The Mitsubishi Starion was one of the good JDM sporting selections in the 80s. Many lusted for its turbocharged engine and bulging bodywork. How practical is it to own one in today's time though?

Performance cars were a thing during the decade and carried over onto the 90s. Such cars are surprisingly cheap nowadays despite a solid following and it isn't that hard to get your hands on one.

Are you thinking of buying a Starion for your next Japanese sports car project? Maybe you own one but don't know much about it? Well, it's time we key you in a few details about this underrated speedster.

Mitsubishi Starion: A Low Key Sports Car

Some Starion were swapped with a V8 to double its power.
Via: Road & Track

The Mitsubishi Starion is a two-door sports car that ran in the market for six years from 1983 to 1989.

It was a four-seat hatchback sports car that rivaled the likes of the Toyota Celica, Nissan 280ZX, and the Mazda RX-7 models of its time.

The Starion also had its  North American variant called the Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth Conquest depending on which brand you patronized.

Under the hood is an electronic fuel injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It was one of the first of its kind after the Isuzu 117 Coupé started making a trend for such engines.

This sports car was a rear-wheel-drive car which is similar to a V8 car like a Chevy Camaro or a Ford Mustang. Apparently, the Starion didn't receive as much appreciation as the American muscle cars.

What sets the Stations apart from other performance vehicles is its affordable price. It was like getting the best of both worlds when owning such a car.

RELATED: These Cheap Japanese Sports Cars Are Actually Incredibly Fast

Mitsubishi Starion Main Features

Via: Car Sales Base

The Mitsubishi Starion has a similar chassis to the  Galant Lambda sports coupé and Sapporo models. It was reinforced with a MacPherson strut suspension and sway bars in its front and rear.

The Starion also has the traditional front-mounted engine with a rear-wheel drive. Most models came with standard features of anti-lock brakes and a limited-slip differential as well.

It didn't come with rack and pinion steering but instead, a gearbox steering was put in place for all models.

What was different, however, was what is under the hood. Most had the standard 2.0L SOHC Sirius G63B engine while the American variant had a larger 2.6L SOHC Astron G54B engine.

Both engine variants had produced roughly the same horsepower with the larger 2.6L having a slight edge in torque. The smaller engine had a higher redline though. Both also featured electronic fuel injection and turbocharging.

All Starion models came with a five-speed manual transmission but some markets offered models an automatic transmission option. The later ones had an upgraded transmission and fuel management system.

How Fast Is The Starion?

Via: Pinterest

The Mitsubishi Starion only had four-cylinder SOHC engines but at least they were turbocharged to give you enough speed for its time.

The engines only logged 145 hp at 2500 rpm but this was the 80s. It was a time where 60 mph in nine seconds was the optimum for a four-cylinder.

At least the Mitsubishi Starion tallied a top speed of 135 mph in its prime condition. It even competed with the Porsche 944 of that time. The best part is that it costed less than the European sports car of the same level.

The Starion even managed to step up in the later years as it jumped to 178 hp at 2500 rpm and produced 223 lb-ft. of torque. Its acceleration from 0-60 mph also dropped from nine seconds to 8.1 seconds. It now placed the Starion on the tier of a six-cylinder Nissan 300ZX turbo.

It also came at a bargain price tag of $17,500 which made it a viable choice rather than a Mazda RX-7 Turbo or a 1980s Porsche.

RELATED: 10 Fastest Japanese Cars of the '80s

A Starion Reboot?

Via: Pinterest

The Starion has always been affordable especially after production stopped. In fact, some owners are keeping their own models since Japanese cars are easy to maintain and looks good when modified.

You'll see these cars mostly with modifications and upgrades under the hood since the bone stock of this sports car is simply just the stock of a regular car by today's standards.

A Starion reboot might just be a long shot at the moment since Mitsubishi has long moved on from its box-type models. Add to that the fact that the Japanese automaker is making strides in its SUVs and crossover vehicles doesn't help Starion's case.

We're seeing more artwork mods rather than actual modern renderings. A good idea would be to reintroduce the Starion as an electric vehicle since it already has the polygonal design that makes it look like a two-door version of the Tesla Model X.

Some might want to stick to the Starions on auction for now if they wish to build one as a modern project.

NEXT: 10 Most Badass Used Mitsubishi Sports Cars That Will Cost You Peanuts