Mitsubishi’s performance heyday may be behind us, but the brand boasts one of the most dedicated legions of followers in the industry, with owner meets and trackside gatherings every month from spring to fall. Mitsubishi also sells one of the last manual transmission subcompact cars in the US — so just how did the five-speed Mirage get its name?

That might remain a mystery, since Mitsubishi Motors’ Japanese historical site helpfully explains that the name “Mirage” means… a mirage. But it’s here that we learn the playfully named “Dingo” variant is a portmanteau of ‘Diamond’ and ‘Bingo’, which somehow translates into “a car that fits the needs of the times.” Okay, Mitsu — if you say so.

Few manufacturers care enough about their heritage to feature past models on their website. Evidently, marketers don’t seem to realize that millions of dollars of brand equity and affinity don’t just die when a model stops production. As the Ralliart performance brand gears up for a re-launch, it’s encouraging that Mitsubishi cares enough about their past models to offer at least a token peek into their name origins.

Here, we learn the overland favorite Delica got its name from being a “Delivery Car”, with the Space Gear trim owing its name to the “abundant utilization of interior space”. FTO, we’re told, stands for “Fresh Touring Origination”. An unmentionable myth is dispelled: Pajero, it turns out, is the Argentinian name for a mountain cat — so forget the vulgar urban legend you’ve heard.

A comprehensive catalog of name histories awaits on Mitsubishi’s Japanese-language homepage, highlighting the brand’s particular interest in equine names: Eclipse, it turns out, was the name of a famous British racehorse in the 18th century; the name logically follows the Starion, named after the Star of Arion, a mythological racehorse descended from Poseidon and Demeter. Colt, naturally, is the fledgling of the family of race horses.

Peruse the full model list to unearth your own gems. The Pajero io is named after the Italian word for “I”, not Jupiter’s moon. Next time you see a manual-transmission import puttering around, you’ll know.

@highmileage is a world-traveling automotive historian. follow adam barrera on instagram.