The Mitsubishi 3000GT has never quite achieved the same renown as its 1990s Japanese peers. Still, between its looks, cutting-edge technology, and starring role in early Gran Turismo games, it wormed its way into the hearts of many. Regardless of why it occupies yours, you’ll be glad to see the 3000GT’s potential realized with this radical, supercharged build that pays tribute to a Gran Turismo icon.
The 3000GT (or GTO, or Dodge Stealth) was Mitsubishi’s answer to the likes of the Toyota Supra and Nissan Skyline GT-R. Combining a twin-turbo V6 with all-wheel drive, adaptive suspension, four-wheel steering, and active aero, it could pass on paper for a modern supercar. But it was a bit too ambitious, because the top-of-the-line 3000GT VR-4 was heavy and complex, and according to owners I’ve talked to, it didn’t have the greatest front suspension. These setbacks both limited its performance and made it tricky to maintain, so there aren’t many people left who are willing to keep these needy machines on the road. Or for that matter, modify—much less to the extreme that Roger Haalands of Norway is, whose creation was brought to our attention by GTPlanet.
The 39-year-old told me of how the 3000GT won him over in Gran Turismo and its sequel, which featured a fictional, Le Mans-ready take on Mitsubishi‘s halo car. The GTO LM Edition (as it was called) was seriously lightened, heightened to more than 600 horsepower, and given downforce to rival a GT1 car of the time. As Haalands put it, “it’s a life goal.”
“I loved it so much. It was so fast. But [it] never really existed,” Haalands told me. “So I had to build it—my version of it.”
As a Gatebil guy and the builder of a 1,000-hp twin-engined Toyota Starlet, Haaland’s version is authentically batshit. Starting with a 1994 VR-4, Haalands stripped out its overcomplicated tech, doing away with its twin turbos, fancy suspension, four-wheel steering, and active aero. (In a sense, he recreated the simplified MR model.)
Gone is the interior and the entire rear of the unibody, replaced by a roll cage and a tubular rear frame. It now features four-corner Tein suspension, a handmade body, and enormous fixed aero that looks ready for Pikes Peak. All in all, Haalands thinks he can cut a whole fifth of the 3000GT’s weight, reaching a race-ready weight of under 3,000 pounds. But that doesn’t mean the complication is going away—it’ll just be a bit different.
While the engine may do without its turbos, it’ll still be boosted. Haalands plans to install a centrifugal supercharger driven by a second engine that he’ll install where the passenger seat was—a small 1.3-liter from a Mitsubishi Colt. It’ll not just balance the car’s weight distribution, but also run accessories like the alternator to save power for the wheels. The target? 600 horsepower to match the in-game car, though 1,000 hp is also on the horizon.
Haalands aims to have the car done about a year from now, with his goal being to take this marvelous Mitsubishi to hill climbs and time attack events. One day, he hopes to bring it to the Goodwood Festival of Speed too, where it’s hard not to see this 3000GT giving the very fastest cars there a run for their money.
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