Number 1

[GST with PSI]

This is the Build Thread for Number 1. Reply below.

 

[We're on Boost]

Awesome!

 

[GST with PSI]

Introducing Galant VR-4 Number 1.

Finding any unmolested Galant VR-4 is rare. Finding one that’s still stock and somehow 1 of 2000 is even rarer. This video is a walk around of the car, the weird little details that make it special, and the original stuff that somehow survived, like the factory window sticker, original key fob, and other period correct odds and ends. If you enjoy cool rare Mitsubishi stuff, you'll love this.

 

[GST with PSI]

Alright, this is going to require saying “number 1” an excessive amount of times, so let’s just get that out of the way.

I found Galant VR-4 #0001 of 2000, which is to ultimately say I found a 1991 Galant VR-4 with a cool and slightly more unique limited edition dash badge than all the others…Well, almost all the others. I say it’s number 1, which is not to say it’s the first Galant ever built, not the first VR-4 off the assembly line, and honestly not “number one” in any way that really matters to anyone.

Quick Galant history lesson

Roughly 3,000 USDM Galant VR-4s were ever imported. I say roughly because allegedly there were a handful of unbadged cars also imported, which would put the number slightly over 3,000 total cars. The problem is that distinguishing an originally unbadged car from one where a previous owner simply removed the badge is basically impossible, since Mitsubishi did not correlate the dash badge to the VIN. More on that in a minute.

Mitsubishi imported the Galant VR-4 over two years, with 2,000 cars in 1991 and 1,000 cars in 1992. For each year, every car received a unique dash plaque for that production run, which means there were exactly two total number 1s.

Two chances for a car to be “number 1.”

That’s it.

And as far as anyone has ever been able to tell, we’ve only found one of those number 1s; the one I have.

*Interestingly, I don’t think 2000 of 2000 or 1000 of 1000 have ever surfaced either.

To my knowledge, #0001 of 1000 has never surfaced, which makes this the first known number 1 that actually wears a number 1 badge. Is that cool? Yeah. Is it extremely rare? Also yes. Does it actually mean anything in the real world? Unfortunately, no. I’d love to say I’m sitting on a gold mine, but in true DSM fashion, that’s far from the truth.

That’s partly because Mitsubishi didn’t tie the VIN and dash badge numbers together like many other limited edition cars from other manufacturers. It also doesn’t indicate production order. Had either of those things been true, these cars would probably be far more uniquely valuable. But, I guess Mitsubishi didn’t intend for these to be like grandpa’s Mopar where Millennials exploit for nostalgia, content, and flip for a payout once he’s too dead to argue about it. They just slapped a cool badge on the dash and sent it.

So yeah, it’s still number 1. It’s weird, it’s rare, and it’s also basically worth whatever any DSMer is willing to pay for a clapped 90s shitbox on a given day. Which is to say, the value is in the story, not the badge.

With that out of the way, here’s the actual story of the car.

I’ve been eyeballing this one for a few years. I went and looked at it a while back, but I didn’t buy it at the time. Not because I wasn’t interested. I absolutely was. But because I couldn’t make a reasonable offer given what the car clearly meant to the owner. This wasn’t just another old DSM to him, and I wasn’t going to lowball someone or push a deal that didn’t feel right. So I walked away and left it alone.

Eventually, he came back around. When he did, he gave me a genuinely generous deal on the car, and I don’t take that lightly. This wasn’t about winning a negotiation. It was about the car ending up with someone who actually gives a shit about what it is.

For some background, it’s a one owner Southern California car its entire life. That’s the good news. The honest news is that it’s beat. It’s complete, it’s real, and it absolutely deserves saving. But it pretty much needs a ground up restoration.

What makes it cooler is how unmolested it still is. The car is completely stock, aside from an exhaust. No hacked wiring, no mystery mods, no half finished build from three owners ago. Finding any unmolested Galant VR-4 at this point is rare. Finding one that’s still stock and happens to be #0001 is even rarer.

On top of that, a surprising amount of original stuff is still with the car. I’ve got the factory window sticker, the original key fob, and some other period correct odds and ends that almost never survive this long. I go through all of that in the video I’m posting with this thread, along with a walk around of the car and some of the unique details specific to it. If you’re into that kind of nerdy stuff, definitely check it out.

As for plans, I’m not rushing anything. With retirement on the horizon, the plan for now is to stack parts and start hunting down the hardest pieces first. Anyone who’s been around these cars knows the real pain isn’t drivetrain stuff. It’s interior components, especially ones that aren’t trashed. Good interior parts are getting genuinely hard to find, and that’s where most of the early effort will go.

This car isn’t getting parted out, rushed, or turned into some half baked project. The goal is to do it right, take my time, and bring it back in a way that respects what it is, weird history, clapped reality, and all.

More updates once I start digging into it.

 

[We're on Boost]

With retirement on the horizon

Congratulations in advance.

This wasn’t about winning a negotiation. It was about the car ending up with someone who actually gives a shit about what it is.

This is what I hope for when I am on the seller end of it someday.

 

[GST with PSI]

This is what I hope for when I am on the seller end of it someday.

Yeah, I really tried to be that guy. Unfortunately the car had been sitting and I think just got to be too much, as is common for these cars as they age. The seller was in his 80s. He said he bought the car brand new in 1991, which is true and verified in the Carfax report.

The thing I can't emphasize enough is how much the previous owner loved this car. That's absolutely true too, as this thing was driven! It has over 200 thousand miles on it.

 

[bastarddsm]

This is neat. On the 1000/1000 or 2000/2000, I think 1000/1000 was here in Illinois in 2010ish. I'm thinking the twin brothers that do tuning at AMS had it. I remember it was a Green one, seen it at a meet and everyone was excited about the "last gvr4"

Anywho, good luck with your project.

 

[GST with PSI]

This is neat. On the 1000/1000 or 2000/2000, I think 1000/1000 was here in Illinois in 2010ish. I'm thinking the twin brothers that do tuning at AMS had it. I remember it was a Green one, seen it at a meet and everyone was excited about the "last gvr4"

Anywho, good luck with your project.

Interesting. Wonder what happened to it?

I thought I also remembered one of the guys at AMS having a white one around circa 2007 that was pretty fast. I went to school around there at that time.

 

[Jacob5se]

I'm not a GVR4 guy, but I love how 1837 looks so seeing how you'll be bringing number 1 to life will be awesome! Good luck with that.
On the side note, that white C204 C63 in the background is sweet, is it yours?

 

[GST with PSI]

I'm not a GVR4 guy, but I love how 1837 looks so seeing how you'll be bringing number 1 to life will be awesome! Good luck with that.
On the side note, that white C204 C63 in the background is sweet, is it yours?

Appreciate that. It took a long time to build 1837, so hopefully I can shorten that timeline for #1.

And yeah, that’s my C63. It's actually a one owner car as well. I have it, and a W212 E550. I fell in love with the build quality of Mercedes Benz. I'd love to eventually pick up a CLS55 with an M113K to round out the stable. I love that body style and the terminator motor is a beast.

 

[Imback]

Very cool. I've worked on quite a few of these and some stock to a extent but i have never seen the intake flap and the stock BCS solenoid and location.

 

[Jacob5se]

Appreciate that. It took a long time to build 1837, so hopefully I can shorten that timeline for #1.

And yeah, that’s my C63. It's actually a one owner car as well. I have it, and a W212 E550. I fell in love with the build quality of Mercedes Benz. I'd love to eventually pick up a CLS55 with an M113K to round out the stable. I love that body style and the terminator motor is a beast.

View attachment 784482

Looks great! CLS55 is awesome (like any 55K car). My pops have one (though I drive it more than he) and it's blast to drive, we love it. Low end torque is something else.
On the other hand I was debating on going with M156 S63 W221 as my daily, though I ultimately chose to go with S600 as I always wanted to try V12 Biturbo big body Benz. I can always borrow 55 if I feel like driving a V8. Hope you don't mind few pictures to top off that off topic .