Apparently, something special is happening with the sun and moon today. You should drive more carefully, and despite what the “experts” on TikTok say, do not stare directly at the eclipse without protective eyewear. But let’s take a moment to appreciate some good eclipses and recognize some bad ones.
Before it was the brand that mostly focused on sub-prime buyers looking for cheap cars, Mitsubishi was once a respected automaker of Japanese performance cars, from the legendary Lancer Evo rally cars to the 3000GT coupe, and a variety of turbocharged sport-compacts that would be recognizable to anyone who grew up playing Gran Turismo. The automaker’s most accessible performance car was the Eclipse, which was actually named after a horse and not the solar phenomenon.
It was sold when younger people could afford and would be willing to buy sporty and stylish two-door coupes or convertibles. With a 25-year production run from 1990 to 2005, the Eclipse had some bright moments and some dark ones.
Here is a ranking of the best and worst Eclipse models.