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GSTwithPSI
Well-known member
Introducing Galant VR-4 Number 1.
Finding any unmolested Galant VR-4 is rare. Finding one that’s still stock and somehow 1 of 2000 is even rarer. This video is a walk around of the car, the weird little details that make it special, and the original stuff that somehow survived, like the factory window sticker, original key fob, and other period correct odds and ends. If you enjoy cool rare Mitsubishi stuff, you'll love this.
Finding any unmolested Galant VR-4 is rare. Finding one that’s still stock and somehow 1 of 2000 is even rarer. This video is a walk around of the car, the weird little details that make it special, and the original stuff that somehow survived, like the factory window sticker, original key fob, and other period correct odds and ends. If you enjoy cool rare Mitsubishi stuff, you'll love this.
GSTwithPSI
Well-known member
Alright, this is going to require saying “number 1” an excessive amount of times, so let’s just get that out of the way.
I found Galant VR-4 #0001 of 2000, which is to ultimately say I found a 1991 Galant VR-4 with a cool and slightly more unique limited edition dash badge than all the others…Well, almost all the others. I say it’s number 1, which is not to say it’s the first Galant ever built, not the first VR-4 off the assembly line, and honestly not “number one” in any way that really matters to anyone.
As most people here probably know, roughly 3,000 USDM Galant VR-4s were ever imported. I say roughly because allegedly there were a handful of unbadged cars also imported, which would put the number slightly over 3,000 total cars. The problem is that distinguishing an originally unbadged car from one where a previous owner simply removed the badge is basically impossible, since Mitsubishi did not correlate the dash badge to the VIN.
In short, there are exactly two total "number 1s" out there somewhere. And as far as anyone has ever been able to tell, we’ve only found one of those number 1s; the one I have.
*Interestingly, I don’t think 2000 of 2000 or 1000 of 1000 have ever surfaced either.
To my knowledge, #0001 of 1000 has never surfaced, which makes this the first known number 1 that actually wears a number 1 badge. Is that cool? Yeah. Is it extremely rare? Also yes. Does it actually mean anything in the real world? Unfortunately, no. I’d love to say I’m sitting on a gold mine, but in true DSM fashion, that’s far from the truth.
I think that’s partly because Mitsubishi didn’t tie the VIN and dash badge numbers together like many other limited edition cars from other manufacturers. It also doesn’t indicate production order. Had either of those things been true, these cars would probably be far more uniquely valuable. But, I guess Mitsubishi didn’t intend for these to be like grandpa’s Mopar where Millennials exploit for nostalgia, content, and flip for a payout once he’s too dead to argue about it. They just slapped a cool badge on the dash and sent it.
So yeah, it’s still number 1. It’s weird, it’s rare, and it’s also basically worth whatever any DSMer is willing to pay for a clapped 90s shitbox on a given day. Which is to say, the value is in the story, not the badge.
With that out of the way, here’s the actual story of the car.
I’ve been eyeballing this one for a few years. I went and looked at it a while back, but I didn’t buy it at the time. Not because I wasn’t interested. I absolutely was. But because I couldn’t make a reasonable offer given what the car clearly meant to the owner. This wasn’t just another old DSM to him, and I wasn’t going to lowball someone or push a deal that didn’t feel right. So I walked away and left it alone.
Eventually, he came back around. When he did, he gave me a genuinely generous deal on the car, and I don’t take that lightly. This wasn’t about winning a negotiation. It was about the car ending up with someone who actually gives a sh*t about what it is.
For some background, it’s a one owner Southern California car its entire life. That’s the good news. The honest news is that it’s beat. It’s complete, it’s real, and it absolutely deserves saving. But it pretty much needs a ground up restoration.
What makes it cooler is how unmolested it still is. The car is completely stock, aside from an exhaust. No hacked wiring, no mystery mods, no half finished build from three owners ago. Finding any unmolested Galant VR-4 at this point is rare. Finding one that’s still stock and happens to be #0001 is even rarer.
On top of that, a surprising amount of original stuff is still with the car. I’ve got the factory window sticker, the original key fob, and some other period correct odds and ends that almost never survive this long. I go through all of that in the video I’m posting with this thread, along with a walk around of the car and some of the unique details specific to it. If you’re into that kind of nerdy stuff, definitely check it out.
As for plans, I’m not rushing anything. With retirement on the horizon, the plan for now is to stack parts and start hunting down the hardest pieces first. Anyone who’s been around these cars knows the real pain isn’t drivetrain stuff. It’s interior components, especially ones that aren’t trashed. Good interior parts are getting genuinely hard to find, and that’s where most of the early effort will go.
This car isn’t getting parted out, rushed, or turned into some half baked project. The goal is to do it right, take my time, and bring it back in a way that respects what it is, weird history, clapped reality, and all.
More updates once I start digging into it.
I found Galant VR-4 #0001 of 2000, which is to ultimately say I found a 1991 Galant VR-4 with a cool and slightly more unique limited edition dash badge than all the others…Well, almost all the others. I say it’s number 1, which is not to say it’s the first Galant ever built, not the first VR-4 off the assembly line, and honestly not “number one” in any way that really matters to anyone.
As most people here probably know, roughly 3,000 USDM Galant VR-4s were ever imported. I say roughly because allegedly there were a handful of unbadged cars also imported, which would put the number slightly over 3,000 total cars. The problem is that distinguishing an originally unbadged car from one where a previous owner simply removed the badge is basically impossible, since Mitsubishi did not correlate the dash badge to the VIN.
In short, there are exactly two total "number 1s" out there somewhere. And as far as anyone has ever been able to tell, we’ve only found one of those number 1s; the one I have.
*Interestingly, I don’t think 2000 of 2000 or 1000 of 1000 have ever surfaced either.
To my knowledge, #0001 of 1000 has never surfaced, which makes this the first known number 1 that actually wears a number 1 badge. Is that cool? Yeah. Is it extremely rare? Also yes. Does it actually mean anything in the real world? Unfortunately, no. I’d love to say I’m sitting on a gold mine, but in true DSM fashion, that’s far from the truth.
I think that’s partly because Mitsubishi didn’t tie the VIN and dash badge numbers together like many other limited edition cars from other manufacturers. It also doesn’t indicate production order. Had either of those things been true, these cars would probably be far more uniquely valuable. But, I guess Mitsubishi didn’t intend for these to be like grandpa’s Mopar where Millennials exploit for nostalgia, content, and flip for a payout once he’s too dead to argue about it. They just slapped a cool badge on the dash and sent it.
So yeah, it’s still number 1. It’s weird, it’s rare, and it’s also basically worth whatever any DSMer is willing to pay for a clapped 90s shitbox on a given day. Which is to say, the value is in the story, not the badge.
With that out of the way, here’s the actual story of the car.
I’ve been eyeballing this one for a few years. I went and looked at it a while back, but I didn’t buy it at the time. Not because I wasn’t interested. I absolutely was. But because I couldn’t make a reasonable offer given what the car clearly meant to the owner. This wasn’t just another old DSM to him, and I wasn’t going to lowball someone or push a deal that didn’t feel right. So I walked away and left it alone.
Eventually, he came back around. When he did, he gave me a genuinely generous deal on the car, and I don’t take that lightly. This wasn’t about winning a negotiation. It was about the car ending up with someone who actually gives a sh*t about what it is.
For some background, it’s a one owner Southern California car its entire life. That’s the good news. The honest news is that it’s beat. It’s complete, it’s real, and it absolutely deserves saving. But it pretty much needs a ground up restoration.
What makes it cooler is how unmolested it still is. The car is completely stock, aside from an exhaust. No hacked wiring, no mystery mods, no half finished build from three owners ago. Finding any unmolested Galant VR-4 at this point is rare. Finding one that’s still stock and happens to be #0001 is even rarer.
On top of that, a surprising amount of original stuff is still with the car. I’ve got the factory window sticker, the original key fob, and some other period correct odds and ends that almost never survive this long. I go through all of that in the video I’m posting with this thread, along with a walk around of the car and some of the unique details specific to it. If you’re into that kind of nerdy stuff, definitely check it out.
As for plans, I’m not rushing anything. With retirement on the horizon, the plan for now is to stack parts and start hunting down the hardest pieces first. Anyone who’s been around these cars knows the real pain isn’t drivetrain stuff. It’s interior components, especially ones that aren’t trashed. Good interior parts are getting genuinely hard to find, and that’s where most of the early effort will go.
This car isn’t getting parted out, rushed, or turned into some half baked project. The goal is to do it right, take my time, and bring it back in a way that respects what it is, weird history, clapped reality, and all.
More updates once I start digging into it.
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