History of the Mitsubishi Eclipse -The Eclipse debuted ten years ago, and it was one of three cars built on the same platform. The first Mitsubishi Eclipse car was built in Normal, Ill., to be sold under the Mitsubishi, Plymoth, and Eagle auto brand names. With its first redesign in 1995 the Plymouth version was dropped. In early 97 the Mitsubishi Eclipse was restyled even further in an effort to differentiate it from its Eagle twin and the Eclipse lineup was grown with the addition of a convertible Spyder, which was a car Mitsubishi engineered from the outset to be a convertible. When the Eagle brand name retired in 1998, the Eclipse remained as the only surviving member of the three siblings. Eclipse’s third generation came to market in 1999. The redesigned convertible version debuted in the spring of 2000.

Trim Details:
The 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse is available in five trims: RS, GS and GT coupes; GS and GT Spyder convertibles. Safety features include dual front airbags, optional side airbags and an optional anti-lock brake system (ABS) for the GT trims. Powering the RS and GS is a new 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 147 horsepower (140 horsepower with the optional automatic transmission), while the GT gets a 3.0-liter 200-horsepower V6. Standard equipment on the RS includes air conditioning, power windows and door locks, a tilt steering wheel, alloy wheels, power mirrors, intermittent wipers, and an AM/FM stereo with CD player. The GS trims upgrade with cruise control, remote keyless entry, 16-inch alloy wheels, a body-color rear spoiler, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, sport fabric seats and a split-folding rear seat. The top-level GT adds 4-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, sport-tuned suspension, fog lights, rocker panel extensions, large 3-inch diameter tailpipe with bright tip and premium sport cloth seats. The Spyders feature an insulated power-retractable top with a glass rear window. Options include a 210-watt stereo system, a power glass sunroof (coupes) and an in-dash 6-disc CD player.