By Antti Kautonen
The 1989 HSR-II is one of six Mitsubishi’s Highly Sophisticated Transport Research concept cars, and my favorite of those. It’s a wild, elongated aerodynamic shape, and it even has a double bubble roof.
These promo shots depict the car in the desert, and they have an otherworldly quality about them.
The HSR-II, like the side script says, has the 6G72 V6 from the then-upcoming 3000GT/GTO. It also has movable fins and aerodynamic aids, and a rear view camera.
It seriously looks insanely good, too. But my favorite part is the wacky super-futuristic interior.
The drag coefficient of the car could be varied from 0.20 to 0.40 depending on setup.
[Images: Mitsubishi]
Bradley Brownell
Reminds me of the Corvette Indy, Oldsmobile Aero and Corvette CERV-III
And a little bit of the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor better known as the Wraith…
I love the HSR concepts, the world lost something when Mitsubishi stopped doing them.
Pontiac's Firebird/Trans Am pair had their screaming chicken hood decals; Pontiac's Fiero had its Pegasus; Mitsubishi had its – Nazca Lines Bird?
There's more than a little bit of fanciful Cyber Formula in those design touches and active aero; I love it.
I wish they still cared that much.
I see some of these lines in that first image:
<img src="http://expensiveautomobile.com/images/2001-acura-nsx-t-large-11.jpg" width="600">
This is one of those things that makes you think, what the hell is Mitsubishi doing right now.
It's interesting to see the movable flaps in the back. Pagani uses a similar system in the Huayra. Not as original as it seems apparently.
And the huge display in the center console of the Tesla Model S shows up here too. I bet it works a lot better in the Tesla than it did in this Mitsubishi
It's like a drivable action figure! Too cool!