Somewhere along the line, lima beans got a bad rap. Despite being bite-sized, easy to prepare and high in essential nutrients such as iron and B vitamins, only a small group of individuals will ever admit to eating the little green suckers, much less admit to liking them.
A similar sort of stigma seems to have been placed on Mitsubishi's 3000GT. Although equipped with an array of cutting edge go-fast equipment from the factory-including a twin-turbo, twin-intercooled V6 and an all-wheel-drive layout before all-wheel drive was the thing to do-the 3000GT fan base is a small, tightly knit community of individuals. To them, it's a mystery the car never enjoyed quasi-legendary status.
Fortunately for GT fans, there's a place devoted to improving the performance of this car: GT Pro in Industry, Calif. This orange-and-black 1991 VR-4 is the company's latest creation in its drive to re-establish the 3000GT platform as a serious performance vehicle.
Company founder Brian LaFuente opened shop in 1994, working part-time out of his garage on various 3000GT projects. He gained business through word of mouth, and eventually got to the point where he had to decide between keeping his day job and managing GT Pro full time. That decision was easy to make. Almost a decade later, GT Pro is still doing a lot of business. Mitsu 3000GT owners remain the core of its clientele, but the company has just expanded to include WRX, 350Z and 240SX applications.
LaFuente acquired this VR-4 from a friend who foolishly gave it to his 16-year-old son, who promptly crashed it. LaFuente was offered first dibs on the wreck, and he accepted and quickly began building the car as a shop mascot and living proof the 3000GT is capable of performing with the best.
Though the car is a '91, what enthusiasts consider first generation, a more popular look in the 3000GT crowd is the third-gen model, the car's final iteration before Mitsubishi ceased production at the start of the millenium.
LaFuente and company updated the body to reflect this preference. They rebuilt the ruined front end, going as far as grafting new sheetmetal into the crumpled front quarter panels, and modified an aftermarket second-gen bumper to accept the new third-gen headlamps and indicators. The bumper is crafted by Pit Road M, one of two popular Japanese outfits that specialize in the 3000GT. The same company supplied the hood; both pieces are part of Pit Road M's M16 Fighter series of 3000GT body treatments.
Other additions to the exterior include a pair of Bomex side skirts, modified slightly to GT Pro's tastes, a third-gen rear bumper and a set of Japanese taillights. The wing was fabricated entirely by GT Pro. It's a one-off fiberglass piece that may or may not be placed into production. The car's paint scheme is a combination of Lamborghini Diablo orange and Mercedes-Benz black.
A set of Tein Flex coil-overs drop the newly refinished chassis. The car now crouches over an impressive quartet of Racing Hart CP5 wheels, sized 19x9 in front and 19x10 in the rear. These are shod in Falken GR- rubber, sized 245/35R-19 front and 275/30R-19 rear. Front brake mods include 350mm cross-drilled Brembo discs and six-pot Brembo calipers. In the rear, GT Pro replaced the factory rotors with a set of cross-drilled Stillen discs, and updated the first-gen single-piston calipers with a pair of two-piston third-gen units.
Beneath the hood, an array of relatively simple bolt-on enhancements and a smidgen of fuel tuning magic serve to bring the twin-turbo V6 up to fire-breathing status. A custom intake pipe, modified airflow sensor and 65mm throttle body now make up the intake tract. Dual GT Pro-spec GT368-SX turbos have replaced the smallish stock units on top of the factory exhaust manifolds, and the two-core intercooler system has been upgraded with a large front-mount unit and requisite plumbing. GT Pro markets this intercooler as a kit, and notes that it fits the car without any modifications necessary to the front bumper supports.