Year of Mitsubishi Eclipse

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a four-seat sports coupe that has been in production since 1989 for left hand drive markets. It was named after an eighteenth century English racehorse which won 26 races, and has also been sold as the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser captive imports through Mitsubishi Motors' close relationship with the Chrysler Corporation. Their partnership was known as Diamond-Star Motors, or DSM.

As of 2009, the Eclipse is officially available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, China, South Korea, the Philippines, and Brazil.

The Eclipse has undergone four distinct generations: the first two generations (1G and 2G) are closely related and share many parts, whereas the third generation (3G) is based on a new platform and most parts are incompatible with 1G and 2G Eclipses. The fourth generation (4G) Eclipse was made available in May 2005.

Timeline

1990–1994 (1G) Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, and Plymouth Laser

Overview

The first generation Mitsubishi Eclipse was sold as an entry to mid-level four-cylinder sports coupe. Four trim levels were available: the bottom three were front wheel drive and the very top was all wheel drive. The top FWD and the AWD model were equipped with turbocharged engines.

The car underwent minor changes throughout its production; 1992–1994 models (1Gb) have updated sheetmetal and are easily distinguishable from previous vehicles (1Ga). The most notable of these changes is that the 1Ga models have pop-up headlights. The Eclipse was revised into a new vehicle for 1995 (described below in the 2G section).

Trim levels

The Eclipse was available in four trim levels during its first-generation production run. AWD models were not available until halfway through the first model year.

• Eclipse: Base FWD model equipped with a 92hp naturally-aspirated engine 1.8L 8-valve SOHC 4G37 engine
• Eclipse GS: Upgraded FWD model with slightly more equipment
• Eclipse GS DOHC: Upgraded FWD model equipped with a 136hp (101kW) naturally-aspirated 2.0L 16-valve DOHC 4G63A non-turbocharged variant of the 4G63T engine**
• Eclipse GS-T: Top FWD model equipped with a 125-145hp* turbocharged 2.0L 16-valve DOHC 4G63T engine
• Eclipse GSX: AWD model equipped with a 125-145hp* turbocharged 2.0L 16-valve DOHC 4G63T engine

* 1990 manual transmission turbocharged models were rated at 190hp, whereas 1991 and later manual transmission turbo models were rated for 195hp (145kW). The automatic models were rated at 180hp (130kW) due to smaller fuel-injectors and turbocharger.