1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS

Vehicle Description

Every so often, a car comes along that makes you wonder how it managed to survive nearly 30 years essentially untouched. This 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS has traveled just 9,252 original miles from new, has had only one owner, and was recently acquired directly out of North Carolina, where it spent its life. Finished in beautiful Magenta Gray Pearl over Gray leather, this Eclipse is an extraordinary survivor from an era when these cars were everywhere—and when very few owners had any thought of preserving one for the future. The second-generation Eclipse became one of the defining Japanese sport coupes of the 1990s. Unfortunately, that popularity also meant that countless examples were modified, lowered, fitted with body kits, repainted, abused or simply driven into the ground. Nearly three decades later, finding an original Eclipse is becoming difficult. Finding a one-owner example with only 9,252 original miles, still presenting much as it did in 1997, is something entirely different. This GS was also very well equipped when ordered new. Its original window sticker accompanies the car and shows the substantial $3,931 Premium Value Package, which added air conditioning, power windows and locks, power sunroof, alloy wheels, cruise control, leather front seating, premium Infinity audio and security/keyless entry. It was additionally ordered with the 10-disc CD changer, floor mats and wheel locks. The original sticker shows an MSRP of $18,240 before options, with this car totaling nearly $23,000 when equipped. And fortunately, nearly all of it is still here. The Magenta Gray Pearl exterior is exceptional, retaining a beautiful, deep factory appearance with remarkably straight body panels and excellent trim, moldings, glass, lighting and factory alloy wheels. Even the original Leith Mitsubishi of Fayetteville, North Carolina dealer emblem remains affixed to the rear bumper—a small detail we love seeing on a car with this kind of history. Open the door and the mileage becomes even more believable. The Gray leather interior is remarkable. The seats show only minor natural leather creasing from age, while the steering wheel, carpeting, console, switchgear, door panels, sill plates and original Mitsubishi audio equipment display extraordinarily little evidence of use. The factory power sunroof remains above, and the original Eclipse embroidered floor mats are still present. Under the hood is the original 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder, paired with the 4-speed automatic transmission. More important than horsepower numbers on a car like this is what hasn't happened under there. The engine compartment remains remarkably original in appearance, retaining its factory air intake, hoses, clamps, heat shielding, wiring, hardware, labels and finishes. It hasn't been turned into somebody's tuner project and then pieced back together years later. The same story continues underneath. Detailed photographs of the undercarriage reveal an exceptionally well-preserved Southern car with clean floors, original suspension components, factory finishes and very little corrosion. Even the original Mitsubishi-stamped exhaust muffler remains in place. Remove the trunk floor and the preservation continues with a remarkably clean spare-tire well containing the compact spare, jack and original hardware. Those are the areas that are difficult to fake—and they're precisely the areas we want a serious buyer to see. Documentation is equally impressive. The Eclipse is accompanied by its original Mitsubishi window sticker, owner's manuals and portfolio, two sets of keys and factory keyless-entry remotes, along with other original materials. For a car being represented with fewer than 10,000 miles, those details matter. This Eclipse isn't being offered as a substitute for a GS-T or GSX, nor does it need to be. Its significance today comes from something entirely different: survival. Millions of people remember seeing second-generation Eclipses on the road in the 1990s and early 2000s. Very few will ever again see one that has remained this original, this well preserved and this lightly used. There are restored cars that have been made to look young again. There are modified cars that have subsequently been returned to stock. And then there are cars like this—cars that simply never got old through use in the first place. With one-owner history, just 9,252 original miles, lifelong North Carolina ownership, beautiful Magenta Gray Pearl paint, desirable Premium Value Package, leather, power sunroof, Infinity audio, original documentation and extraordinary overall preservation, this 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS represents a genuine time capsule from one of the most memorable periods in Japanese automotive history. It hasn't been restored to resemble a 9,000-mile Eclipse. It is a 9,000-mile Eclipse. For the collector who remembers these cars when they were new and has been waiting for an example that somehow escaped the last three decades, this may be the one. Contact Kevin at Mashburn Motors for additional information.