The Mitsubishi Lancer
1973
Mitsubishi Lancer History
Mitsubishi Lancer Design
The name 'Lancer' comes from the long, pointed lances used by soldiers in medieval Europe. The Lancer car's styling was intended to keep the car as sharp and aerodynamic as possible. A long 'aero' nose gave the car superior drag resistance. It had a ‘tumblehome’ (a narrowing of the body in the upper parts for greater stability) and a ‘turn under’ (a curvature towards the underside). It used a ‘monocoque’ body structure for strength.
The Lancer was powered by engines using Mitsubishi Clean Air technology. And it became the first car in 1973 to be certified by the US Environment Protection Agency as having a low-pollution engine.
The Lancer was designed to make even long drives comfortable. It had a tilt-adjust steering column, a 45L fuel tank, all-season ventilation, disc brakes and a vacuum servo (also known as a power booster or power brake) to assist the braking force applied by the driver.
Mitsubishi Lancer Rally Wins
Mitsubishi Lancer Legacy
The 1973 Lancer was just the start of a long story. Many models and innovations have followed. The Lancer Celeste was a coupé launched in 1975, followed by the Lancer EX in 1979. The name ‘EX’ came from ‘exceed’ as this car was developed to an "optimised size, optimised quality" concept.
It didn't end there. The Lancer family was just the start of a long list of cars displaying Mitsubishi’s trademark innovation. From the world-first Silent Shaft technology, to today’s pioneering new Outlander: the first car in series production from a major manufacturer whose architecture has been designed from the outset to accommodate either Internal Combustion Engines or Plug-in Hybrid Electric drivetrains. Lancer was a start of the journey, but we’ve never stopped moving forward.