First Impressions
 

The interior is exactly what I hoped for: clean, original, and untouched. No hacked wiring, no broken plastics, no sun‑baked trim. Just that early‑’90s Mitsubishi/Eagle design that somehow feels both simple and purposeful.

The gauges are crisp, the needles aren’t faded, and all the little details still work the way they should. Even the fog light switch and dimmer wheel still have that factory resistance.

The factory cassette deck is still in place — “Computer Controlled Deck” and all. The center stack and console look like they’ve been used by someone who actually cared about their car, not someone who treated it like a disposable commuter.

The seats are in great shape, bolsters intact, fabric still soft. No rips, no stains, no weird smells. It still has that unmistakable DSM interior vibe… and somehow, it looks even better now than it did back then.

Even the hatch area is clean. The cargo cover works, the plastics aren’t scratched up, and the carpet hasn’t been beaten into submission by decades of hauling.

From the Magazine Rack
 

Sharing some magazine clippings from the era when these cars were new. These were the kinds of articles that shaped how we saw the Eclipse and Talon back then... not just as sporty coupes, but as genuinely competitive performance cars with real engineering behind them.

Eclipse/Talon — The Full Car and Driver Feature (3 Pages)

The first set is a three‑page Car and Driver preview of the ’95 Eclipse and Talon. It’s peak mid‑’90s automotive journalism... studio shots, interior photos, engine‑bay glamour, and plenty of optimism about the Diamond‑Star partnership.

A few highlights from the piece:

The turbo 4G63 was still the hero: 210 hp and 214 lb‑ft
Mitsubishi handled the interior design, aiming for something “androgynous” and sculpted
The Normal, Illinois factory gets a full shout‑out
The article frames the new cars as more refined, more powerful, and more grown‑up than the first generation
It’s fun reading this stuff now, knowing how these cars aged and how rare clean survivors have become.
Diamond‑Star Specs & Design Notes

The next is a full breakdown of the Eclipse GSX... specs, design notes, and a couple of Talon photos mixed in. It’s the kind of page you would’ve stared at in high school, memorizing numbers:

0.29 drag coefficient
AWD, 5‑speed, 0–60 in 6.7 sec
Garrett T‑25 turbo
3140 lbs curb weight

And a great quote from designer Amy Hiroshige about creating a passionate, sculpted interior
Even the rear seat gets roasted — “suitable only for gnomes and their most intimate quarters.”

The Comparison Test — “Good Sports”

Last up is a two‑page spread from Car and Driver’s “Good Sports” comparison: seven coupes under $20K, all parked on a scenic overlook like a ’90s movie poster.

The lineup included:
Eclipse/Talon
Probe GT
Prelude VTEC
Integra GS‑R
Celica GT
240SX SE
And one more rounding out the group

It’s pure nostalgia:

“Blistering performance costs less than one game’s pay for Barry Bonds.”

They talk about VTEC screaming to 8100 rpm, the Probe aging gracefully, and the Eclipse/Talon standing out with swoopy new bodies and upgraded drivetrains. It’s the kind of comparison that made you want to hit the dealership with a copy of the magazine in hand.

These were the articles that made you believe in these cars.
They weren’t just sporty... they were engineered, styled, and positioned to punch above their weight.