This 1987 Chrysler Conquest TSI has a lot of things going for it. The first is that it has only ever had one elderly female owner. The second is that it is completely original and unmodified. The third is that these are an extremely enjoyable car to drive. If you would like to own a great little car that has an international motorsport pedigree, then you will find the Conquest located in Andover, Minnesota, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Chrysler has now reached $11,400, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
Finished in Red, this Conquest is a pretty nice looking car. It appears to be clean and free of any rust issues, with only the occasional nick and chip on the paint. As a bonus, the Conquest is fitted with the factory glass sunroof, and this looks to be in very nice condition. I have a soft spot for the Conquest and particularly like the wide-body version. Those pumped fenders make the car look tougher and more aggressive, and the factory alloy wheels fill the wheel arches very nicely. The seller identifies the wheels as being the car’s weak point, with the original clear-coat beginning to peel. This is an inconvenience, but it is also something that could quite easily be addressed by a competent wheel reconditioning company.
It is always refreshing to look inside a Japanese car of this vintage and find that the interior trim has survived nicely. This one features the optional black leather seats, and their condition is amazing. There really isn’t a lot that can be faulted with this completely original interior, and this is hardly surprising since the car has only covered a genuine 36,600 miles. I have no doubts about this claim, as the owner holds all of the documentation and service records for the Conquest, dating right back to the day that the car was driven off the showroom floor back in 1987. As well as the sumptuous leather seats, the car comes equipped with air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a premium radio/cassette sound system, power mirrors, a tilt wheel, and cruise control.
The highlight of the Conquest rests under the hood, which is the turbocharged and intercooled 2,555cc 4-cylinder engine. The 188hp produced by this engine is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. For a 4-cylinder production car, these were quite a giant killer. They were capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in around 6.5 seconds and could rip through the ¼ mile in around 15 seconds. It might not be muscle car territory, but it still is nothing to be sneezed at. It’s also worth noting that the Conquest has a pretty respectable competition history, mainly in Asia and Europe where it was being sold as the Mitsubishi Starion. They were homologated for international Group A Touring Car competition, and in that category, the car achieved plenty of success. In full competition specs, they were easily capable of pumping out 300hp, making them a pretty formidable piece of machinery. Of course, those sorts of modifications have never been performed on this car, so what you have here is a low-mileage car that runs and drives very well.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I really want this car. Sure, it isn’t a muscle car, but these are a car that handles exceptionally well when pointed at a piece of twisting road, and the combination of light vehicle weight and respectable horsepower makes them an entertaining vehicle to drive. This one is in exceptional condition and would be a great classic to park in any driveway.
Well Adam, it may not be a muscle car, but it is certainly a high performance car. I agree with you, it looks to be the real deal. The documentation from new makes it real. I also want it. In 1987, this was no slouch and a good driver on a twisty road could hang with almost anything, including the infamous 911 of the same vintage. These gave a lot of V8 cars some real grief. After all, who wanted to be smoked by a 4 banger in 1987. Great find.
We had a white version of this – same year. Fun little car.
Sweet ride – takes me back to my high school days. Excuse me while i go grow a mullet…
Car was on Bring A Trailer last month and was bid to $11,888 and didn’t meet reserve. I’m surprised it didn’t bring more on BaT, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens on Ebay.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-chrysler-conquest-tsi-6/
Blew these off weekly in my 87 GN. Also an Omni GLH smoked these. I had two buddies that owned these and bought them just to beat my GN. Didn’t happen. BTW they didn’t even know each other and I had another friend who kept buying cars to beat my GN.
First up he bought a 88 Vette then an 87 turbo T-Bird. LOL you all know how that turned out, then a 89 Fox body Mustang. Close but no cigar.
Out of all those cars I like the Conquest. Great looking car but I’m looking for a blue one.
This was the ticket back in the eighties. The Conquest and the 5.0 mustangs was the new cars to have. This style has aged well. It doesn’t look outdated like some other cars of the era.
I was just out of college when these hit the States and I liked the look right away. Very nearly bought one too, but this was over a $20K car and the payments would have been a nightmare for a recent grad. The interior seemed very futuristic at the time.
Looked at and test drove these when they were new and passed on them due to the mad mouse shoulder belts. Did anyone ever develop an alternative to those motorized belts?
Great looking car.
Note, the latest service repair. Mold and rodent issues.
I was a parts and service director for 2 dealerships ( same owner) at the time these were new. (Ford, Mercury, Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth) A friend of mine bought one of these. ( the twin to this one) And dropped it off at my house to take it in for service the next morning. I liked the car as it was cool looking and it was from the same folks that produced the Fire Arrow! ( being an ex-rally driver I was a fan). The next morning I backed out of the drive way and headed on down the road. At the end of my street was a 90 degree turn to the left. As was my usual MO. I took the racing line and added to the loud pedal. With my 5.0 Mustang it was a very gradual 4 wheel drift. ( not a lot of throttle required) However in the Conquest since it was a 4 banger I increased the throttle input some. I was disappointed with the throttle response and it appeared that my exit speed would not be my usual get my attitude ready for the day velocity. Then the boost kicked in. Thankfully, these cars have very responsive steering. Because it was all I could do to keep from taking out mail boxes like a length of picket fence! I still would like to own one of these some day.
This is an interesting to put in the write up.
“The first is that it has only ever had one elderly female owner.”
She wasn’t elderly when she bought it, was she?
That comment made me recall that I’d seen this car before. I like everything about it, EXCEPT the “mechanical mouse” seatbelts, and (like Oil Slick) I’d want mine in blue! :-)
I used to wrench on these at the Mitsubishi dealer when they first came out. Then I bought one several years later. I felt safe and secure in this car. It was a blast to drive, and reliable. It blew a timing chain and I dumped it. Really miss that car! This car looks exactly like the car I owned.
These were certainly no slouches. May not be a muscle car like a Corvette, but then again the Vette that year only had 250hp and weighed 500+ pounds more. These are a blast to drive, and represent a great model for Chrysler in the dismal 80’s. I’d love to have it too! It’ll be interesting to see what it goes for.
The turbo unit is the weak link. When the miles pile on the turbo usually fails. I don’t want to price out a replacement. Nice looking car even today.
I had an 89 in LA. Same color just a bit different steering wheel and seats. WAY ahead of its time. They should have kept making them and gone with a v6 turbo. The 2.6 had issues…many. Mine blew at 55k miles. I shot the canyons in Malibu and Angela’s Crest all the time. I drive a 911 now and still miss the look of this car.
Had one of these new. It did 143mph on flat Hwy; it was fast enough
I just came across this site and article…Great read. I want to thank you as I am the grandson that submitted to BaT & Ebay. We never did come to a deal last August. Car is still available and about to get pulled out of storage! I can speak to anyone who may be interested in hearing more about the car and some of the items they may be concerned about in the original add. My grandma was about 40 when she bought this and has loved it since! Look forward to hearing from some of you! Barnfinds… thank you for the article!
Seems like it may be No, but is this Conquest still available, 3 years later?