A 31-year-old Mitsubishi Galant sedan registered in Japan and currently residing in Hong Kong is up for sale for $11,000 AUD. What makes it truly interesting is a tuning by AMG, which was not always a subdivision of Mercedes.
Before becoming the German automaker’s in-house tuner and dedicating itself completely to Mercedes cars, AMG used to tune other vehicles as well. One such vehicle was the Japanese-spec Mitsubishi Galant, which it produced in a series of 500 units. It landed with a rather restrained-looking body kit, an unusual trunk lid spoiler and 15-inch alloys color-matched to the body. The AMG badges on the fenders and bumpers look horribly fake until you learn that the tuning is, in fact, genuine.
Inside, the seats are wraped in black leather with grey inserts, and there is a wooden Nardi knob on the gear lever. The wheel is the only element to wear an AMG logo, and the trim level is quite high with AC and all power options included.
A two-liter inline-four engine with ‘Tuned by AMG’ on it benefits from new pistons, distribution shafts, ECU software, intake and exhaust, as well as titanium valve springs and hollow rocker arms. In the end, the naturally aspirated mill is capable of revving to 8,000 RPM and make 170 PS (168 hp / 125 kW), not a bad result at all for a car from early 1990s.
With 125,000 km (around 77,700 miles) on the odo, the sedan is said to be in excellent condition with its cabin restored three years ago and the drivetrain serviced in March.