When I think of “captive imports,” I don’t normally think of staid, sometimes stodgy Plymouth. They usually made cars for practical people who didn’t want to appear too showy or flashy, anything that screams, “Look at me!” It’s hard not to look at this 1984 Plymouth Conquest turbo, and you can get a great cyber look at it here on eBay in Canton, Georgia. The seller is asking $15,890, or you can make an offer.
The seller has loaded 100+ photos, and that’s amazing! I wish every seller would go through the trouble they did to get these fantastic photos. The sun isn’t everywhere at once, so you know they moved the car to make sure to get all sides of it with the sun shining on it rather than the… (I hate to say “lazy”) way that some sellers just take photos with half of the car in shadow as if they don’t really care what it looks like. “Here you go, good enough, buy my car…” Kudos to the seller, and my apologies for mentioning the photo quality or lack of photo quality so often.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a Plymouth Conquest in person; easily two or three decades, if not more. The captive import part that I mentioned is that they were based on the Mitsubishi Starion, as was the Dodge Stealth, and were made from 1982 for the 1983 model year until 1989. This is a narrowbody version without the fender flares (the widebody version), and they were offered until halfway through the 1985 model year.
There appears to be some fading on some of the gold portions of the exterior paint, and I see a small crack in the bottom left corner of the front air dam, but nothing too alarming. The interior is beautiful and I remember how different they were with all of the tiny buttons, compared to big American cars with giant buttons and knobs that you could operate with winter gloves on. The seats look great, as does the rear cargo area and the rock-solid-looking undercarriage!
The engine isn’t exactly a work of art in the looks department, it’s a Mitsubishi 4G54, a 2.6-liter SOHC inline-four turbo with 145 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque when new. I’d love to put this engine in my little orange Dodge D-50 pickup. This example sends that power through a five-speed manual to the rear wheels, and the seller says it’s a great car and has had some recent maintenance, along with having had a single owner for 39 years. Have any of you owned a Plymouth Conquest, Dodge Stealth, or Mitsubishi Starion?
RADWood approved
Along w the Toyota Supra, Celica, Nissan 300, and 200. Proper rwd offerings from the land of the rising sun. 🌄🇯🇵
Scotty not to pick a nit, but wasn’t the Dodge Stealth based on the Mitsubishi 3000 GT? Fine car just the same, just not sure it’s worth the ask.
Exactly. The Stealth was a 300GT. The Conquest was actually sold by Plymouth, Dodge, and Chysler at the same time. Kind of like the Plymouth and Dodge Colt.
Arrgh, you’re right, Fox owner, my apologies for that embarrassing gaff. Dodge Conquest and later Chrysler Conquest. Thanks for catching that, my apologies.
Scotty……. Were you out shoveling snow again???
You’re totally excused if you were.
Ha, I wasn’t, Driveinstile, that was just an embarrassing gaff on my part.
Plymouth was the KING of captive imports! Cricket, Arrow, Arrow pickup, Champ, Colt, Sapporo, Conquest, Laser….. did anyone have more?
Nailed it, JDC! You’re 100% correct.
The Laser was a joint venture vehicle built in Normal, Illinois.
I stand corrected on the laser. You are scheduled so right.
You left out the Challenger,twin to the Sapporo.
But the Challenger was badged as a Dodge, whereas JDC was making the point that plenty of captive-import models were badged as Plymouths.
Nice flatty with a great 80’s color scheme
I believe it could be based on the Mitsubishi Cordia
The Cordia was FWD, this is RWD. Different car. This was based off of the Starion
As nice as this is, when I see this I would want a Conquest TSi!
I started at a Chrysler dealer in 1986. I’m sure that it was a Chrysler Conquest. Not a Plymouth. Using memory from 40 years ago. In 1986 there we’re 2 Conquest’s.Either a TSI or not. The TSI = turbo, wide body. We ordered our TSI’s loaded up. Leather,roof,ect. MSRP was over 20k in 1986! The power numbers seem off. 200 hp. 200+ foot pounds.?
1987-89 it was sold under Chrysler. Before that, Dodge or Plymouth
Michael, technically your dealer did not order any Mitsubishi vehicles. All Mitsubishi vehicles badged under any MOPAR brand were shipped from Japan and the dealers through their sales district manager or zone distribution office could SELECT these vehicles while they were in transit to the USA.
Truth be told because the Conquest in any configuration was not a big seller, most of them sat in ports and the sales district managers begged dealers to take them. When that didn’t work, all the field people drove them as their company car(field car).
Mitsubishi Starion in the UK
Mitsubishi sold them here as Starion as well
This is a very rare bird and in great shape. It’s not impossible the seller could get even more than asking price at the right auction. I almost scored a Plymouth Sapporo last year but owner decided to keep it. Love these oddball forgotten cars.
I was a big fan of these back in the day. Especially the 86-89 years with the deeper dish rear wheels. My friend had one and it would run 8.80 in the 8th mile with an upgraded turbo and an extra injector plumbed in the intake just after the throttle body. It would only activate under boost. If you went to his house he had turbo magazines all over the table in 1992!! Fun times.
The deep dish rear wheels were part of the optional SHP handling package. I think the rears were 245s on those
Scotty, our family owned three of them! All narrow bodies. My mom bought an 87 conquest, brand new, that had benefited with a Starion hood emblem From The Factory. We figured that was the first StarQuest. When I got totaled for the second time, neither of which were her fault, we replaced it with a mint Starion, and my uncle bought a used Conquest. Unfortunately, all are gone now, but I love those cars!
That’s cool as heck, Jamie! I did not know that. If you listed every vehicle you and your family owned, it would shut down the internet!
This article caught my eye immediately. I missed out on the silver/blue 83 Starion that a quick google search will reveal and will always regret it.
That being said, I have owned six of these, with only three being running and driving examples. I still own a silver 89 Conquest with 96k indicated, stick shift of course, and a rare maroon leather/cloth interior with tasteful mods, an 83 hood (coveted, now) and rear louvers. It is a never sell car for me (if I can help it). I love the box flares and flip up headlights. I still get partially strangled by the automatic seatbelt sometimes.
These cars have their issues, and some parts are getting harder to find, which may be the reason why it seems to be trendy to swap God-knows-what into them these days. All I want for christmas is an MPI intake. That, while not cheap, is probably the most cost-effective upgrade as the throttle body fuel injection is not exactly of peak efficiency.
That all being said, they are fun to drive and I never get tired of the guessing games people play, i.e. “Hey, cool Celica!”. I never thought they would reach the prices that they are now, I would find prime examples for 3-4 grand and most of the examples I picked up were $500 and under. The first being an 84 when I was 19 for $350, before I knew what a head gasket leak looked like…she still ran like a scalded dog though.
Wonderful example of an underrated car.
I bought a new Dodge Conquest in 1984. What a car. I knew it would kill me or put me in jail. I felt invincible. Raced everything on the highway. Had to trade it in on a 85 Chrysler LeBaron Turbo. Great car. It would talk to the kids. Woman who bought the Conquest went through two Turbos…Bill
Speaking of Dodge Stealth – they are reviving the name for 2025.
And, yep you guessed it, it is going to be an SUV!