Mitsubishi, West Coast Customs to build a 'new' 1917 Model A
It may look 100 years old, but it will be built atop a brand-new platform.
To celebrate its 100th birthday, Mitsubishi is teaming up with West Coast Customs to give new life to a piece of history.
Mitsubishi has entrusted West Coast Customs -- of "Pimp My Ride" fame -- to recreate Mitsubishi's first car, a 1917 Model A. But there's a twist! Instead of building it atop its original frame, WCC will build the "new" Model A using the electrified platform of the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid.
It's very unlikely that the resto-modded Model A will come with the giant television, speakers and other frippery that West Coast Customs is known for. This is... probably a good thing.
The goal is to have the plug-in hybrid Model A ready by the summer. It'll be shown on an episode of "Inside West Coast Customs" on the Velocity network at some point, and Mitsubishi will likely drag it out for a number of auto shows in the latter half of the year.
The Model A was the first car to ever wear Mitsubishi's three-diamond emblem. It is considered Japan's first mass-produced vehicle, with a 22-car production run.