1981 Mitsubishi Sigma Turbo - Reader Ride

By: Zane Dobie, Photography by: Zane Dobie

Date: 01.08.2019

Here and there, among the many anonymous four-door Sigma family cars were some sneaky turbo-boost models

I don’t drive it as much these days, but it’s been out and about a bit lately because it is being used for the Les Norton Australian drama series that’s being filmed and released soon. It’s set in the 1980s so they contacted me and asked if they could use the car.

The Turbo Sigma was a production model that was only only released locally. It was a collaboration between Garret Australia, the turbo company, and Mitsubishi. It’s based on the 2.0 Litre four-cylinder Sigma engine. Only 500 were made so it was a pretty rare car even then and I don’t think they sold very well. At the time it was the first turbocharged car to be produced in Australia.

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I worked for Mitsubishi, and I bought this car 27 years ago. It only had one owner before me. I wasn’t really looking for a Sigma; I was more into Lancers. How you see the car now is exactly how it rolled off the production line in 1981, right down to the alloy wheels and the Pirelli P6 tyres which took me about 20 years to find. I kept annoying wreckers until one finally called me and said they had a set. The interior is all original including the old pushbutton stereo/radio. The paint back in the day was not the best, so I have had this repainted in the original colour.

When I first bought the car it was my daily driver, but now it’s more of a collector’s piece – I’ll never sell it.

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The Sigmas are starting to attract a lot more attention these days, but back in the day most people had one as their first car because they were cheap and reliable transport. I think everyone from that age group owned a Sigma at some stage – but not one of these.

I work with muscle cars day to day reproducing the original factory striping. Most of the cars you see at this event are my customers; I think I’ll stick with my Sigmas.

Valuation: Find one first then start the negotiations.

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