This year Mitsubishi is celebrating its 100th birthday and to celebrate the occasion, Mitsubishi is going to recreate its first model, the 1917 Mitsubishi Model A. In partnership with West Coast Customs, Mitsubishi will re-create the Model A, but with one big change – it will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

The reincarnated Model A may look like the original, but under the metal, it’s based on the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid platform.

Related: 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport gets a facelift

“We’re proud to be a 100-year-old brand with a rich heritage in the automotive landscape. The Mitsubishi Model A is the vehicle that paved the way for many other unique and exciting models over the years and we’re excited to re-design it with West Coast Customs,” said Francine Harsini, senior director, marketing at MMNA. “The Mitsubishi Model A will feature all the distinctive aspects of the 1917 vehicle, but will be built on the PHEV platform and offer the latest in automotive technology.”

The “new” Mitsubishi Model A is being built at the West Coast Customs facility in Burbank, CA and will be completed this summer.

“We are incredibly honored to have been chosen to take on this iconic build for Mitsubishi that celebrates the centennial anniversary of the company’s first mass produced vehicle,” stated Ryan Friedlinghaus, West Coast Customs CEO and Founder. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity to be able to integrate the history of the original Mitsubishi Model A with the technology of current-day Mitsubishi vehicles to recreate the Mitsubishi Model A. Team members in every department of West Coast Customs are super excited to be involved with this build – truly a piece of automotive history.”

Source: Mitsubishi