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Wikipedia: Mitsubishi Lancer (A70): Celeste
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Mitsubishi Lancer (A70) page on 24 May 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
In February 1975, the Lancer was complemented by a hatchback coupé called the "Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste" (A70-series). It succeeded the Galant FTO, which never did very well in the marketplace due to confusion with the Galant GTO and carrying too high a price. It was also called the "Mitsubishi Celeste" or "Colt Celeste" in some markets; and sold as the "Chrysler Lancer Hatchback" in Australia, the "Dodge Lancer Celeste" in El Salvador, the "Plymouth Arrow" in the United States, and the "Dodge Arrow" in Canada. Sitting on the same 2,340 mm wheelbase as the Lancer, length was up to 4,115 mm.
The Celeste was originally available with 1.4- and 1.6-litre options, a bigger 2.0-litre model was added later. The 1979–80 Plymouth "Fire Arrow" came with an even larger (2,555 cc) four-cylinder, but strangled by American emissions regulations it only offered 105 hp (78 kW), no more than the Japanese market 2000 GT. Along with receiving a light facelift in July 1977, including new taillights and the cleaner (but lower powered) MCA-Jet engines, new model codes (A140-series) were introduced. There was another facelift in April 1978; square headlights and bigger, less integrated bumpers heralded the coming eighties. Named accordingly, a top-of-the-line "GT System 80" version had appeared in November 1977, including every possible extra and special black and gold paintwork. This was trumped by the 105 PS (77 kW) "2000 GT" introduced in June 1979, with a version of the 2-litre Astron engine already used in export since October 1975. Production of the Lancer Celeste ended in July 1981 and it was replaced by the front-wheel drive Cordia in early 1982.
Because of the Arrow's long, narrow, aerodynamic, lightweight design and rugged suspension, it was used extensively in various types of racing including SCCA road racing, rally and drag racing. The Arrow body design was used on pro stock and funny cars in the late 1970s by noteworthy racers such as Ray Godman, Don Prudhomme, Bob Glidden and Raymond Beadle.
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1979 Fire Arrow Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden 2013 The Cars Time Forgot View photo of 1979 Plymouth Fire Arrow - 4.2MB |
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1979 Fire Arrow Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden 2013 The Cars Time Forgot View photo of 1979 Plymouth Fire Arrow - 4.0MB |
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1979 Fire Arrow Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden 2013 The Cars Time Forgot View photo of 1979 Plymouth Fire Arrow - 2.5MB |
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1979 Fire Arrow Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden 2013 The Cars Time Forgot View photo of 1979 Plymouth Fire Arrow - 2.5MB |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 26 January 2016 | Reference Desk: 1979 Plymouth Fire Arrow | Bill Crittenden |
