Galant VR4 - Mitsubishi VS Monica Lewinsky

If there was a competition for companies who had the world by the balls in the 90s, and blew it the most by the mid 2000s, I bet it would be very close between Mitsubishi, Marlboro, MTV, and Monica Lewinsky. And Mitsubishi would take it.

The Galant VR4…

It’s hard to look back at this car & not think, “Dang man what the hell happened to Mitsubishi?!” They were on such a roll in the 90s.

How many of us would buy this Galant VR4 brand new right now if that was an option? Hands? Shoot – the car could come with an already sun-warped dash & I wouldn’t even complain.

In fact – if Mitsubishi could just hit reset…

And bring back their entire mid-90s lineup, I for one, would be totally ok with it. Although… in these times you know the 5 Mitsubishi dealers left in this country would have a field day with dealer markups. But hey – if it would help ’em finally fix their stained drop-in ceilings, I guess a little extra markup would be acceptable.

Yeah… the car industry is more broken than a 90s Mitsubishi. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.

Ryan Kepes is a 90s-Mitsubishi guy to the bone.

He’d been searching for a well-preserved Galant VR4 for sometime before he scooped this one up from some badasss granny. And with this car, Ryan Kepes wanted to keep the mods retro & respectful. He wanted to capture the energy of 90s Mitsubishi era.

For example…

The 16G turbo stays true to the Galant VR4’s original soul. It’s quick to boost, and ultra squirty from light-to-light. Ryan built the engine & drivetrain, not necessarily to break records, but to be reliable & enjoyable longterm.

The VR4’s exterior…

Is subtly modified with JDM replacement pieces. Bumpers & various lighting components have been swapped to their JDM counterparts.

The wheels….

Are a set of 16-inch powder coated Advan RC Rally & Dirt Trials. A perfect fit for this car. Suspension components & brake components have all been updated & upgraded. Everything has been touched, but it all stays within a tasteful, mild, nostalgic harmony. Trust me – that’s more difficult to do than it sounds lol. It takes a lot of discipline NOT to let a project run wildly astray from its original intent. Check out the entire modlist below.

Text by Wooley Photos by the man Brad Sillars