Rare Concepts Most of the cars that we talk about in this series of articles devoted to forgotten concepts are in fact not so unfamiliar, on the contrary, many people remember them well, especially when they have given life in some way or form. another to production models.
For the Mitsubishi HSR, on the other hand, things are different, because although we are dealing in this subject not with one but six prototypes, presented at regular intervals of two years one after the other on the occasion of the Tokyo Auto Shows between 1987 and 1997, none of them left their mark. Too bad, because while it is true that they did not directly become production models, many of the innovations baptized by this family have since appeared on production cars.
As quoted of Wikipedia, the meaning of HSR acronym varied over the years. The first iteration meant Hi-Speed Running Research, the second Highly Sophisticated-transport Research, and the third Human Science Research. All of the HSR acronym means could not only imply aesthetic refinement, indeed, each of the concepts (all designed by the same hand, that of Akinori Nakanishi) had equally innovative technologies, from the electronic control of the chassis to the steering on the four wheels, from active aerodynamics to stability control and small supercharged engines, all of which are very rare or have not yet happened on production cars at the time.
The first concept car of this series was made by Mitsubishi in 1987 and was called the Mitsubishi HSR Concept (HSR means as 'Hi-speed Running Research'). It was made as a show car featured with the Mitsubishi's integrated electronic systems offering automatic control of drive train, suspension, steering, brakes, and driving position according to driving conditions or weather. The car was powered by a 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged engine capable spew out power of 291 horsepower, and claimed to be run up to a maximum speed of 300 kph.
The second generation called the Mitsubishi HSR-II Concept (HSR means as 'Highly Sophisticated-transport Research') made by the Japanese automaker in 1989. It had a heavy emphasis on active aerodynamics (such the independent suspension and electronically-adjustable dampers all around), coupled with a series of movable fins and spoilers offering a drag factor which varied from 0.20 to 0.40 depending on setup. Besides the HSR-II is packing a twin-turbo V6 along with 4-wheel steering and 4-wheel drive as well.
For your info, the HSR-II Concept could be found and driven virtually in the racing games titled of theGran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6 under the Sony's PlayStation consoles.
The third concept car to bear the HSR name is built back in 1991 and known as the Mitsubishi HSR-III Concept under design themes of "Human Scale Technology" and "Small is beautiful and continued the active aerodynamics theme of the HSR-II, but with the addition of flexible skin on the rear spoiler dubbed an "elastic aerotail. It was powered by an 1.6-litre V6 6A10 engine (known as the world's smallest mass-produced V6 engine) capable burst power of 177 hp. Indeed, the HSR-III shifting from the overtly sporting and powerful earlier HSRs, however focused on cleanliness and recyclability so all of the car body parts marked for ease of recycling.
As for the fourth of the HSR (HSR means as 'Human Science Research') series is made by Mitsubishi back in 1993. It is named Mitsubishi HSR-IV Concept powered y a modulated displacement version of the 1.6-litre V6 engine capable burst power of 177 horsepower. Besides the four-wheel-drive sports concept car also featuring an all-wheel anti-lock braking system.
However, the fifth version (as seen as the first picture above), the one presented by Mitsubishi at the 1995 edition of the international event, had something more: it came with a slightly different appearance, adjustable ground clearance and bodywork. convertible with a semi-transparent retractable roof that made it go from coupe to roadster. In short, a coupe-convertible-crossover ahead of its time. While, the Mitsubishi HSR-V Concept, in particular, was equipped with first 1.8-liter gasoline engine with direct injection, the ancestor of the famous GDi family of Mitsubishi launched the following year on the Galant and then the Carisma.
Meanwhile in 1997, the Japanese automaker made an evolution in design on the Mitsubishi HSR-VI Concept, which powered by the 2.4-litre version of the GDI engine and also had four-wheel steering, active yaw, traction controls, even an early automated driving system ('Automated Driving' and 'Driver Operated' Modes, two operating modes suited to the traffic environment of the near future).
The HSR-VI Concept's cabin lowers to its lowest position to insure a low total overall height of 1,220 mm. This perfectly matches the overall width of 1,870 mm to create a bold, stable appearance. At the same time, the front end profile is compact to greatly reduce air resistance. When in this mode, the styling of HSR-VI is worthy of the ultra-high efficiency and next generation personal transportation. That's the final concept, since then the HSR series is no longer made by the Japanese manufacturer.😏
As for the design, in our opinion the Mitsubishi HSR-VI Concept was less attractive and had much like “Blade Runner” in boxy shape. And we preferred to the Mitsubishi HSR-V Concept. Finally, which one do you think has the best design from all the models from the HSR series above and give your opinion on the comment collum. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | JALOPNIK | AUTONETMAGZ | WIKIPEDIA | BYRI.NET | CAR-REV-DAILY ]
For the Mitsubishi HSR, on the other hand, things are different, because although we are dealing in this subject not with one but six prototypes, presented at regular intervals of two years one after the other on the occasion of the Tokyo Auto Shows between 1987 and 1997, none of them left their mark. Too bad, because while it is true that they did not directly become production models, many of the innovations baptized by this family have since appeared on production cars.
The HSR-VI Concept's cabin lowers to its lowest position to insure a low total overall height of 1,220 mm. This perfectly matches the overall width of 1,870 mm to create a bold, stable appearance. At the same time, the front end profile is compact to greatly reduce air resistance. When in this mode, the styling of HSR-VI is worthy of the ultra-high efficiency and next generation personal transportation. That's the final concept, since then the HSR series is no longer made by the Japanese manufacturer.😏
