Mitsubishi 3000GT Spyder History

A rare special edition version of the 3000GT SL and VR4 came out from 1995 to 1996 named the Spyder SL and Spyder VR4. These convertibles had retractable hardtop, not soft-top roofs. The Spyder was the first hardtop to come out in the US since the Ford Fairlane Skyliner. Speculation that their demand (when considering their outrageous $20,000 markup over the hardtop VR4) was what inspired Mercedes to introduce the SLK has circulated for years. The Spyders were identical to their regular brothers in mechanical and body styling, except for the rims, rear fascia, and in the Spyder VR4, the active aero system. One advantage of these Spyder models was that the extra weight of the motor that retracted the roof in the trunk equalized the weight of the car to near 50:50. However the Spyder suffered from inferior chassis rigidity even with the extra braces in the underbody, and with the excess weight, they were not quite as good at handling curves as their fixed roof counterparts. The Spyder was discontinued in 1997 because of slow sales, but they are still regarded by many as amazing machines to see. The Spyder was never officially available in Europe and Japan. Note: A customization firm in the United States based their entire business on converting normal 3000GTs into soft-top convertibles. These machines should not be confused with the Spyder, which was Mitsubishi designed and built.

In 1995 the 3000GT Spyder was available in:

• Caracas Red with Gray Leather Interior
• Sable Black with Ivory Leather Interior
• Glacier White Pearl with Gray Leather Interior
• Martinique Yellow Pearl with Ivory Leather Interior

In 1996 the 3000GT Spyder was available in:

• Caracas Red with Tan Leather Interior
• Solano Black Pearl with Tan Leather Interior
• Glacier White Pearl with Tan Leather Interior
• Panama Green Pearl with Tan Leather Interior

My 3000GT Spyder VR4
3000GT Spyder Registry
3000GT Spyder Decal Placement