. Both cars were on the cover, so if you fancy a read, EvilBay is waiting for you.

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Might have been something like Kenjii Shionozuka or a similar sounding name?

Kenjiro Shinozuka (spelling?) was his name, then! Think he was involved with the Ralliart rally raid programme during the 1990s.

Jesper

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Kenjiro Shinozuka (spelling?) was his name, then! Think he was involved with the Ralliart rally raid programme during the 1990s.

Jesper

Yes, that's the guy I was thinking of! I'm guessing he's the chap who you were thinking of in the rally Starion. I think he did one or two RAC's in the 80's and some other WRC events as well as the Asia-Pacific series, not too sure.

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by BILTEL

I got introduced to Colin Blower a few years ago, by a friend of mine, as Mr Starion. I was very embarrased, but he saw the funny side. Especially as our mutual friend was Barrie Williams.

I've got an old Ralliart video of the STP Group A car. I'll have a look and see what the names of the two Japanese drivers. Dave Brodie had a big hand in the Jap car back then. I see Dave Brodie quite regularly in passing, but have never got aound to having a conversation about Starions.

On a side note. A friend of mine has a Group B Lancer Turbo, Penttis 1000 lakes car. About 5 years ago I organised a photo shoot with that and the Pentti Starion for Retro Cars magazine. Both cars were on the cover, so if you fancy a read, EvilBay is waiting for you.

Just had a quick look at the old Ralliart Jap touring car video. The two drivers were Takahashi Kunimitsu and Nakaya Akihiko.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by BILTEL

Just had a quick look at the old Ralliart Jap touring car video. The two drivers were Takahashi Kunimitsu and Nakaya Akihiko.

Yes, both (you've got their christian and surnames the wrong way round )were regular Starion pedallers at the time in Japan and also did the ocassional overseas events like Macau and in the case of Nakaya; Bathurst!

[KA]

Starions on the hills as well- Ruedi Schmidlin, European Hillclimb Championship, St Ursanne, Switzerland, 1986:

http://www.euromontagna.com/photo.ph...1986-08-17-226

[racer69]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Yes, both (you've got their christian and surnames the wrong way round )were regular Starion pedallers at the time in Japan and also did the ocassional overseas events like Macau and in the case of Nakaya; Bathurst!

Here is Akihiko Nakaya in action at Bathurst in 1986, his first visit there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfFzkzia2rU

[ghinzani]

Originally Posted by BILTEL

Just had a quick look at the old Ralliart Jap touring car video. The two drivers were Takahashi Kunimitsu and Nakaya Akihiko.

I remember a classic Autosport headline in Sporting Scene once when Akihiko had won a race - Nakayas Yard!

well it made me larf!

[BILTEL]

I've got this on vhs!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...18479122578773#

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by BILTEL

I've got this on vhs!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...18479122578773#

Superb footage there. Is that 1987 and 1988?

[KA]

Something interesting I tripped over in an old Autosport recently-

From the Oct 10th 1985 issue-

'Colt Starion trio for the Far East'

'Mitsubishi Motors of Japan have announced that they will be entering three Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbos in rhe forthcoming Fuji and Macau Group A events in November.
Two of the three cars will be prepared by BBW Motorsport, entrants of Dave Brodie in the Trimoco series this year, and it is the Englishman who will lead the team in the Far East, partnered by experienced Japanese driver Kunimitsu Takahashi. Takahashi will get to know the car this weekend at Silverstone, where he will drive a second Starion alongside Brodie in the final round of the Trimoco series.
In the Far East, Brodie and Takahashi will be backed up by Australian Colt driver Kevin Bartlett and the 1984 Australian Group N champion Bradley Jones, while the crew for the third car has yet to be announced'


I knew Brodie had raced Starions at Fuji and Macau, but hadn't realised it had been with his regular BBW-prepared cars- I'd always assumed he'd simply driven for the local Mitsubishi factory team. Interesting that Mitsubishi in Japan should go to the effort of importing two cars from Europe for the Fuji and Macau races. When did Japan adopt Group A? (not until 1984/5 from memory?) Perhaps this was an opportunity to compare the European interpretation of a Group A Starion with the locally-developed cars, as BBW had been racing the car in Group A for a couple of years by then?

It also explains why Takahashi suddenly appeared in a second car for the last BTCC race- that one puzzled me a little, Brodie wasn't in contention for the championship, so it presumably wasn't an attempt to take points away from Rouse, and from the marketing angle, a second car at the European GP support at Brands the previous weekend would seem to have made more sense.

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by KA

Something interesting I tripped over in an old Autosport recently-

From the Oct 10th 1985 issue-

'Colt Starion trio for the Far East'

'Mitsubishi Motors of Japan have announced that they will be entering three Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbos in rhe forthcoming Fuji and Macau Group A events in November.
Two of the three cars will be prepared by BBW Motorsport, entrants of Dave Brodie in the Trimoco series this year, and it is the Englishman who will lead the team in the Far East, partnered by experienced Japanese driver Kunimitsu Takahashi. Takahashi will get to know the car this weekend at Silverstone, where he will drive a second Starion alongside Brodie in the final round of the Trimoco series.
In the Far East, Brodie and Takahashi will be backed up by Australian Colt driver Kevin Bartlett and the 1984 Australian Group N champion Bradley Jones, while the crew for the third car has yet to be announced'


I knew Brodie had raced Starions at Fuji and Macau, but hadn't realised it had been with his regular BBW-prepared cars- I'd always assumed he'd simply driven for the local Mitsubishi factory team. Interesting that Mitsubishi in Japan should go to the effort of importing two cars from Europe for the Fuji and Macau races. When did Japan adopt Group A? (not until 1984/5 from memory?) Perhaps this was an opportunity to compare the European interpretation of a Group A Starion with the locally-developed cars, as BBW had been racing the car in Group A for a couple of years by then?

It also explains why Takahashi suddenly appeared in a second car for the last BTCC race- that one puzzled me a little, Brodie wasn't in contention for the championship, so it presumably wasn't an attempt to take points away from Rouse, and from the marketing angle, a second car at the European GP support at Brands the previous weekend would seem to have made more sense.

Nice find. I knew that Brodie was heavily involved in the cars, He had the magnesium wheels made with the diamond pattern. They were on the first round in the video, but gone soon after. A friend of mine works with one of the former members of the team and he said that the wheels were breaking up, hence the change. He said a few other things about Group A Starions and the rules, but I can't go in to that.

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Superb footage there. Is that 1987 and 1988?

Not sure. I took it for granted that it was 1987. No notes with the vhs I have either. I was tempted to copy the colour scheme on my race car.

[Al Weyman]

He said a few other things about Group A Starions and the rules, but I can't go in to that.

Oh go on pray tell, I love it when I hear of one of the greats getting there by other means rather than skill.

[BILTEL]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Oh go on pray tell, I love it when I hear of one of the greats getting there by other means rather than skill.

No can do. I have to walk past the man, most weeks in Tescos and he did a great talk at our Silverstone dinner dance last year. I also want to pluck up the courage to see what he thinks of my car.


By the way, are you going to sort that Mallory vid for me? I want to see how I did.

[Al Weyman]

I am only kidding but wish I had a quid for every dodgy mod I have ever heard of on the winniest drivers especially in one makes which I hate with a passion, I almost think I would rather watch football!!! Did you know he races with us now and then Tel?