The Mitsubishi Eclipse Was An American-Made Star Car
What’s the best car to drive during an solar ecliplse? One with its headlights turned on.
Ba dum, tiss.
But what’s the most appropriate one? That would, of course, be the Mitsubishi Eclipse.
The front-wheel-drive two-door sports car was the product of the now-defunct Diamond-Star Motors joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler, with its sole factory located in Normal, Ill.
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The first generation arrived to usher in the rad 1990s with a wedge shape, wraparound rear spoiler and distinctive hood bulge that cleared the cam gears for its four-cylinder engines, with the top turbo model cranking out 195 hp. The platform also spawning the Plymouth Laser and Eagle Talon.
Mitsubishi took full control of the factory in 1991 and renamed it Mitsubishi Motors Manufacturing America in 1995, just as the second-generation Eclipsed was launched. The new model featuring a more curvaceous design, a convertible option and an all-wheel-drive model with up to 210 hp.
In 2001, a custom 1995 example would cement the Eclipse’s place in American and tuner car culture with an appearance in the opening scenes of “The Fast and the Furious” as Detective Brian O’Conner’s undercover street racing car. One of six cars built for the film’s production was sold at a Mecum Auctions event in 2022 for $170,500.
By then, a third generation had gone on sale with an updated design that gave it a more industrial look highlighted by three strakes along the bottom of its doors and a 210 hp 3.0-liter V6 replacing its turbocharged four-cylinder.
Mitsubishi would redesign it one last time for 2006 with a cleaner style and bring a 263 hp 3.8-liter V6 into the mix which would power it through the 2012 model year.
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With that, the factory began building the. Outlander Sport SUV, which would be produced there until Mitsubishi shut the assembly line in 2015.
The Eclipse name would return in 2018, but on a very different vehicle. The Japan-made Eclipse Cross compact SUV borrowing the name, much to the chagrin of many of the sports car’s fans.
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The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, however, as Mitsubishi was able to showcase it during an eclipse that crossed the United States on August 21, 2017. The Eclipse Cross continues in production for the 2024 model year. The Normal factory also lives on, but under new ownership.
Startup automaker Rivian purchased it for $16 million in 2017 and currently builds its lineup of electric pickups, SUVs and vans at the plant.