Mitsubishi Colt 800

Mitsubishi Colt 800/1000F/1100F/11F
Mitsubishi Colt 1100F Fastback
Overview
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Motors
Production	1965–71
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door fastback 3-door liftback 4-door fastback 3-door wagon/van 2-door coupé utility/pickup
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	843 cc 2-stroke I3 977 cc KE43 OHV I4 1,088 cc KE44 OHV I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,200 mm (86.6 in)
Length	3,620–3,740 mm (142.5–147.2 in)
Width	1,450 mm (57.1 in)
Height	1,365–1,420 mm (53.7–55.9 in)

The Mitsubishi Colt 800 is the first of a series of passenger cars with a fastback/hatchback design produced by Mitsubishi Motors from November 1965. It was introduced as a two-door fastback sedan, the first such design in the Japanese market. The series was discontinued in 1971, after the introduction of the company's Galant sedan but without a real replacement.

The 800 was powered by a three-cylinder two-stroke engine of 843 cc capacity producing 45 PS (33 kW). This made it more powerful than the projected competitor, Toyota's 700 cc Publica. Equipped with a four-speed manual gearbox and weighing a scant 750 kg, top speed was 120 km/h (75 mph). While it may have looked like a hatchback, the 800 was never available with a rear hatch. However, both a coupe utility version ("ute" in Australia, where many of these were sold) and a wagon ("Van" in Japanese parlance) were marketed. The Van was clearly based on the ute, with a horizontally split rear tailgate and workmanlike interior.

Mitsubishi gave up on the two-stroke engine in 1968, pushing the new four-stroke Colt 1000F instead. Customers across the world were beginning to steer away from cars with these types of engines and new stricter emissions standards were looming. The similarly sized and-engined Suzuki Fronte 800 was discontinued without replacement around the same time; these were the last Japanese two-strokes bigger than a Kei car. In general, the 700-800 cc class was dying away in Japan at this time, being replaced by 1000 cc cars.

In September 1966 the two-stroke 800 engine was complemented by the larger four-stroke 977 cc pushrod powerplant (KE43) from the more traditional Colt 1000. 800 production ended in the last months of 1968, shortly after the introduction of the 1100. The engine in the Colt 1000F, "F" for "Fastback" to set it apart from its stodgier sedan counterpart, produced 55 PS (40 kW). In August 1967, the 1000F finally received the lifting tailgate that the car's design had always promised. The hatchback also had the added benefit of a larger rear window, as such a design would no longer encroach on the boot opening. There was also a Colt 1000F Van model, with round taillights and the same engine specifications as the sedan. The 1000F remained in production until May 1969, after which only 1.1-liter models were available.