myth buster
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
1 The japanese couldn’t pronounce ‘stallion’
There is no evidence that the name of this turbocharged twoseater came about as a result of a mispronunciation. All kinds of tales are bandied about hinting at mishearings and confusion, but it is a fact that the name comes from a construct of ‘Star of Orion’ to create the model name. Back in 1982 when the Starion took its bow, Ford had already swiped ‘Orion’, and three diamonds arranged in star formation was Mitsubishi’s emblem.
2 Spelling mistakes determined the car’s name
Wrong. Not only is it very unlikely a whole company didn’t spot the mistake, but Mitsubishi worked in close quarters with the Chrysler Corporation, where someone would certainly have picked up such a mistake well before the car’s silver-on-black plastic badges started to be punched out (in the USA, the Japanese-built car was also sold as the Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth Conquest).
3 The starion is forgettable
Well, it shouldn’t be really, because it was quite a machine for its day. The 2.0-litre turbo engine allowed 133mph and 0-60mph in 6.9sec, put out through the rear wheels, and all wrapped up in a chiselled ‘80s metal wedge. Later there was a 2.6-litre (although still four-cylinder) model with fuel injection, catalytic converter and racy ‘wide body’ wing blisters. And, for innovation geeks, the car had the novelty of its seatbelts mounted on its doors. The last was produced in 1989.