http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/conquest http://jalopnik.com/tag/conquest

I've been wanting to do a Stupid Murilee Junkyard Project™ with a Dodge Conquest TURBO seat belt for quite some time, and now I've found a junked Conquest! Combine the TURBO belt with a Cadillac Cimarron seat emblem and… win! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5503347&view=rss&microfeed=true

What came after the Malaise Era? The Turbo Era, of course! In 1986, when your car had a turbocharger under the hood, you wanted the world to know it. This was the philosophy behind the Starion/Conquest. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5503341&view=rss&microfeed=true

You have no idea, dear readers, how long I hunted- perhaps stalked is the more accurate term- this Mitsubishi. Starions are very rare these days, I wanted to shoot one in Alameda for this series, and here was this primered-out specimen living just a few blocks from my house (on the same block, in fact, as the '87 Corolla FX16 GT-S). Unfortunately, its owner clearly uses it as a daily driver, and his work hours seem to coincide exactly with the daylight hours. All fall and winter I waited, and with the onset of the longer days of spring I was finally able to catch this Starion, parked and with photography-friendly lighting (if only I could have the same success with that '76 Olds Starfire that keeps evading my camera). More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=373731&view=rss&microfeed=true

I know it's been a while since our last Choose Your Eternity matchup (in which, incidentally, the Hayubasa-powered Honda 600 just barely edged out the Duramax-powered '47 Ford, for which I apologize; the cruel overlords at the salt mine my tech-writing job shipped me out to New York for a 4-day weekend of PowerPoint presentations. Aaah, PowerPoint, the magical tool that makes time slow to a crawl! To unwind, we were treated to free booze each night at corporate-sponsored parties, including one with an "Eighties Prom" theme. And, as I fought my way to the bar to get another French 75 (F. Scott Fitzgerald's drink of choice while in Paris), contemplating the spectacle of a bunch of 24-year-old software geeks shakin' it to the usual Billy Idol tunes (how come 80s parties never have good 80s dance music, like George Clinton or Grandmaster Flash? And, yes, I know the answer: MTV), I tried to recall how the rear-wheel-drive Japanese factory hot rods of the era appeared to those of us who cared about cars at the time. And, of course, that was the inspiration for today's pair of PCH choices... More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=344660&view=rss&microfeed=true

Every now and again we have to revisit the reasons sinking endless hours and buckets of coinstar trappings into our rides somehow worth the effort. Last week we motored down to Torrance from Montrose in the mighty Starion for some wrenching, a late cobb salad down at the Hof's Hut, and to pick up a turbo heat shield bracket that had snapped after twenty years of heat cycling. Kelly was prepping Mario's car for the trip to sin city, and Mark came over to suggest propane turbo engine swaps for the Starlet. After some more wrenching on our own Starion we're off to SEMA today. If you see a mushroom cloud on your way out to Las Vegas don't worry. The nuclear test ban treaty is still in effect. The Star of Astron has merely gone supernova, and I'll need a ride. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=316069&view=rss&microfeed=true Rolling in an import was easier than ever in the during the eighties thanks to your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. A Dodge Colt would have been the more economical choice, with the D-50 pickup winning in utility. We're not quite sure if the Colt Vista mini space wagon would have swept the durability contest, but we do still see them on the road. A new Chrysler Conquest TSI listed for 18,683 in 1988. The 1000 bucks cash back would have left plenty of scratch for Slayer World Sacrifice tour tickets and t-shirts, or a few shares of Mitsubishi stock. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=289377&view=rss&microfeed=true Not so long ago we rolled down to the KDM Starion Bar-B-Que for some Carne Asada and turbo goodness. While we snapped stills, mini DV cameras spun to capture the event. One Mitchell Spacone spent hours and a toasted motherboard getting this together, splicing in some stills courtesy of the Jalopnik in the process. The 523 539 horsepower king of the turbo and motherboard frying StarQuests is featured with motion and realistic hi-fi sound! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=287006&view=rss&microfeed=true

The third annual gathering of Mitsubishis and the people that drive them will take place tomorrow, July 14th at MMUSA HQ in Cypress, California. Rumor has it that a genuine Group A Starion will be among the machines rolled out from the museum to celebrate triple-diamond racing heritage. As much as we would have liked to put our Starion back together for the show, we'll have to settle for bringing the camera instead. [Mitsubishi Owner's Day via Mitsubishi] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=278230&view=rss&microfeed=true

The coolest thing about owning any automobile is almost instant membership in the club of the car. The less ubiquitous the machine, the more esoteric the club. In the case of the Mitsubishi Starion, aka Chrysler Conquest, a membership of peers is required just to keep the twentysomething year old StarQuests rolling. That same community is also there when it comes time to squeeze more horsepower than the factory ever intended out of the 2.6L Mitsubishi mill, or chow down on some tasty BBQ. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=269523&view=rss&microfeed=true Okay, here's another rad vid with an unfortunate soundtrack. There are no good engine sounds, so unless you're a fan of generic nü-metal, pick a rollicking tune of your choice that clocks in around four minutes, cue it up and mash play on this vid and the genuine rock article at the same time. You may just achieve potential nirvana. – Davey G. Johnson More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=264330&view=rss&microfeed=true

Although the "Conquest" version of Renault's little Sc nic MPV was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, we're just getting our first chance to take a gawk at this little people mover. It's what Renault's calling a "car designed with leisure pursuits and the great outdoors in mind. Its bold styling resembles that of an off-roader." The key word there is "resembles" because although it's got a greater ground clearance and suspension than the standard Sc nic, those aluminum alloy wheels give away the reality of this made-for-street people seater. Full press release on availability and pricing after the jump. – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=257392&view=rss&microfeed=true

Uttering the phrase half price anywhere near the word junkyard sends a couple of the Jalops driving with toolbox toward the self-service junkyard like so many moths to a streetlight on a summer night. One of the larger self-service yards in California had a statewide half price sale a while back and we were there in NoCal and SoCal. Bumbeck headed down out of the hills into hot and dusty Sun Valley while Martin ventured out onto the mean streets of Hayward from Alameda. Out of the thousands of cars being picked apart we've chosen ten that qualify to enter into the pantheon of Jalopnik half-price day junkyard specials. Our selections in blazing full color after the jump. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=246945&view=rss&microfeed=true

Occasionally, while meandering the byways of the interwebotubes, you find something rare and beautiful that makes you rethink an entire marque. Prior to this find, my perception of Britain's' oldest carmaker, Daimler (unlike at DCX, where the pronunciation of Chrysler is silent, here it's nonexistent) and its products consisted of handsome and stately limousines and barely badge-engineered Jaguars. This piece of hotness sheds a whole lot of light on the company. Sports cars? Why yes, two in fact. Luxury convertibles? They've got 'em by the bushel. In fact, follow the link and you'll see all sorts of not-limousines (though the DS420 will always be the Daimler for me). Just look at those handsome lines, that stately grill so ripped off on modern Vanden Plas Jags, those sporty hood scoops, and oh my what fins it has. A grand total of 65 were ever produced and I've never seen one in person, so that must mean it's rare. – Ben Wojdyla More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=225591&view=rss&microfeed=true

While in Detroit half-trying to locate the Ham Center we found instead the Chrysler Import Center. This well lit sign reminds us to not forget about Chrysler's long-term relationship with formerly beloved Mitsibishi. Right after this memory was served we found Miller's, and were served cheeseburgers. Another reminder is the that the Chrysler Conquest was in realty a rebadged Mitsubishi Starion. Not sold at your local Chrysler dealer since 1989.– Mike Bumbeck More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=227451&view=rss&microfeed=true

Oh crap...Bumbeck just shot this one over, and might we say that it's a doozy? Somebody yanked the motor out of a Dodge Conquest and dropped it in a '74 Corolla, added hood pins and mags, and well, voila, sans culottes, this shit is simply the business. Go forth and bid. And then take us for a ride. – Davey G. Johnson More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=213519&view=rss&microfeed=true There are few things we love more than Mitsubishi Starions and the Stooges. One comes from Japan. The others come from Michigan (except, of course, for Watt, who reps Pedro harder than anyone else). Together, we suppose, if they decided to rock it Voltron-style, with Iggy forming the head, they would become the Chrysler Conquest. Nevertheless, James Williamson's guitar tone in "Search and Destroy" is one of the most godly forms of sound ever conceived, and the perfect score to watching some dude in a widebody Starion hoon it around a parking lot. Pure bliss. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=194693&view=rss&microfeed=true

We want to see your skills of an artist. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=185635&view=rss&microfeed=true We love the Mighty Starion, and are actively campaigning to have Mitsu save their endangered US hides by bringing the marque back to these shores. And may we remind you why the Starion was so badass by posting this 1982 JDM ad for the Junichiro-to-the-Conquest's-Hank Hill, featuring the car with fender-mount mirrors, an animated woman with a blue-laser finger, and all manner of rudimentary special effects accompanied by random captions? We can't truly explain why, but this totally kicks the crap out of the "Never Before" Corvette ad. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=183223&view=rss&microfeed=true

Too late for yesterday's blockbuster Maximum StarQuest Day bonanza, Bumbeck tipped us off to an example of one of the rarest of the Starion/Conquest breed: the vaunted Gullwing! Originally conceived for a Japanese cop show nobody seems to know anything about called simply, Gorilla, Mitsu created four of the cars back in '88; a fifth was built by the vehicle's owner with parts ordered from the factory. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=144404&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sadly, we've come to the end of Jalopnik's Maximum StarQuest Day. However, we thought since the whole thing started with DannyBoy's comment that Starions are hoon cars, we thought we'd illustrate that Conquests can also be used for hoonage in this case, aerial stunting action. This doesn't quite qualify as "Hoon of the Day" material, but a flying StarQuest is better than no StarQuest at all, no? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=144378&view=rss&microfeed=true

Maximum StarQuest Day keeps on a-rollin' here at Jalopnik with a photo of Bumbeck's prize-winning Starion and a brief history of the StarQuest Twins, parsed from a fairly extensive article on Wikipedia a site where we spend entirely too much time. It's where we learned Thora Birch's mom is a porn star, after all. Conceived by the Minds at Mitsu and launched in 1982, it was followed by the variously Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth Conquest (what is it with Mopar's obsession with shunting nameplates between marques, anyway?) in 1983. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=144369&view=rss&microfeed=true

So, carrying on with Jalopnik's Maximum StarQuest Day, we found this '88 Chrysler Conquest over at CarDomain. A fella named Romeo breaks down the slightly-over-10k he dumped into the machine. Mods include a C02 intercooler sprayer, forged pistons, hardened rods and iridium plugs. One thing not on the doomed romantic's itemized list, however, are the flamed floormats. How much did those set him back? And why, oh why, did he ruin a perfectly good Conquest with them? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=144357&view=rss&microfeed=true

Okay, we're declaring Maximum StarQuest Day on Jalopnik. We'd pretty much forgotten about the old Mitsubishi Starion and its Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Conquest twin until The Rock Candy Man of La Montrose, Bumbeck, picked up a clean example a year ago. Since then, we've developed a fondness for the ol' Battlecar Galactica, and while we were tailgating at the D1GP last weekend, a number of young kids came by and said, "Wow, nice car!" And they knew exactly what it was. So in what was an initial atttempt to dispel DannyBoy's notion that Starions are only piloted by hoons and NorCal weirdos, we started reading around and got sidetracked by this bit on Snopes about whether "Starion" is actually a Japanese corruption of "Stallion," or, as the company claims, a portmanteau of "Star of Orion." More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=144351&view=rss&microfeed=true