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With the 4G63 engine and AWD, the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX is largely a bargain Lancer Evo. We reckon the “Fast and Furious” icon deserves more love.

If you know your JDMs, then chances are a Mitsubishi is on your shortlist. Even though the Japanese marque has seen better days and market share has significantly dropped, Mitsubishi was among the very few who could give Civics and GT-Rs a run for their money.

The 1990s saw tuner culture gaining traction. However, it was “Fast and Furious'' that gave the tuning scene a generous boost. Arguably, the car that spearheaded the campaign was the Mitsubishi Eclipse. That being said, not everything for the Eclipse turned out to great. In 2017, Mitsubishi, rather surprisingly, gave the title of one of the most revered sports coupes to the Eclipse Cross. Never did anyone think Mitsubishi would reimagine the Eclipse as a crossover SUV.

But alas, here we are. With the 4G63 engine and AWD, the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX is largely a bargain Lancer Evolution. Let’s see why the Eclipse deserves more love and what led to the downfall of a car that virtually sparked the tuner culture.

Everybody remembers how “Fast and Furious” influenced car culture across the globe. It all started when Brian ‘O Conner, the undercover agent chose the Mitsubishi Eclipse as his ride. From there, the movie became iconic for its screenplay and how it depicted the street culture. Although the Mitsubishi Eclipse was short-lived in the first iteration, its sequel, “2 Fast 2 Furious,” gave the Eclipse—albeit a later generation— better screen time. To this day, “Fast and Furious'' is attributed to popularizing street culture and embracing the tuner scene. But, the car that started the whole frenzy was the Mitsubishi Eclipse—the bright green souped-up tuner with neon lights and chrome wheels.

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The first-gen Mitsubishi Eclipse came about after a partnership with Chrysler, helping Japanese brands sell cars in the US. Before this partnership, the US set a limit on the number of cars imported by Japanese brands. To overcome this, various Japanese names started partnering with native brands; one such alliance resulted in the Diamond-star Motors (DSM). The first two generations of the Eclipse saw the use of Chrysler’s platform, which the Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser shared.

When the Eclipse was launched in 1989, it came with multiple trim levels, of which the GS Turbo and GSX garnered a lot of attention. For starters, the GS Turbo featured the now-iconic 4G63T 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder pumping 190 horsepower. The Eclipse GSX had the same motor, but initial years saw power being 195 horsepower, which later rose to 210 horsepower in the second-gen GSX. Transmission options were a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. Power rating for the GS Turbo and GSX with automatic boxes stood at 180 horsepower. However, the talking point was the all-wheel-drive system. The Chrysler D platform was predominantly front-wheel-drive, but the GSX took a bit further by powering all four wheels.

What made the Eclipse GSX particularly interesting among enthusiasts was its ability to decimate American cars. Previously reserved for muscle cars, the drag strip rarely saw any other body type step foot, let alone an import. Tuners started fiddling with the 4G63T. Thanks to its tunable nature, the GSX could be tweaked extensively, delivering top-level performance. This improved the popularity of the Eclipse, helping it become the muscle car killer of the early 1990s. The second generation Eclipse became more popular with the tuner culture, but moved from the strip and into the streets. This was the Eclipse that Paul Walker used in the “Fast and Furious” movie.

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With such an impressive following, courtesy of movies and many video games, it was hard to accept the fact that the Eclipse’s days were numbered. With the DSM partnership fading away, Mitsubishi took control of the corporation and decided to take matters into their hands. However, whatever that happened inside the boardroom never really favored the Eclipse. For starters, the third-gen Eclipse (seen in 2 Fast 2 Furious) saw the 4G63T moving over in favor of a 3.0-liter V6. Although it was more powerful it never really had the capability and dependability of the iconic 4G63T.

It should be noted that this (4G63) was the exact engine—although with more power—that you’d find in the Lancer Evolution; the Eclipse was largely considered a bargain Evo. Mitsubishi started losing track of what the Eclipse stood for. The fourth generation was introduced in 2005, and Mitsubishi did not take much effort into revamping the car, eventually stopping production in 2011. Today, not a lot of people talk about the Eclipse. But the amount of attention it had in the automotive culture back then was truly amazing. In 2017, Mitsubishi brought back the moniker as an SUV, further killing its rep—or whatever was left of it.

A relatively naive bloke in every aspect other than cars. The nuances of the motoring world fascinated him ever since he was a toddler. Fast forward 20-odd years, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in automotive engineering, and now pens down on all things motoring.