The Mitsubishi HSR (Highly Sophisticated-transport Research)
, Mitsubishi Motors press release, October 15, 1997 is a range of

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

s exhibited by

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by ...

, with each model after the original identified by a

Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...

ed to the name. The meaning of the acronym varied over the years. The first iteration meant Hi-speed Running Research, the second Hi-Sophisticated Research, and the third Human Science Research.

Models

* HSR (1987) — The first vehicle was a showcase for Mitsubishi's integrated electronic systems offering automatic control of drive train, suspension, steering, brakes, and driving position according to driving conditions or weather. It was powered by a 2.0-litre 16-valve

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

engine producing , had a maximum speed claimed by the factory at . * HSR-II (1989) — The second generation had a heavy emphasis on active

aerodynamics Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

, with a series of movable fins and spoilers offering a drag factor which varied from 0.20 to 0.40 depending on setup. Much of the technology found its way to the Mitsubishi HSX, the precursor to the company's GTO sports car. It is also featured in the games

Gran Turismo 4 ''Gran Turismo 4'' is a 2004 racing video game for the PlayStation 2, the fourth installment in the main ''Gran Turismo'' series and the sixth for the overall series. It was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertai ...

Gran Turismo 5 is a 2010 racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010 in Europe and North America, and November 25, 2010 in Japan and Australasia, and ...

and

Gran Turismo 6 ''Gran Turismo 6'' is a racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth major release and twelfth game overall in the '' Gran Turismo'' video game series. It w ...

. * HSR-III (1991) — The third concept car to bear the HSR name was powered by the '' 6A10'' 1.6-litre V6, the world's smallest mass-produced V6. Its design themes were "Human Scale Technology" and "Small is beautiful." It continued the active aerodynamics theme of the HSR-II, but with the addition of flexible skin on the rear spoiler, dubbed an "elastic aerotail." ''Technical Information: Mitsubishi HSR-III'', p. 7 Shifting from the overtly sporting and powerful earlier HSRs, the HSR-III also focused on cleanliness and recyclability - with the body parts all marked for ease of recycling. ''Technical Information: Mitsubishi HSR-III'', p. 16 * HSR-IV (1993) — A modulated displacement version of the 1.6-litre V6 powered the fourth prototype, a

four-wheel-drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

sports car featuring an all-wheel

anti-lock braking system An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintaini ...

. * HSR-V (1995) — The fifth generation, a

targa top Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsch ...

ped sports car with a folding hardtop roof, featured the debut of Mitsubishi's

gasoline direct injection Gasoline direct injection (GDI), also known as petrol direct injection (PDI), is a mixture formation system for internal combustion engines that run on gasoline (petrol), where fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. This is distinct fro ...

(GDI) technology in its ''ICDIGE'' engine.Coverage of Mitsubishi exhibits at European Motor Shows
Team.net * HSR-VI (1997) — Fitted with a 2.4-litre version of the GDI engine, the sixth HSR concept featured

four-wheel steering Steering is a system of components, linkages, and other parts that allows a driver to control the direction of the vehicle. Introduction The most conventional steering arrangement allows a driver to turn the front wheels of a vehicle using ...

active yaw control Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

traction control A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (from german: Antriebsschlupfregelung, lit=drive slippage regulation), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicle ...

and an automated driving system.

References

{{Mitsubishi Motors vehicles Hsr Vehicles with four-wheel steering Coupés