The Mitsubishi Eclipse: A Underrated Tuner Car of All Time

It's possibly the most underrated tuner car of all time, overshadowed by its much cooler and more popular jock brother. Born from an unlikely marriage, this car fought to put fear in the hearts of muscle cars at drag strips all over the country. The Mitsubishi Eclipse was a game-changer in the world of tuning, and its contributions are often overlooked.

The Eclipse's contribution to the tuning scene cannot be overstated. It helped set off the second wave of the tuning scene, bringing attention and inspiration to a new generation of car enthusiasts. Its impact on the car world has been talked about extensively, but something that gets lost in the conversation is the Eclipse's role in shaping the current state of the industry.

The Eclipse was an import car built in Illinois, which set it apart from its Japanese counterparts. This fact alone has contributed to its relatively low profile compared to other tuner cars like the Supra and RX-7. However, this doesn't diminish its importance or impact on the world of tuning. The Eclipse lived longer than many of its peers, with a loyal following and a reputation for being a reliable and fun-to-drive car.

One of the key reasons people look down on the Eclipse is that it wasn't technically JDM (Japanese Domestic Market). It was built in Illinois, which made it more accessible to enthusiasts outside of Japan. However, this doesn't stop it from being one of the most important tuner cars of all time. The Eclipse's combination of performance, style, and affordability made it a favorite among tuners and car enthusiasts.

The Eclipse's partnership with Chrysler played a significant role in its development and success. When the partnership ended, the Eclipse was updated again, but this time with styling inspired by the second-generation car. A new 263 horsepower engine was also introduced, which further cemented the Eclipse's reputation as a performance-oriented car.

However, despite its loyal following and impressive performance capabilities, the Eclipse struggled to find success in terms of sales. In its final year of production, only 1,173 Eclipses were sold. This lackluster sales performance was a shock to many enthusiasts, who had come to expect more from this iconic car.

Despite the decline in sales, the Eclipse's legend lived on. There were rumors that Mitsubishi would bring back the two-door performance coupe, and some enthusiasts held out hope that the brand would revive the Eclipse. However, when Mitsubishi confirmed plans for a new crossover SUV, it became clear that the Eclipse was no more.

The decision to replace the Eclipse with an SUV was met with widespread criticism from enthusiasts who felt that it was a mistake. The Supra, RX-7, and Skyline are all legendary tuner cars that have been immortalized by films like Fast and Furious, but why not the Eclipse? It lived longer than many of its peers, and its unique combination of performance, style, and affordability made it a favorite among tuners and car enthusiasts.

In conclusion, the Mitsubishi Eclipse is a highly underrated tuner car that deserves more recognition for its contributions to the world of tuning. Its impact on the industry cannot be overstated, and its loyal following has ensured that its legend lives on. Despite the decline in sales and the eventual replacement with an SUV, the Eclipse remains one of the most important tuner cars of all time.

For those looking to learn more about turbos, there's a great episode of Science Garage where Bart breaks it down. If you're looking to buy a cool tuner car that might be off the radar, check out this episode of The Bestest when Tony tells you the bestest ones to get. Follow me on Instagram @JamesPumphrey and Donut on Instagram @DonutMedia for more content and updates.

The Fast and Furious franchise has had a profound impact on the world of car culture. However, it's easy to forget that the Eclipse was there for the genesis and renaissance of tuning culture. Its contribution to the industry is undeniable, and its influence can still be seen today.

One of the key reasons people look down on the Eclipse is that it went out with a whimper, not a bang. When Brian O'Connor's lime green Eclipse appeared in theaters, Mitsubishi had already updated the car for the 2000 model year. The partnership with Chrysler had ended, and the Eclipse was no longer a DSM. This marked the beginning of the end for the Eclipse as we knew it.

Despite its demise, the Eclipse remains an important part of car history. Its legacy lives on through its loyal following and its reputation for being a reliable and fun-to-drive car. For those who remember the good old days of tuning, the Eclipse will always hold a special place in their hearts.

The Supra, RX-7, and Skyline are all legendary tuner cars that have been immortalized by films like Fast and Furious. However, why not the Eclipse? It was an import car built in Illinois, which set it apart from its Japanese counterparts. This fact alone has contributed to its relatively low profile compared to other tuner cars.

However, this doesn't diminish its importance or impact on the world of tuning. The Eclipse lived longer than many of its peers, with a loyal following and a reputation for being a reliable and fun-to-drive car. Its unique combination of performance, style, and affordability made it a favorite among tuners and car enthusiasts.

In conclusion, the Mitsubishi Eclipse is a highly underrated tuner car that deserves more recognition for its contributions to the world of tuning. Its impact on the industry cannot be overstated, and its loyal following has ensured that its legend lives on. Despite the decline in sales and the eventual replacement with an SUV, the Eclipse remains one of the most important tuner cars of all time.

The Eclipse's story is a testament to the power of innovation and creativity in the world of tuning. Its unique combination of performance, style, and affordability made it a favorite among tuners and car enthusiasts. For those who remember the good old days of tuning, the Eclipse will always hold a special place in their hearts.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- It's possibly the mostunderrated tuner carof all time!A dark horse that wasovershadowed by its much cooler,much more popular, jock brother.Sound familiar Lars?It was born from an unlikely marriage,and fought to put fear inthe hearts of muscle carsat drag strips all over the United States.And despite its proven pedigree,and the fact that it helpedrevolutionize import culture,twice, it's still looked down upon today.This is everything you needto know, to get up to speed,on the Mitsubishi Eclipse.(80's chiptune music)In the 70's and early 80'sChrysler was importingfuel efficient Mitsubishisand rebranding them as Chryslers.In return, Mitsubishigot to grow as a company.But Mitsubishi wanted tosell directly to Americansthrough their own dealer network.The only problem, was that Japanese brandshad a voluntary restrictionon how many carsthey could bring to the United States.If you want to learn more about this,watch our Integra episode.I'll leave a link in the description.Anyway, Mitsubishi and Chryslerdecided that it would bemore profitable if Mitsubishibuilt more models in the US,with help from Chrysler.This partnership wascalled Diamond Star Motors,or DSM,taking its name from the pointylogos shared by both brands.DSM would build a newfactory in Normal, Illinois,and the first car they wouldbuild would be a two door,four cylinder coupe.The Eclipse, Eagle Talonand Plymouth Lazer are allpretty much the same car,and I'm just gonna referto them as the Eclipse.OK, right, they're a littledifferent, but not by much.The Eclipse debuted in 1989and came in four trim levels.The GST and GSX being theabsolute ones to have.Why?Um...I don't know, maybebecause they were powered by oneof the finest and most durablefour cylinder engines ever?The 4G63T.Sound familiar?It's the same turbocharged fourcylinder engine that poweredthe frickin' EVO!(engine backfire sounds)One of my top five favorite cars ever.Do you guys even frickin' know me?The 4G63 is the foundation on which tunerswould build the Eclipseinto one of the most capabletuner cars of all time.The engine wasn't the only thingthe Eclipse and EVO shared.While the GST was front wheel drive,the Eclipse GSX came with all wheel drive.(engine roaring)The same all wheel drivefound in the EVO Three.This means that the Eclipse is basicallya two door EVO.- (in tandem) Whoa...- So what did most peopledo with the hyper tunerable,turbocharged two doorcoupe with tons of gripfrom all wheel drive, made in the US of A?They took her to the drag strip!(engine roars)Before the two lane blacktop was reservedfor American muscle carswith big block engines,and rear tires widerthan Jessica's unibrow.But when the Eclipse came onto the scene,racers saw that therecould be an alternative.The Eclipse was completely refreshedfor the 1995 model year.It had a sleeker body,and the 4G63T now made 210 horsepower.This car was in every racinggame you can think of.Ridge Racer, GranTurismo, the Forza games,and of course, Need for Speed Underground.♪ To the windows, to the wall ♪The American tuner scene can be splitinto two distinct time periods.And the Eclipse isnotable in the fact thatit helped set them both off.In the first era, tuningculture was Eclipses, Hondas,and like, four guys with VW's.I knew all of them.There was me,Ross,Cam,and Nick.Ross, I'm sorry we couldn't see each otherwhen I was in New York.But it was the release of one filmthat opened the floodgatesfor all Japanese cars,and marked the beginningof a new tuning age.2011's Fast Track: No Limits.JK, it was The Fast and The Furious.The Fast and The Furious wasreleased on June 22nd, 2001,and almost immediately after,tuning, and the Eclipse, went mainstream.In Paul Walker's veryfirst scene in the series,he's driving a 1995 Eclipsein the Dodger Stadium parking lot.This Eclipse in particularwas not powered by the 4G63,but a 420A from the Dodge Neon.But none of that mattered,because after The Fastand Furious came out,tuning was the (bleep)!For about 10 years everyone and their mom,my mom in particular,was putting aero-boonie body kits,giant wings and underglow on their cars,and that is 100 percent becauseof The Fast and Furious.The franchise's effecton the car world has beentalked about to death, butsomething that gets lostin the conversation is theEclipse's contribution.It helped set off the secondwave of the tuning scene.The Eclipse came back in2004's 2 Fast 2 Furious.♪ I'm too fast for y'all ♪It wasn't Brian's this timebut it was still a hero carwith a ton of screen time.The purple one wasn't as cool, I know, butthink about it.The Eclipse was there for the genesisand the renaissance of tuning culture,but none of the credit.Why?Because it went out witha whimper, not a bang.(groans)By the time people saw Brian O'Connor'slime green Eclipse in theaters,Mitsubishi had already updated the Eclipsefor the 2000 model year.Their partnership withChrysler had ended so,this Eclipse was no longer a DSM,and the car was beginningto lose its charm.All whee drive, yeah,that's no longer an option.Well, what about the 4G63?Nope.At its most powerful,the third gen Eclipsecame with a 210 horsepower V6 engine,which was about the same as the 4G63T,but it wasn't nearly as tunable.The suspension was also set up to besofter and more comfortable.It wasn't as sporty as thefirst and second gen becauseit wasn't supposed to be.- That is a bummer.- If you wanted a performance oriented,turbocharged, all wheel drive Mitsubishi,you had to get the EVOwhich finally came to America in 2003.The Eclipse was updated again in 2006with styling that was inspiredby the second generation car,and a new 263 horsepower engine.It had a dedicated following,but that wasn't enoughto keep sales from decliningever since its debut year.In its final year of production,Mitsubishi only sold 1,173 Eclipses.But that wasn't the end for the Eclipse.Back in like, 2016 there were rumorsthat the car would be back.Would Mitsubishi bring backthe two door performance coupeto take on the new wave ofbudget performance cars?The wave that it frickin' started.It started it.And I'll be honest, I was optimistic.I know, I should learn bynow, never get your hopes up.- You know I'd takeyou with me if I could.- My naive thinking wasshot down the next yearwhen Mitsubishi confirmedthat the new Eclipse would be(screaming and grunting)a crossover SUV.Really?Really Mitsubishi?An SUV?An SUV?You already have the Outlander,which is, an SUV.Why?Why did you have tobring the Eclipse into...(soft chuckle)Know what, I don'tunderstand and that's fine.The Supra, the RX7, the Skyline,and even Mitsubishi's ownEVO are legendary tuner carsthat live on thanks toThe Fast and The Furious,and the scene that it madea worldwide phenomemon.♪ Do doo, do doo doo ♪- Phenomenon.♪ Do doo doo do ♪- But why not the Eclipse?Well it's simple really,the Eclipse lived longer.Unlike it's Fast and Furious brethren,it didn't die.It was kept on life support for 12 years.Living off the DSM name and the,reverence people had for that car.And Mitsubishi is doing that again,but with this new crossover thing.The Eclipse was a groundbreaking carin more ways than it gets credit for.It was an import, built in Illinois,and I think that's anotherreason people look down on it.It wasn't technically JDM.It was never out of reach, or exotic.But that doesn't stop itfrom being one of the mostimportant tuner cars of all time.That's everything you need to knowto get up to speed onthe Mitsubishi Eclipse.Go hit that subscribe button.The more subscribers we get,the more cool stuff that we get to do.I wanna thank you guysfor all your support.You wanna learn more about turbos,watch this episode of Science Garagewhere Bart breaks it down.You looking to buy a cool tuner carthat might be off the radar?Check out this episode of The Bestestwhen Tony tells you thebestest ones to get.Follow me on Instagram, @JamesPumphrey.Follow Donut on Instagram @DonutMedia.I love you.