Mitsubishi Mirage 1400 GLX
Mitsubishi's new compact hatchback paired a light, space-saving front-drive layout with one of the strangest gear selectors of its era.
1978 Mitsubishi Mirage 1400 GLX at the Mitsubishi Auto Gallery · TTTNIS · CC0 1.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Mitsubishi previewed the Mirage name at the 1977 Tokyo Motor Show and put the car on sale in Japan in March 1978. It answered the post-oil-crisis demand for a compact, efficient family car, but the 1400 GLX was no bare economy model. Its transverse four-cylinder engine drove the front wheels, all four wheels were independently suspended, and the Super Shift transmission gave the driver two ranges for each of four normal gears.
Look a little closer.
Its second gear lever let the driver choose four ordinary gears in either of two ranges—eight combinations from a four-speed gearbox.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Two ranges, four gears
Super Shift is easiest to picture as two small gearboxes working together. The driver selected first through fourth in the usual way, then used a second lever to choose a lower or higher set of ratios. That gave the light Mirage closely spaced choices for city driving and a taller set for cruising without turning it into a modern eight-speed transmission.
Source: Carview / Yahoo Japan · 1978 Mirage grades ↗A small car built around a new problem
Mitsubishi's own history ties the Mirage to energy and resource worries after the oil crisis. The response went beyond fitting a small engine: the car was compact and light, its engine sat across the nose to free cabin space, and all four wheels were independently suspended. The 1400 GLX added performance and equipment while keeping that efficiency-first layout.
Source: Mitsubishi Motors · vehicle history ↗Where these facts come from
- Mitsubishi Motors · vehicle history
- Mitsubishi Motors · 1970s chronology
- Carview / Yahoo Japan · 1978 Mirage grades
- Automobile-Catalog · 1978 Mirage 1400 GLX
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 4, 2026.