The Chrysler-badged Conquest was a late-1980s import sports coupe that gave Chrysler a place in the era’s turbocharged performance-car scene. It was a rebadged North American version of the Mitsubishi Starion and arrived for the 1987 model year, after the Conquest nameplate had already been used on Chrysler’s related Dodge and Plymouth versions earlier in the decade. In Chrysler form, the car was positioned as a more upscale, enthusiast-focused coupe with bold styling, rear-wheel drive, and an import-car character that stood apart from the brand’s domestic sedans and family cars.
The Chrysler Conquest is best remembered as part of the short-lived Japanese-American performance crossover era, when Chrysler leveraged Mitsubishi hardware to fill showroom gaps and compete with other sporty coupes of the period. Its clean, wedge-like body and available turbocharged four-cylinder power helped establish it as the most serious performance variant in the Conquest family, especially in TSI trim. Compared with the earlier Dodge and Plymouth versions, the Chrysler-badged car carried a more premium presentation and marked the final chapter of the nameplate within Chrysler’s lineup.
Production ended after the 1989 model year, and the Chrysler Conquest did not return under the Chrysler name. That brief run has made it a cult favorite among 1980s Japanese-car and Mopar enthusiasts, valued for its distinctive styling, relative rarity, and its unusual place in Chrysler history as an imported sports coupe wearing a Pentastar badge.