On the Road to a Dream

Eclipse of the Heart: 

A Fast and Furious Journey to My Dream Car

The Beginning

The muffled crunch of popcorn echoing throughout the theater was suddenly overtaken by the throaty hum of an engine and the assertive clack of a shifter slamming into position. As the car lurched forward, my passion roared to life, surging faster than the needle on the speedometer of Paul Walker's lime green dream machine. Moments later, as his car was spinning out of control, so was my imagination. I was hooked. 

Though its time on screen was fleeting, the 2nd Generation Mitsubishi Eclipse was indelibly etched into my heart, igniting an inferno of excitement so powerful that it felt like it had blown the welds on my intake and fried my piston rings. And unlike the fleeting rush of a double-shot of NOS, this surge of adrenaline never subsided.

Was I a car enthusiast? Nope. Not even close. I was a recent high school grad who didn't even enjoy driving. But on that fateful evening, my buddies dragged me into the theater to catch "The Fast and The Furious," and... whoosh! There I was, bitten by the tuner car bug. The next days, weeks - okay, years - would be full of talking, dreaming, and relentlessly searching for my own Eclipse.

The car that started it all... in a size that I could afford. 😆

The Chase

My hunt for an attainable Eclipse was relentless. Most were too far away, too pricey, or simply on their last legs. In my frustration, I turned to modifying a Chevy Cavalier and even owned a beat-up Eagle Talon—both as temporary substitutes in my pursuit of my real dream car. As the odometer of life ticked on, however, the 1995-99 Eclipse became ever more rare to see. I began to lose hope.

Dreams Can Come True

Dream Loading... 50% Complete. Est. 5 days Remaining.

Then, in July 2019 – 18 years into my quest (which began when I was 18) an internet search turned up a near-impossible find: a very low mileage, bone-stock Eclipse GS-T only a few hours away from my house. I could hardly contain my joy- grasping for my phone with adrenaline soaked fingers shaking like an engine with blown mounts to call on it. 

The car sounded amazing... the price reasonable... I was making plans to go get it when I asked for pictures of the undercarriage...

Rot. More than rust there was rot, and it was everywhere. Deep earthen brown, raspy, crispy, nasty rot. This car was done for, at least as far as my ability to save it, and my enthusiasm deflated faster than tire shredded on a spike strip...

... but not for long. I found a Northstar White Eclipse GS just a few states away, well within my budget. It was my favorite color and trim level. The only problem was the seller wouldn't send me any photos of the undercarriage. Pass.

Then I found it: a Saronno Red 1999 Eclipse with under 100,000 miles on it. It was my favorite model year in my second-favorite paint color. It all seemed too good to be true, a rust-free gem like that just sitting there on a used car lot in Phoenix, Arizona. My excitement redlined, I picked up my phone and gave them a call and the rest is history. I didn't care that it was more than 2,000 miles away and in an unknown mechanical condition. I didn't bat an eye. I had my uncle, who lived a short distance away look it over, and then It was mine.

The caveat? It was an RS, the lowest trim level of the 2nd generation Eclipse. Despite being almost fully-optioned, it was still, in many ways, a far cry from the the GS I wanted. Still, with under 100,000 miles, a low selling price, and coming from rust-free Arizona, I had to have it. Besides, I thought, I would just upgrade it to a GS. No big deal, right? 😁 WRONG!

Here's a bit of trivia for you: the Kawasaki Green Eclipse 'Hero Car' from the first Fast and Furious movie was actually a privately owned Eclipse RS. You can learn more about that car from Craig Lieberman's excellent YouTube video.

The Project Begins

1999 Eclipse RS

It turns out that an RS, even one that is nearly fully-optioned like mine, is quite different from a GS, and upgrading it isn't as straight forward or as easy as I had assumed it would be. 😅 That's just one of the many things I've learned on this journey. 

Years later, I've done an extensive amount of research, collected a bunch of parts, and even got my hands on a complete 1998 Eclipse GS parts car. These things have helped me drop some common myths harder than the floor pan on that hero car, as well as document a number of high-quality parts to help other people with their restorations. It's a labor of love and you can learn more about that here. 

Let's Do This!

I hope you'll come back and join me as I share the ups and downs of upgrading my Mitsubishi Eclipse RS to GS-spec, and continue to translate my research into a visual directory designed to help other enthusiasts avoid some of the annoying potholes I've clanked up against. But more than anything, I hope this journey inspires you to reach for your dreams. I've had to be really patient, and I've had to grow a lot to get behind the wheel of my Eclipse, but it was worth every mile that I accrued on the odometer of life. Every time I grip that steering wheel, my heart flutters just the same as it did the first time I ever saw Paul Walker's lime green hero car. 

In the end, I got as close as I could to what I really wanted, and I'm working on pushing it across the finish line with the power of pure passion. And while this won't be a fancy replica build of the car that kicked it all off for me, this stock upgrade will definitely be uniquely mine.

And who knows, maybe some day I'll get a chance to own one of those replica cars... but either way, if I can live my dream, why can't you? 

So buckle up, and let's go!

In 2022 the transformation from an RS to a GS began with a set of rims.

The adventure continues: My Happy Place