Magnarrific: Here’s why the Mitsubishi Magna deserves more love

While Holden and Ford may have produced the best-known locally-designed darlings of the Australian automotive industry’s heyday, the Commodore and Falcon you’ve likely owned one of or were at least driven around in as a child, there was of course a third major player that sat alongside them.

Mitsubishi first entered the Australian market in 1980 after fully acquiring Chrysler’s local division, although some Mitsi models had previously been sold wearing the American badge. Namely, it was the Valiant Galant and Sigma which were Mitsubishi designs that were built in the Tonsley Park vehicle plant in Adelaide, South Australia.

With the popular Sigma enjoying a decade-long run from 1977-87, with the badge up front simply changing over in 1980, it became clear towards the end of that run that a larger car was needed to compete with the larger Holden and Ford competitors. Enter stage left: the Magna, which this year turns 40.

Launching initially as a sedan-only model, wagon variants first joined the Magna range in 1987 (Image: Patrick Jackson)

While still based on the Japanese-market Galant sedan, the first-gen Magna saw that platform be heavily redeveloped at a claimed A$50 million cost to a uniquely Australian specification. With a body 65mm wider and strengthened to handle our unique road conditions, even the name – derived from the Latin word magnus, meaning ‘big’ – signalled the engineers’ intent.

Although still smaller than the Commodore and Falcon of the time, the Magna’s front-wheel drive layout afforded a larger cabin, only growing more capacious with the 1987 introduction of a wagon bodystyle. Also flying in the face of Aussie convention, a transverse-mounted four-cylinder engine featured rather than a longitudinal straight-six, although the big-bore 2.6-litre displacement of the Aussie-made ‘Astron II’ engine kept it competitive as its predecessor had done in the Sigma.

Despite roughly 210,000 first-generation Magnas selling, you won’t find an abundance of them on the road today. Much like its main rivals, it was never designed to be preserved, but rather to be used. That makes the collection you see here an impressive time capsule which I had the chance to spend some time with.

The three cars on test here include an early-build Elite sedan, a GLX manual wagon, and a two-tone Elite automatic wagon (Image: Patrick Jackson)

Magna Carta

This trio belong to Melbourne-based Andrew Wrigglesworth, who first learned to drive in his family’s TP GLX wagon. “Originally, I wanted to just get the one because I learned to drive in one, first day at school, first date… I close my eyes and in all those memories growing up, there was a Magna there in one form or another,” he recalls.

Even more impressive is that this is only half his six-Magna collection. “I wanted to relive my youth by getting that first car, but as all car enthusiasts know, you start with one before someone says, ‘Hey, I’ve got one I’d like to sell but I don’t want to put it on the market, so do you want to make me an offer?’ and then suddenly, I had two,” Andrew explains.

“And then someone else said, ‘Hey, this guy has a low-kilometre one sitting in the garage, and he doesn’t want much money for it, and it’s rare, like, really rare,’ and of course I can’t say no to that because you’ll never find it again. Suddenly, you have three. Now, six down the track, I think I’m at full capacity. Famous last words.”

When it comes to sourcing first-gen Magnas and parts for them, Andrew Wrigglesworth is clearly the go-to guy (Image: Patrick Jackson)

This is clearly the choice three, though, if admittedly for different reasons. The earliest example is the maroon Elite sedan, which Andrew suspects could be the oldest example still on the road, a 1985 model originating from just the second month of production. I’m certainly minded to take his word for it – he knows just about everyone in the country with one of these cars still in their garage.

Featuring the earlier 85kW carburetted version of the Astron II engine and the four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, this example was the lowest-mileage one here and certainly felt it. Despite the less-powerful tune, its crisp auto clearly brought the best out of it.

Also in top-rung Elite specification was the car that clearly drew the ‘beauty contest’ Community Chest card, the two-tone blue and silver wagon. You’d never guess by what a stunner it is, but this example boasted 432,000km on the odometer. The lazy transmission, though, was a clear hint to that mileage, but then its pure Sunday cruiser feel rather suited the rest of the package.

The looker of this trio is clearly the two-tone range-topping wagon, even if it has travelled further than the distance from Earth to the Moon (Image: Patrick Jackson)

What’s most impressive with the two Elite cars is just how ahead of their time they were, featuring digital dashboards, complex stereo equaliser controls, and a mutiny of controls within fingertip reach on the steering wheel and around the steering column. Even some of the oddities, such as its unique indicator ‘switch’ manage to feel intuitive, too. Mind you, at almost double the price of the entry-level model when these were sold new, you’d hope they came packed.

But there’s one clear star of the show here, and it’s the car that kickstarted it all for Andrew, the yellow-over-brown GLX wagon. A dead-ringer for his parents’ car, it cost him a mere $600, yet it’s the dream drive of the three.

Despite launching 40 years ago, top-spec Magnas featured a digital dashboard and steering wheel controls (Image: Patrick Jackson)

It’s a rare combination to find – entry-level trim, the 93kW fuel-injected engine, and a five-speed manual gearbox – but it’s one that showcases this platform at its best. The smooth-shifting ‘box with its perfectly spaced ratios truly brings this engine to life, making the ‘big block’ four’s throttle feel surprisingly perky.

By the standards of yesteryear and those of today, the Magna holds up as smoother and quieter than its peers, and as a better handler given the still-smaller size. Handling, of course, was a prominent feature of the marketing for later Magnas – who can forget the controversial commercial for the 2003 Magna AWD? – but it’s a benefit still on show even in these early examples.

Thanks to its front-wheel drive layout, the smaller Magna boasted a more spacious interior than the Commodore and Falcon of the time (Image: Patrick Jackson)

Although some may deride the Magna’s Japanese origins as not making it a ‘proper Aussie car’, whatever that means given the international roots of many Commodore and Falcon generations, there’s no denying its influence on its contemporaries such as Toyota, Mazda, Honda, and Nissan who all elected to offer wider-bodied versions of its JDM platforms in international markets.

Whether you grew up riding in the back of one of these on the way to school or you’re looking for your first entry into the retro market, the Magna makes for possibly the most affordable entry point to classic car ownership. The reason why isn’t just because of its questioned origins; dramatic engine and transmission issues plagued early TM examples in particular, but first impressions perhaps matter most.

Mind you, that hasn’t stopped me from delving deep on the online classifieds. After seeing these three, I wouldn’t blame you at home for doing the same.

You don’t find interior upholstery like this anymore (Image: Patrick Jackson)

Happy Birthday to Ya

With the year 1985 marking the Magna’s debut, 2025 will signify 40 years since the launch of this iconic Aussie car and 20 years since the conclusion of its production run, and Andrew is making sure to not let that go without celebration. 

Simply dubbed Magna40, the two-day celebrations will include a gathering of many Magnas from over the generations on October 18 at Tonsley Park, the former site of the factory they were built in which has now turned into a business and technology hub. Following that, there will be a special inclusion for the cars at the Bay to Birdwood event on October 19.

Andrew acknowledges that the support network for these cars barely extends beyond enthusiasts, but that Mitsubishi Motors Australia is likely glad that such owners are preserving these cars (Image: Patrick Jackson)

Organising this is something Andrew had to take into his own hands due to the only support network for these cars – whether it comes to celebrations like this or even simply keeping these cars on the road – ultimately being the few passionate owners of them.

“There’s no support network for these cars apart from the enthusiasts. Luckily, there are a few mechanical things still available brand new [for these cars], but the majority is just finding it yourself or people telling you about things,” Andrew explains.

“I think it’s been a bit of a surprise to the people I’ve spoken with [at Mitsubishi Motors Australia], whether they’re currently working or retired there. They’re kind of blown away that these cars are still around after such a long time, but I like to think they’re grateful that there are people out there who still appreciate this history.”

Given the low cost of entry, the first-gen Magna makes for a solid first-time Aussie classic car purchase (Image: Patrick Jackson)