Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo

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The Japanese are past masters at turning their Motorshow concepts into production reality.

The Mitsubishi GTO is the perfect case in point, the hand-built concept displayed at the 1989 Tokyo show being launched in the showrooms just a year later.

The first generation GTOs were marketed worldwide, Chrysler selling them in vast numbers in the US as the Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi marketing them as the 3000GT in Europe. Available in 220bhp, or 276bhp twin-turbo form, they were only ever badged GTO in their own market, Mitsubishi’s management (quite correctly) thinking that overseas markets would object to the use of the term GTO which was associated with the iconic models from Pontiac and Ferrari.

A technical tour de force, it had four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, active damping, active aerodynamics (movable spoilers) and even a two-tone exhaust note control. Sure-footed and with the performance of a scalded cat, these ‘90s supercars are just starting to emerge onto the active Japanese classic scene.

This 1990 Twin-Turbo manual GTO was imported from Japan in 2008 and shows an indicated 66,800 kms (42,000 miles) on the odometer. MOTd until May 2016, it has had two former keepers since arriving on these shores. Burgundy Metallic with a grey cloth interior, it has the desirable 5-speed manual gearbox which makes the most of the car's prodigious performance - Mitsubishi claimed 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.