Dodge Colt

The Dodge Colt is a subcompact car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors and marketed by Dodge for model years 1971 to 1994 as a captive import. Rebadged variants included the Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, both were marketed by Plymouth.

The Colt was initially a rebadged variant of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive Mitsubishi Mirage subcompacts in 1979.

Introduced in 1970 as a 1971 model, the first generation Dodge Colt was a federalized first-generation Mitsubishi Colt Galant. Available as a 2-door pillared coupe, 2-door hardtop coupe, 4-door sedan, and 5-door wagon, the Colt had a 1,597 cc (97.5 cu in) 4-cylinder engine. The unibody layout was traditional, front engine and rear-wheel drive with MacPherson struts in front and a live rear axle. Standard transmission was a 4-speed manual, with a 3-speed automatic being an option. The engine was initially rated for 100 hp (75 kW), but dropped to 83 hp (62 kW) in 1972 when manufacturers revised the method of measuring horsepower from gross to SAE net. For 1973, a GT hardtop coupe model was added featuring rally stripes, sport wheels, and a center console amongst other features. The Dodge Colt was Chrysler's response to the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto, and Chevrolet Vega. As a captive import from Mitsubishi, the Colt also competed directly with other Japanese imports, such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Datsun 1200.

Based on the platform of the first generation model, the Galant sedans and coupes received a new, somewhat rounder body in 1973, while wagons continued with the old body with a facelifted front end. The new version, with single headlights rather than the doubles of the previous generation, became the 1974 Dodge Colt in the US, available in the same bodystyles as the first one. The base engine also remained the same, but a larger G52B "Astron" engine became optionally available, originally only in combination with the automatic transmission. Later, the 2-liter engine became available with a manual transmission as well and was made standard fitment in the GT coupe. The 2-liter engine developed 96 hp (72 kW) at 5500 rpm, with the California version making two fewer horsepower. Ratings varied from 79–83 hp (59–62 kW) for the smaller one and 89–96 hp (66–72 kW) for the larger engine in different publications and across the years.

A four-speed manual or three-speed automatic remained available, although the original Borg-Warner automatic transmission was replaced by Chrysler's own Torqueflite unit in the 2-liter version. The Torqueflite later supplanted the old Borg-Warner unit entirely. For 1977 a five-speed manual became available (standard in the GT and Carousel coupes). The Carousel, introduced in 1975 along with larger bumpers, was more luxurious and carried special blue and white paint. For 1977, the "Silent Shaft" version of the smaller engine became available and was fitted as standard equipment in GT and Carousels. The introduction of the new Dodge Colt "Mileage Maker" meant there was a mix of second and third generation models in 1977. The second-generation 2-door hardtops and wagons continued to be offered alongside the new 2- and 4-door "Mileage Makers". The wagon was also available with an "Estate" package that included woodgrain applique on the body sides and adjustable reclining front seats.

This model was also sold as the Dodge Colt 1600 GS in South Africa, only as a two-door hardtop coupé.

In Canada, the second-generation Dodge Colt was rebadged as the Plymouth Cricket for the 1974 and 1975 model years — not to be confused with the rebadged Hillman Avenger, marketed in the United States for model years 1971-1973 without success. All Canadian Crickets for model years 1974-1975 wore the grille from the 1974-1977 Dodge Colt station wagons.^{[citation needed]} All Colt body styles were shared with the Cricket, with the Cricket equivalent of the Colt GT marketed as the Cricket Formula S. These second-generation, Canada-only Crickets were rebadged as Plymouth Colts for 1976.

The third-generation Dodge Colt effectively comprised two lines: coupes and sedans were of a smaller, Lancer-based series, and the station wagons were based on the new Mitsubishi Galant Sigma. In late 1976, for the 1977 model year, the smaller A70-series Mitsubishi Lancer became the Dodge Colt available in two-door coupe and four-door sedan body designs. While the wheelbase was slightly shorter than that of the second generation Colt, overall length was down from 171.1 to 162.6 in (4,346 to 4,130 mm). The new Colt was also referred to as the Dodge Colt "Mileage Maker" to differentiate it from its larger predecessor. Second generation coupe and wagon versions remained on sale for the 1977 model year.