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Every generation of car collectors makes a new generation of cars collectible. Many vehicles of the 1980s and 1990s are increasing in value and even have their own classic car meet: RADwood. This evolving market creates many investment opportunities, but the best may be the Dodge Stealth. Enthusiasts argue this Mitsubishi-designed sports car is as much fun to drive as a stock Nissan Skyline. And they are currently selling at bargain prices.

So what the heck is a Dodge Stealth? By the late 1970s, it became obvious that Americans wanted lighter cars but Detroit didn’t yet know how to engineer them. All of the Detroit Three sought Japanese partners and offered “badge engineered” vehicles in the U.S.–or rebadged versions of JDM vehicles. General Motors cozied up with Isuzu, Ford made nice with Mazda, and Chrysler Corporation partnered with Mitsubishi.

Front of a white Dodge Stealth sports car.
1992 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo | Cars & Bids

The Dodge/Mitsubishi joint venture (Diamond-Star Motors) eventually led to a factory in Normal, Illinois. The partnership gave the North American market vehicles such as the Dodge Raider/Mitsubishi Montero, Chrysler Starion/Mitsubishi Starion, and of course the Dodge Stealth/Mitsubishi 3000GT.

Mitsubishi engineered its “GTO” for the 1990 model year. It was a three-door hatchback/2+2. It was available with either a naturally-aspirated or twin-turbocharged V6 and as a FWD or with an AWD. Features ahead of its time included rear-wheel steering, active aerodynamics, and a sport exhaust mode. Honestly, some of these features disappeared after the GTO and reappeared years or decades later.

Side of a white Dodge Stealth classic sports car coupe.
1992 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo | Cars & Bids

Every GTO was built in Japan. For the North American market, Mitsubishi rebadged it as the 3000GT. Dodge’s design team created a version with flip-up headlights and the company’s iconic, crosshair grille. It’s a very attractive “mini muscle car” with a nice 1990s JDM flair.

The most desirable Dodge Stealths have the turbocharged V6, AWD, and the later 6-speed manual transmission. While you can find FWD Stealths for under $3k (really), the average turbocharged car is going for $16,225 according to Classic.com. The lowest sale this year was $5,000. On the Cars & Bids auction site, three turbocharged stealths listed in the past two years have failed to break $11,000–including the 1992 model pictured above. The top end of the market (for a pristine car with just 9,000 miles) was $26k. For something that can hang with a Skyline and is much more unique, that’s quite the bargain.

Finally, Dodge is dusting off the “Stealth” badge for its next generation of SUVs. This sort of visibility is likely to increase the value of the classic Stealth, which was all-but forgotten until now.

See some JDM fans review a Dodge Stealth in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.