• A Cinematic Synergy: Since the late 1970s, Jackie Chan and Mitsubishi shared a unique partnership where vehicles weren’t just props, but high-performance “co-stars” that defined the brand’s rugged, innovative identity.
• The Ralliart Director: Beyond acting, Jackie served as the Honorary Team Director of Ralliart China, actively shaping the brand’s gritty, rally-bred image and hosting the legendary Jackie Chan Cup celebrity races.
• The Holy Grail Evo: The ultimate symbol of this bond is the Lancer Evolution IX Jackie Chan Special Edition—a JDM “unicorn” limited to only 50 units, built to Jackie’s personal specifications.

Before he was a global household name or a Hollywood A-lister, Jackie Chan was known as the stuntman who wouldn’t break. Trained at the China Drama Academy and rising through the Hong Kong film industry as a stunt performer in Bruce Lee productions, Chan eventually realized that trying to become the “next Lee” was a dead end. Instead, he reshaped action cinema by blending precision stuntwork with humor, vulnerability, and improvisation.

For a generation of enthusiasts, Mitsubishi’s Triple Diamond badge evokes more than engineering. It calls back to Hong Kong street chases, improvised stuntwork, and an action star who treated cars like co-stars rather than props. Jackie Chan didn’t just drive Mitsubishis, he shaped how the world saw them.

The Agreement That Changed Everything

By the late 1970s, Jackie Chan had developed a long-running partnership with Mitsubishi Motors that would stretch across decades of his film career. Mitsubishi supplied vehicles for his productions, and in return, Chan turned them into showcases for speed, agility, and durability on screen.

These weren’t background placements, they played like secret commercials woven into action cinema. Mitsubishis became getaway cars, stunt platforms, and narrative devices that amplified Chan’s kinetic style.

Wheels on Meals (1984)

Set in Barcelona, the film follows two cousins running a food truck who become entangled in a kidnapping plot. Shot in Spain and starring Chan alongside Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, the film was a major East Asian hit.

The bright yellow Mitsubishi Delica L300 food truck became a surprisingly agile chase vehicle, reinforcing the idea that even everyday Mitsubishis could feel cinematic in Chan’s hands.

Cannonball Run II (1984)

This star-studded American comedy features an illegal, eccentric cross-country race where the only rule is to finish first by any means necessary. 

During this first real push into the American market, Jackie played a Mitsubishi engineer driving a Starion packed with futuristic tech like night-vision and underwater capabilities, helping the brand claim the “innovation” high ground in the West.

The Off-Road Legend: From Tagaytay to the Sahara

In Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991), Jackie Chan returns as treasure hunter “Asian Hawk,” racing across continents in search of hidden Nazi gold. While the desert trek takes place in the Sahara (filmed in Morocco and Spain), the film’s high-octane opening sequence has a direct Philippine connection.

Portraying a remote jungle mission, the powered-paragliding sequence was filmed over Taal Lake in Tagaytay, while the iconic cave escape and zorbing stunt were shot at Mount Macolod in Cuenca, Batangas. The rugged Mitsubishi Pajero featured throughout the film mirrored Chan’s adventurous on-screen persona and solidified the 4×4’s legendary status in the region.

Thunderbolt (1995)

If any movie serves as the ultimate “Triple Diamond” manifesto, it’s Thunderbolt. Jackie plays an ex-Mitsubishi test driver, Chan Foh-to, who must rescue his kidnapped sisters by competing in a high-stakes race in Japan.

The film is a visual catalog of Mitsubishi’s 90s heavy hitters, featuring the Lancer Evolution III, the GTO/3000GT, and even the FTO. The training montages replaced traditional kung-fu exercises with gear-shifting drills and engine tuning, cementing the idea that for Jackie, driving was just another form of martial arts.

The “Who Am I?” Evo IV

In 1998’s Who Am I?, the Lancer Evolution’s legendary status was solidified for good. The Rotterdam chase scene, featuring a white Evo IV descending staircases and pulling an impossible 180-degree J-turn into a tiny parking spot to evade the police, showcased the agility of Mitsubishi’s rally-bred AWD performance to viewers around the world.

The Ralliart Era and the “Jackie Chan Special”

As the Honorary Team Director of Ralliart China, Jackie helped cultivate Mitsubishi’s gritty, rally-bred image beyond the screen. He stayed active in the enthusiast community by hosting the “Jackie Chan Cup,” an annual celebrity race that became a staple of Asian motorsport culture.

The ultimate peak of this relationship was the Lancer Evolution IX Jackie Chan Special Edition. Produced in 2005 with a limited run of only 50 units, these masterpieces were built by Ralliart to Jackie’s personal specifications. Featuring bespoke aero by Fire Sports and handling upgrades, it remains one of the most sought-after “unicorns” in the JDM world today.

The Legacy

In the 80s and 90s, Mitsubishi represented the daring, innovative alternative to the “sensible” giants. Jackie Chan provided the grit and the personality that made those cars iconic. He didn’t just sell cars; he made the brand feel tough, agile, and above all, fun.