What's not to like about a rear-drive machine with a big turbocharged Astron engine, Japanese build quality, and perhaps the most Eighties styling ever put into an automobile?


Depending on the model you got, the Starion's engine was good for 145 or 176 horsepower. That doesn't sound like a whole lot, but the heavier IROC Camaro of the same year managed only 215 horses out of an engine with more than twice the displacement.


This one is pretty rough (Starions tend to get hooned a bit) but it gets its owner to work every day, rain or shine. What more can you ask from a 21-year-old factory hot rod?

As we all know, it's pretty tough to find a Toyota that's really suitable for this series. They're just too reliable and the parts are too easy to find, so the Hell component is weaker than we like. Still, the mid-80s Toyota Corolla GT-S does qualify, and not just because you know that every single one has had the absolute crap beat out of it by generations of lead-footed hoons. The real reason the flames grow higher as soon as you pick up an AE86, however, is that every single component of every single car has been thoroughly molested by clueless 19-year-olds with a $19.95 set of sockets and dreams of being the Drift King of the parking lots of (insert name of suburban shopping mall here). The surprises will never stop coming, no matter how long you work on it! Such is the likely case with this '86 Corolla GT-S coupe (go here if the ad disappears), which can be had for only two grand in American dollars. The car runs, but it "has low compression in the third and fourth cylinders" (probable translation: lean condition during application of HELLA NOSSSSSS has added speed holes to pistons and/or repeated overheating has blown the head gasket). There's the telltale litany of buzzwords (JDM, HKS, carbon fiber) that indicate both hoonage and tons of drifto-centric mods applied by a series of 19-year-old owners dating back to the early 90s. But... if you could clean up the mess and add engine sap via properly-done modifications, you'd be doing the 80s right- "Loopzilla" instead of "White Wedding."

The AE86 is a pretty cool car, of course, but these days it's akin to what the '69 Camaro was to my generation: just about the only old car that every high-school kid can identify. What if you want a hot Eighties Japanese machine without having to listen to 16-year-olds tell you all about it? And you want a car that's already set up for turbocharging, because you have a (probably unfounded) belief that you'll thereby be able to stuff more boost into it? In that case, this 1988 Mitsubishi Starion (go here if the ad disappears) is the correct infernal choice for you! Actually, this car might be a Dodge Conquest, as the seller doesn't quite make the make 100% clear in the listing. What is clear, however, is that this Mitsu has had the hood and headlight panel painted "SUNBURST ORANGE, 07 CORVETTE/HHR OTHER KNOWN AS MANDARIN ORANGE METALIC IT WILL LOOK REALLY NICE ONCE FINISHED." The turquoise air dam is a nice touch, too. The car doesn't quite, you know, run at the moment, but when you "spray starter fluid into the intake it runs and idles really nice it might have a bad pump and relay or something." Yeah, a turbocharged Astron motor, with its funky injector setup- you have to figure the problem is just a relay. No sweat! Nervous Nellies might shy away from statements such as "it would be a waste to just let it go to crap with the rebuilt motor by previous guy," but everyone knows that engine rebuilds done by the "previous guy" are always up to manufacturers' specs. Don't worry about those minor details, though; you need to picture yourself behind the wheel of this Starion with a nice paint job and 450 turbocharged Astron ponies under the hood.

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When it comes to the West Coast the man to talk to about Starquests is Kelly. It was Kelly and the rest of the KDM Performance crew that pulled together with tuner Chris from DC Performance and organized this BBQ dyno pull bonanza. Starions and Conquests showed from all over the western regions for some Carne Asada, and a chance to post some dyno proven numbers. DC Performance usually deals in Mopars less removed than the StarQuest - Vipers and other V-10 powered machines are their specialty.

In stock form the Starion makes about 140-something to the wheels. What does it take to squeeze more juice from the SOHC 2.6L Mitsu? Fuel and air supplied courtesy of more boost. A little nitrous doesn't hurt either. Or at least it didn't this time around. With 18 PSI, a Mitsubishi Super 16G turbo, and a 100-shot of nitrous oxide Mark's StarQuest spun the rollers to 326 hp. All this using the stock two-injector throttle body injector system and a good measure of driveway ingenuity.

With an extra injector piped into the intake upstream from the stockers and some tuning, dyno-man Chris knocked out near 320 hp without use of the bottle. Adding in a fourth injector and a modified intake from an Aussie 2.6L variant was Ivan. This multipoint injection along with a turbo the size of a watermelon helped Ivan's yellow screamer kick out 523 horsepower on the dyno. At the end of the day Ivan was king, and got to eat the part of the cake that said "500" on it.

KDM plans to throw another one of these SoCal StarQuest deals next year with a added bonus. Along with plenty of grub, prizes, and general good times, the crew announced that next year's shindig will feature a 88-89 Starion as a giveaway! Right after the announcement and within relative earshot of the crowd Mark also added "with rod knock!" - complete with accompanying sound effects. While that last part was good humor, it could pay off to come to the 2008 KDM BBQ. – Mike Bumbeck

KDM Performance; DC Performance [External]

Related:
More Starion Madness [Internal]

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

Related:
TURBO SPECIALTY GUITAR, Starion! [Internal]

Renault Sc nic Conquest: they call it the wanderer...

On display for the first time at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, Renault Sc nic Conquest is a car designed with leisure pursuits and the great outdoors in mind. Its bold styling resembles that of an off-roader. Its chassis has been adapted to suit a wide range of conditions - it has greater ground clearance than a standard Sc nic and the suspension has been strengthened. Sc nic Conquest is available with two powerplants, the 2.0 16V 135hp petrol engine and 1.9 dCi 130hp diesel (available with and without particulate filter). It features a high level of standard equipment, including rear parking proximity sensors, alloy wheels, ESP and longitudinal roof bars. Built in Renault's Douai factory, Renault Sc nic Conquest goes on sale in June 2007, priced from 24,550 to 27,200. The orderbook will be open throughout the Renault dealer network in May
11th.

Adventurous looks

You couldn't mistake Renault Sc nic Conquest for any other member of the Sc nic range. At first glance, the extra ground clearance - raised by 20mm - is a clue to the car's purpose. At the front, the lower part of the bumper has a protective black graphite coating while the radiator grille and air intake have been revised and a satin chrome-finish skidplate shields the engine. The headlights are distinguished by their dark lens covers. Renault Sc nic Conquest's profile also reveals its fondness for off-road adventure: chunky rubbing strips protect the side bodywork, the wheel arch inners are coated in black graphite and it has robust door sill guards. Finished in chrome and black, the longitudinal roof bars are ideally suited to transporting outdoor leisure equipment. The aluminium alloy wheels add a touch of class and, at the rear, the black graphite bumper incorporates a satin chrome-coloured skidplate. There are ten different body colour options for Sc nic Conquest and one of them - Cayenne Orange - is exclusive.

Subtle but distinctive interior decor

Inside Renault Sc nic Conquest, splashes of orange abound to differentiate the cabin from other Sc nics. The anodised dark grey centre console is decorated with orange graphics. The seatbelts are blood-orange and the upholstery, gearlever gaiter and steering wheel incorporate stitching in the same rich hue. The carpets are protected by rubber mats featuring a Conquestlogo.

A chassis tailored for exploration

Renault Sc nic Conquest's bold appearance is completed by a chassis that has been modified to cope with life away from the beaten track. In addition to the increased ground clearance and twin skidplates, the suspension has been modified to improve comfort on rough terrain. The front and rear dampers have an increased range of travel and smaller anti-roll bars have been fitted.Finally, the special settings of the ESP electronic stability programme and ASR traction control enhance Sc nic Conquest's all-terrain character.

Two complementary engines

Renault Sc nic Conquest is available with both petrol and diesel power. The 2.0 16V petrol engine develops 98.5kW (135ch) at 5,500rpm and 191Nm of torque at 3,750rpm. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the engine has a particularly broad spread of usable power. In the combined cycle, the Sc nic Conquest 2.0 16V returns fuel economy figures of 8.0 litres/100km. The 1.9 dCi diesel delivers 96kW (130ch) at 4,000rpm and 300Nm of torque at 2,000rpm.
Available with or without a particulate filter, this engine is also coupled with a six-speed transmission that makes it eager and responsive all the way from low revs. With this powertrain fitted, Sc nic Conquest sips fuel at a rate of only 6.0 litres/100km in the combined cycle and emits 159g/km of CO2.

Two additional engines are available in certain markets. One is a 1.6 16v petrol, which develops 82kW (110hp) at 6,000rpm and 152Nm of torque at 4,250rpm. Sc nic Conquest 1.6 16v has a six-speed manual transmission and combined cycle fuel consumption of 7.6 litres/100km. The second is the 78kW (105hp) version of the 1.5 dCi diesel, which generates peak power at 4,000rpm and 240Nm of torque at just 2,000rpm. This Sc nic Conquest also has a six-speed
manual transmission. It's an economical combination that returns 5.2 litres/100km in the combined cycle and emits CO2 at a rate of just 138g/km.

A comprehensive equipment list

Renault Sc nic Conquest has all the interior adaptability and stowage facilities that have forged the success of the Sc nic range. In terms of safety features and comfort, Sc nic Conquest is based on the Dynamique trim level, but adds rear parking proximity sensors, ESP, aluminium alloy wheels and longitudinal roof bars. And the passive safety features are such that Sc nic obtained a maximum 5-star EuroNCAP crash test rating. To add a further personal touch to Sc nic Conquest, Renault has developed bespoke accessories that can be purchased as a range of kits. They include an interior bike rack, additional storage units, guards for the door and boot sills, a compartmentalised boot box and so on.

Renault Sc nic Conquest is built in France at Renault's Douai plant. It goes on sale in June 2007, priced from 24,550 to 27,200. The orderbook will be open throughout the Renault dealer network in May 11th.

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.

Ford Pinto

Ah, the Ford Pinto. After having successfully made it thorough the 12-step program for those that had to drive Pintos through their formative High School years, it always fills us with a combination of awe and revulsion whenever we see one of these compact hatches at the junkyard. This one had already given up its popular with the builder crowd rack-and-pinion front end, but had a fender already yanked and waiting for the lucky soul still driving a dented fender orange Pinto.

Chrysler Newport

Here's a '78 Chrysler Newport with a four-barrel 360. Someone's already yanked the carb, but everything else is still there. This engine choked out a miserable 170 horses in '78, but that's just because it suffers from 8.2:1 compression and other Malaise Era smoggitude; add the usual ingredients of aftermarket pistons, cam, and respiratory gear and you'd have an engine that would really wake up a Dart or Valiant. And, hey, '78 was the first year for the lockup-converter Torquflite.

MERKUR Xr4Ti

Despite having made it through the Subway Series, this mighty Merkur had fallen. The Merkur was sold here in the states as a 2.3L turbo and intercooled Ford Sierra with another name. At first we were bummed that someone had swiped all the pocket parts emblems and badges. Sadness turned to joy as we found one of the Merkur emblems minutes later on the rear trunk lid of a Fiero. The obvious choice in parts with the Merkur is to yank the 2.3 turbo mill, intercooler and trans for your Mercury Bobcat wagon. Don't forget to roll over to the van section and grab a smoked bubble window for additional style points. Cherry pickers rent at an additional fee. [Tell me about it. Never lose you keys if you live on the 6th floor.— ed]

Cadillac DeVille

Ignore the Ford intake and all the pine needles cluttering up the view. That grungy engine reposing in this beat-to-shit '70 Cadillac DeVille is none other than the 375-horse 472, a forged-crank monster that doesn't weigh much more than a small-block Chevy, fits easily in GM A-bodies, and has a fair selection of aftermarket performance goodies available. Sure, the 500 had 400 HP, but GM only put it in the FWD Eldorado and let's just make it perfectly clear that we'd sooner pull out several of our own teeth with a needlenose pliers than spend another endless day breaking tools and fingers extricating a 500 from an Eldo. Might as well take that BOP-pattern TH400 while you're at it.

Rambler Wagon

This find would be like winning the lottery for a Rambler fiend scouring the junkyard; we picture some old guy with a couple of Rambler project cars hitting the yard on Half Price Day, hoping to find an early AMC with a few compatible parts, when he spots this '59 wagon and blows out a couple heart valves- GHASP!- with the shock of recognition. It would also be a moneymaker for an eBay shark who can recognize the pieces that will fetch ten times the junkyard price. This Kenosha Kreampuff's been de-engined already, but the fenders are still there, as is the tailgate and most of the glass.

Plymouth Conquest

This flatside Mitsubishi Starion imported for Plymouth and rebadged as a Conquest hit the floor of the yard while we were milling about the Pontiac section. The unmistakable wedge shape of the Starion made its way into the corner of our eye while it was still on the forklift. While the engine looked pretty well cooked, the turbocharger had a rebuilt by sticker on the wastegate actuator. Hair dryer removal ensued. Rusted exhaust manifold mounting bolts served as a reminder to bring some JB-80, or similar, next time around. We already have a set of those wheels from the last half price day.

Toyota Corona

We have a soft spot for 60s Toyotas (in fact, Murilee's first car was a '69 Corona) so it made us a little sad to see this fairly intact one on the yard. Toyotas didn't start selling like crazy in the US until the '73 Arab oil embargo, so it's tough to find junkyard parts for the older ones. This '67 Corona is a rare junkyard find indeed; not only does it still have the engine, taillights, complete interior, and a jillion other rare-as-hen's-teeth bits and pieces, it's got the supah-cool Toyoglide transmission ready for harvest.

Mazda 323 Turbo

You don't see these every day on the street, much less sitting in the junkyard: an '88 Mazda 323 Turbo. Everything's still there for the discerning junkyard scavenger looking to build a totally shocking sleeper out of Grandma's 4-door 323, from ECU to intercooler and all the other stuff that makes for turbocharged fun. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have the AWD option, but torque steer puts hair on your chest! Extract the engine, all the turbo plumbing, and the transaxle... and don't forget the all-important ECU!

Chrysler Conquest TSI

Moving further into the eighties and Mitsubishi Starion rebading exercises was this wide-body 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSI. Despite its obvious signs of neglect and abuse at the hands of the previous owner, this Starion had a mere 54K on the clock. A chewed up turbo cold side wheel filled us with punk rock rage thinking some bozo took a low miles Conquest to this sad ending. The only solution was to drop the 5-speed manual transmission and bring it home in the Starlet as a backup for the Starion. While we were under the car we had a great conversation with a guy scoring the rockers for his Mazda B2600 Pickup. G54B cross-branding junkyard goodness. Mitsubishi also put the G54B in forklifts. [Perfect for our forklift project car. Maybe you guys can get on that this week. — ed]

Lincoln Town Car Limo

The salad days of prom goers, wedding bells, and excursions down into Hollywood are over for this once fine Lincoln Town Car. Under the long white hood of this stretch Lincoln was a 5-0, perfect for a swap into that Fairmont wagon otherwise rusting away in the backyard. We're not really sure what else this beast could have given up besides a multi-switch console and a few toothbrushes.

– Mike Bumbeck & – Murilee Martin

Junkyard Chronicle [Junkyardchronicle.com]

Related:
Jalopnik Late-Night: Junkyard of Davey's Dreams [Internal]

One more pic after the jump.

Daimler Models[Daimler.co.uk]

Related:

Related:
Yes! Conquest Hoonage!; Ham Center, Warren, MI [Internal]

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

1974 Toyota: Corolla [eBay]

Related:
Hood of the Day: Look Out Honey, 'Cause He's Using (Turbo) Technology [Internal]

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.

Related:
Hey Killboy: Can You Shoot StarQuests On the Tail of the Dragon? [Internal]

We want to see your skills of an artist.
Well, g2g,
Jalopniks
CA

Thanks for this great shot, Mister Killdude! It makes us wish were in the Tennessees or Carolinas, meandering about in a Conquest TSi, jockeying for position with Bumbeck in his Starion ESi, both of us in StarQuests stuffed to the fender flares with females. Super Potential! Go check out Killboy's page for more inspiration. And thank you, Al, for the tip.

StarQuests [Killboy]

Related:
SUPER POTENTIAL! Shilling for the Starion, Japanese-Style [Internal]

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.

Related:
The Mitsubishi Starion A6M7 [Internal]

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.

Interestingly, while the factory cars had manual doors, the owner-built vehicle's were power-operated. Unfortunately, this tended to be a bit much strain for the battery and the doors were converted to manual operation. We promise this is the last Starion-related post for a while. Really. No, Scout's Honor. Unless somebody uncovers a scissor-door Conquest.

Gullwing Starion [Mitsubishi Starion U.K. Owners Club]

Related:
Yes! StarQuest Hoonage! [Internal]

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?

Flying Conquest [StarQuest: The Car to Have!]

Related:
A Brief History of the Starion [Internal]

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.

Available in a somewhat staggering array of variants in markets around the world, the Starion was produced in both widebody and narrowbody styles in its lifetime, as well as turbo and non-turbo versions. Interestingly, one of the basest-of-the-base model (the Japanese GX) didn't feature an independent rear end. Despite some racing success, especially in rallying (where a variant was developed for steroidal Group B class), the Starion never really caught on with the general public and was euthanized in 1990, replaced by the far-more-popular Eclipse and its Chrysler-brands-badged siblings. We're off to go rock out to Hear 'n' Aid's "Stars" now, re-writing the lyrics on the fly in honor of the late but forever beloved Starion...

Mitsubishi Starion [Wikipedia]

Somebody Call Montezuma, The Conquistador is Here!

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?

Romeo's Chrysler Conquest: "Conquistador" [CarDomain]

Related:
Whither the Starion? [Internal]

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."

A Starion is Born [Snopes]