A Mitsubishi captive that never found a forever home.
They’re called captive imports, and they’re not as common as they once were. A captive import is a vehicle built by a foreign manufacturer, and sold under the banner of a domestic maker. The GEO lineup of cars and trucks was comprised entirely of captive imports.
1986 Dodge Conquest
Captive Imports
Sold through Chevrolet dealers between 1989 and 1997, GEO’s lineup included the Metro, which was built by Suzuki, the Prism, which was supplied by Toyota, and the Storm, which came by way of Isuzu.
But while GEO tapped a number of makers for its portfolio, Chrysler proved remarkably loyal to single provider of generally affordable small cars: Mitsubishi. The relationship goes back as far as 1971, when Dodge sold it’s first Mitsubishi, the Colt. Plymouth, too, another Chrysler brand, would go on to sell the Colt—yup, same name—as well as the Cricket, Arrow, and Sapporo.
Dodge Conquest/Plymouth Conquest
But, these were mostly smaller, practical cars, all with attractive price tags. That said, the Sapporo was a classy little couple related mechanically to the subject of this article. But, until 1987, nothing bearing the Chrysler badge had been built by Mitsubishi. And when Chrysler finally did sell a car built by the Japanese maker, it was pretty special. But this would happen only after Dodge and Plymouth had a crack at it first.
New for 1984 was the Dodge and Plymouth (yup, both brands, at the same time) Conquest. A clone of the Mitsubishi Starion sports coupe, the Conquest was a world-class performance car featuring all sorts of go-fast goodies mostly unknown to either Dodge or Plymouth franchises, including: a fuel injected, turbocharged, intercooled engine featuring balance shafts and a turbo water jacket, and a chassis NOT derived from Chrysler’s tired K-Car architecture.
But, with a starting price of nearly $13,000, the Conquest wasn’t well suited for Dodge and Plymouth showrooms, places where the common Aries and Reliant respectively sold for as little as $6000.
Chrysler Conquest
After two years of being sold as a Dodge and a Plymouth, the Conquest was promoted to premium status, and began wearing a Chrysler badge for 1987. Sales of the Conquest never took off, however, perhaps because Chrysler customers, still very fond of vinyl roofs and wire wheel covers, didn’t know what to make of the rakish, 176-horsepower sports car.
The ad featured here is fun because it includes lots of stats, most of which are unnecessarily rounded to the hundreds place, and a pretty dramatic image of the Conquest. The car was discontinued after two years as a Chrysler, having never really been updated in any way over its six-year run.
This editor loves the styling, which is unapologetically Japanese, and the blocky, super-cool five-spoke wheels.
Conquest Prices
A quick scan of Conquest sales—of any brand—produced asking prices ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, with most cars listed for around $15,000. Not bad for a short-lived captive import that never really found a home.
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Conquest Pictures
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