The Mitsubishi A6M Zero ("A" for fighter, 6th model, "M" for Mitsubishi) was a lightweight, carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. At the time it was introduced, the Mitsubishi A6M was the best carrier-based fighter plane in the world and was greatly feared by Allied pilots. In shifting priorities during the final years of the War in the Pacific, the Zero was utilized in kamikaze operations. (nice)

As the need for fighter aircraft diminished (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) Mitsubishi went on to make the benevolent, capable, and highly sought after Montero 4 wheel drive vehicle that was also feared by Allied forces. Which ultimately lead to the creation of 4X4Wire.com TrailTalkForums and the many, many rhetorical questions concerning tire/ wheel fitment as well as many questions without a proper search.

Wowà. interesting. To think the whole time I had no idea I was driving a vehicle made by the same people who sunk the Arizona. I did not know that. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

Pat <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Mitsubishi's been around since 1870

EDIT: while A6Ms did participate in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the bulk of the attack force consisted of Nakajima B5N Type 97 torpedo bombers (Allied codename "Kate") and Aichi D3A Type 99 dive bombers (Allied codename "Val").

My friend is a WWII nut and he is the one that told me about Mitsu building the Zero. Seems as you are well informed too.

Thank you Cap'n,
I just about started up here.
Getting history from Wickipedia will not get you far when you go up against those that actually studied history.

Very good read! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

You didn't dig deep enough to come up with Mitsubishi Island or
Mitsubishi Pig Farm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunkanjima

or

http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/en/bg/le/topics.html

Mitsubishi controls the world, now that your part of the club it's ok for you find our our secret <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I've actually had older people say snid remarks about anyone who would buy a Mitsubishi product to me. I'm 55 and that doesn't preclude me from inviting them to bite me! That seriously might have had some effect on the sales success that Mitsu has/hasn't had in this country.

My uncle used to be one of them. He was a gunner capt in the USN during WWII. He shot down a few dozen Mitsubishi's. Now he drives a Subaru. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I remember the good ole days when electronics used to be made in Japan instead of china or Malaysia <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

On one of the foreign based forums I am on I have read comments from the Japanese that they can not find locally made electronics.
There were so many complaints in the sixties and seventies of the invasion of Japanese products. I did not expect to see the rise and fall of major manufacturing in Japan and now I wonder if I will be around for the fall of Chinese manufacturing and who will be the next giant.

Mitsubishi's biggest problem hasn't been their lasting reputation as the manufacturer of the Zero. It's been that they simply don't understand the American car buyer.

The success or lack thereof of the Montero is a glaring illustration of this. Everywhere else that it's sold in the rest of the world, its extremely highly regarded but here in the US, it's that stepchild that consumers never knew mitsubishi had.

I was just talking with a friend here at work and he said point blank that he would have never considered the '01 Montero he owns if I wasn't so gung ho about my Monty. LOL, I think I've created fan cause he's now looking at buying a new EVO <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />