|
 Rebirth - Mitsubishi Eclipse
User Rating:  / 12
It was a few years ago, at SEMA’s IAS show in Philadelphia, when I first saw this Mitsubishi Eclipse. The owner and builder, John Williams, from Michigan, entered my Trifecta competition (which judged cars on the build, sound quality and sound pressure level). I thought it had a great chance of winning, notwithstanding the fact it’s an open vehicle, and that it would accumulate enough points from judges Troy Sumitomo of Five Axis fame, David Fowlkes, the originator of the spinner wheel and partner at Davin Wheels, and Gary Bell, formerly of Alpine, among others, that it would compensate for the lower scores it was bound to get for audio quality. As expected, the Eclipse it wouldn’t do quite as well in terms of sound and that kept it from winning that competition. But the design and creativity that John showed in customizing the car was, and still is, truly amazing.
Mitsubishi Eclipse by John Williams, Vehicle Designs (Michigan). Surround sound, in-car computer and dash subwoofer.
While John may have saved some loot initially, spending only $500 to buy the junker at auction, he quickly expanded the budget during the build—multiple the above figure by a couple of hundred. It may be excessive, but then John had a point to prove. He was tired of building client cars, of never being able to build what he wanted. So he and his father spent almost a month and a half straight basically creating a new vehicle. Thus this '98 Mitsubishi Eclipse was reborn.
|
