Mitsubishi Motors in the UK 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Rally

Fifty Mitsubishi vehicles take part in Mitsubishi Motors in the UK 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Rally

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK celebrated its 50^th anniversary with its Golden Jubilee Tour on Saturday 21 September. The day was a resounding success with 50 Mitsubishi vehicles participating in the event, spanning all five decades.

Dedicated Mitsubishi enthusiasts gathered at Watermoor Point in Cirencester, the headquarters of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, where they were welcomed to the event by the Mitsubishi team, led by Managing Director, Toby Marshall and Head of MMUK, Sharon Townsend

After a complimentary breakfast and an event briefing, the vehicles left Cirencester around 9 am. Every participant was waved off by Jack Morris-Marsham, one of the founders of The Colt Car Company (now known as Mitsubishi Motors in the UK) and previous Managing Director and company Vice Chairman.

The rally route was nearly 100 miles in distance and explored the beautiful Cotswolds countryside and villages with planned stops along the route. At each checkpoint, the driving teams had their route books stamped to demonstrate that they had followed the complete route and followed the correct directions.

Planned stops were made at the renowned Prescott Hill Climb, a lunch break at the Four Alls public house and the Classic Motor Hub at Bibury. The rally concluded at Badminton House, long associated with Mitsubishi Motors thanks to the company’s 28-year sponsorship of the world-famous Badminton Horse Trials.

All event finishers received a prize, and the vehicles were judged, with trophies presented to the category winners by Mr Morris-Marsham. Special mentions went to Luke Hulse who won the Spirt of the Event award for driving over 350 miles to attend the event from his home in Scotland. The Best Overall Vehicle accolade went to Alister Scott for his immaculate and original 1999 Shogun MK 2 GLS which even had an original Mitsubishi cherished number plate (A18 MMC).

A full list of awards:

At the close of the event, Stephen Blackburn, son of the main founder of The Colt Car Company (David Blackburn), thanked everyone in attendance for making the 50th-anniversary celebrations such a huge success and for bringing their wonderful and treasured vehicles to the rally.

He also announced that The Colt Car Club is being launched at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in November, with a key aim of holding annual events similar to this. The new club will give all Mitsubishi and Colt owners and supporters one club that celebrates all models.

Sharon Townsend, Head of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK said “This event was a fantastic way to celebrate 50 years of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK. The brand still has a very loyal and passionate customer and owner base, and to celebrate this event with such devoted brand enthusiasts was very rewarding. Additionally, we were very honoured to be joined by Stephen and other members of the Blackburn family, along with one of the founders, Jack Morris-Marsham, as we celebrated this occasion together.”

Following the event one participant commented, “For me personally I did find it quite emotional seeing all of these Mitsubishi cars from all the decades come together in Cirencester, something I maybe thought would never happen again, it really was for me a very special day”.

Phillip Chryssikos, owner of a 1990 Galant and winner of the Best Hatchback category said  “Congratulations to you and all involved in organising such a memorable occasion!  I’m still over the moon that my 1990 Galant won your Best Hatchback honour. Thank you all for staging a fantastically magical event.”

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