Mitsubishi Minica Skipper

The 1970s marked the era of specialty kei cars. Honda’s Z took the lead with its release, followed by unique coupe models from various manufacturers.

Mitsubishi introduced the Minica Skipper, based on the Minica 70, a cute fastback coupe into the market.

The overall silhouette resembles the successful Galant GTO. It adopted a fastback design with a cut-off tail, boldly truncated at the rear.

Furthermore, to ensure rear visibility, smoked windows were incorporated between the glass hatch and the rear combination lamps, adding an accent to the rear view.

Additionally, features such as dual headlights with built-in fog lights and ventilation louvers on the rear quarter pillars were all reminiscent of a scaled-down version of the Galant GTO.

In line with the era of personalization, the Skipper offered three optional parts series. The “Hot Hip Version” included sports visors, air spoilers, and see-through louvers, the “Sports Version” offered bonnet meters, nose fins, heel & toe pedals, and the “Make-up Version” included overhead consoles, bonnet screens, and Skipper shirts!!

The top-grade GT came equipped with bullet-shaped mirrors and a center roof antenna. The interior boasted a sporty yet luxurious mood with wood grain panels and a triple meter cluster.

Under the hood, the engine was the 2G10 type, a 2-stroke water-cooled 2-cylinder inherited from the Minica 70 GSS. With a high compression ratio of 10.0 and twin Mikuni Solex SU type carburetors, it generated an impressive output of 38ps/7000rpm and a maximum torque of 3.9kgm/6500rpm, remarkable specs for a 359cc mass-produced engine. The Minica Skipper, born from the GTO frenzy, embodied a spirited coupe.