Why Mitsubishi will always be part of our lives
If one car brand had such a significant influence on our lives, it must be Mitsubishi. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Mitsubishi fanboy. My first car in college was a used 1979 Toyota Corolla SR. After having enough seat time to learn the ropes of independent driving, my wonderful parents decided to buy me a 1992 Honda Civic hatchback. I’ve raced Hondas on the track. I even worked in the marketing departments of Nissan and Mazda Philippines.
But my life, like most of you, has been influenced by Mitsubishi in one way or another. I had an ex-girlfriend in college whose family was into Mitsubishis. They had the Lancer GTi of the early-90s, complete with the sporty body kits. You were in during the early ‘90s if you had a brand-new car.
I also had a teammate during my circuit racing days who drove a mid-90s Lancer, the one with the EVO II look. Indeed, most of my interactions with the Lancer were on the Subic race track. In fact, my first piggyback ride around the Subic International Raceway was with legendary racer Mike Potenciano in one of MP Turbo’s BF Goodrich Production Class Lancers.
Along with the roll cage bolted onto the car, the MP Turbo Lancer had a passenger seat, odd enough, but no passenger side seatbelt. So, go figure out how I was able to hang on as Mike floored it through the infield section of the original SIR layout.
Then there was this one time I had to rush to Subic at night because of a Sampaguita rally coverage, driving a Mitsubishi L300 FB. That was an unforgettable experience for me since I was more used to sitting low in a sedan, comfy with all the creature comforts within my reach.
This particular L300 FB I drove had seen better days, that’s for sure. But it was a hoot to drive. Sitting upright, the shifter not where it usually is in a car, a handbrake I had to pull from underneath the dashboard, it was all a different experience as I put myself in the shoes of utility van drivers who made the L300 the immortal MPV it is.
But one model does stand out for me regarding the Mitsubishi brand, the Lancer Box Type.
Anyone who grew up in the 1980s would have encountered one or, at least, experienced riding or driving one. Our family was fortunate enough to acquire one secondhand from an uncle. And it became our family car for most of my high school years.
My dad would bring me to school with it. He would take us out on Sunday drives in it. We would head to SM North EDSA to watch the last full show of movies with it. Our Lancer Box Type was not only a family car but also a driving learner’s car for me. That Box Type was the first car I piloted on a long drive outside Metro Manila.
I had a high school student convention to attend in Magalang, Pampanga, and my dad had enough courage and confidence in me to let me take the wheel of the car and drive from Quezon City to the convention site.
I was nervous then since I’d never driven that far. But my parents joined me in that drive to show their trust and confidence in my skills. This was before the invention of PlayStation, Gran Turismo, or other sim-driving games. So, everything I knew as a driver was based on actual driving experience.
Our Lancer Box Type was easy to drive. With its large windows, I could see the road and my surroundings well. It had decent power to sustain highway speeds. And it had that springy seat feel that was the standard of mass car comfort at that time.
While many of my friends in the car circles have gone through Lancer Evolution generations, Galants VR4s, Pajeros, and Monteros over the decades, I still consider myself fortunate to have had that time with the Box Type. It was an experience to cherish because of the quality time I spent with my dad and because it kept us safe the whole time we were driving it.
In the last 60 years, Mitsubishi has been there for us as we learned how to walk, drive, and live.
And for those who grew up during the tumultuous times of the ‘80s, it was one of the luxuries a middle-class family could afford back then.
And this is why Mitsubishi has continued to play an essential role in the Philippine motoring psyche. It was there during most of the key moments of our lives. It was thriving as other brands felt the need to put profit above anything else. Mitsubishi believed in the Filipino, in the same way we believed and continue to believe in the brand and its products to this day.
As the brand celebrates its six decades in the country with its 60th Anniversary Expo from August 10 to 13, wouldn’t it be nice to relive those special moments of our lives?
The Mitsubishi Expo will have a heritage display of some of the most popular Mitsubishi models that have ever landed in the country. More importantly, the brand will showcase what’s in store for us with two concept cars on display.
So, if your life has ever crossed paths with a Mitsubishi model, you should visit the 60th Anniversary Expo at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. It’s always fulfilling to look back to past memories, but it’s also satisfying to see where the brand is headed for the future.
