![]() It evolved first as a two-door coupe, later as a convertible or liftback, with front-wheel or all-wheel drive, and with engine choices including naturally aspirated fours, turbocharged fours and V6 options. Initially the car, designed at the Mitsubishi Motors North America Design Studio and introduced in 1990, was available in four trim levels: Eclipse, Eclipse GS, Eclipse GS-T (Turbo) and Eclipse GSX. Because of its long run in series production, the genealogy of the Eclipse is worth discussing. The Eclipse, supposedly named for an unbeaten 18th-century English racehorse that won 18 races in a row, was the shining star of the line. Why is the Mitsubishi Eclipse a Future Classic? By the end of 1989, production of the Diamond-Star triplets - the Laser, Eclipse and Talon - was in full swing. And the Japanese facilities provided engines and transmissions. buyers, and with government-imposed “voluntary” import quotas, its supply lines were broadly restricted.Ĭhrysler, looking to expand its lines, built a plant in Normal, Illinois, but, although Chrysler put up half the $650 million for the facility, it left management to Mitsubishi. It was good timing: Chrysler was emerging from near-bankruptcy the Japanese company just didn’t have anything to please U.S. Eventually the merger gave birth to a trio of highly-regarded sports coupes: the Mitsubishi Eclipse, the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser, cars developed by the company that became Diamond-Star Motors.Īlthough DSM’s beginnings can be traced back to a flirtation in 1970, when Chrysler Corporation took a 15-percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors, the partnership later culminated in a formal pairing in 1985. ![]() It was meant to be a premiere partnership, pregnant with possibilities: the alliance of a pair of global automotive powerhouses from Japan and America. Future Classic: 1990-2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Diamond-Star Motors was a fruitful endeavor with the Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser
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