Paul Walker was an American actor famous for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious sequel. He made a breakthrough in the 2001 action film The Fast and the Furious starring alongside Hollywood actor Vin Diesel. The movie was an instant success and subsequently established Paul Walker as a leading film star. The movie featured an impressive lineup of tuned JDM cars. The green Mitsubishi Eclipse featured is arguably the best-looking car from the film.

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It's first introduced in the opening scene where Brian takes it for a spin. He later brings to an illegal street race where he gets closely beaten by Dom's Mazda RX-7. But Brian later comes through for Dom by helping him get away from the police in his Eclipse. The JDM classic is lastly seen when Dom's old racing rival destroys it. Despite the Mitsubishi sports car getting limited screen time, it became one of the most loved cars. As a result, there's a lot of misinformation and missing facts regarding the car. Here are 10 things most people don't know about Brian's Mitsubishi Eclipse from The Fast and the Furious.

10 Built And Owned By John Lapid

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Close-angle-front
Fast & Furious Facts
 

Brian O'Conner's hero car was a 1995 Eclipse RS originally owned and built by John Lapid. While it appeared in the movie painted in Kawasaki Green, its original color was dark green when John Lapid purchased it and had no body kits.

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Close-angle-rear-right
Fast & Furious Facts
 

He later repainted it silver and installed a few basic mods such as the RoboCar full body kit. When Universal rented the car from John Lapid, it was the only Eclipse to show up at the auditions following Craig Lieberman's casting calls in the early 2000s.

9 One Of The Most Replicated Movie Cars In The World

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)---In-The-Fast-&-Furious--Street-race
Fast & Furious Facts

The now famous Mitsubishi Eclipse is one of the most loved cars in the world, thanks to the Fast and Furious franchise. According to Craig Lieberman, at least 50 known replicas are floating around different parts of the world.

However, Lieberman adds that most replicas today are similar but not as accurate as Brian's Eclipse. That's due to difficulty in obtaining the original parts. Brian's Eclipse featured a body kit that was very difficult to get back in the day. Today, it literally doesn't exist, and the rarely available parts are too expensive if not discontinued.

8 Brian's Mitsubishi Eclipse Was The Base RS Trim

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Front-Angle
Mecum Auctions
 

Contrary to Eddie Paul's book and other internet sources, Brian's Mitsubishi Eclipse was neither the turbocharged AWD GSX model nor the GS-T trim. Instead, it was a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS that fell under the second-generation model produced from 1994-1999 under the joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler's Diamond Star Motors (DSM).

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Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Rear-left
Mecum Auctions
 

Named after an 18th-century English racehorse, the second-generation Eclipse shared parts and platform with the Plymouth Laser and the rebadged Eagle Talon. The Base RS model featured a 2.0-liter Chrysler 420a 4-cylinder engine producing 140hp and 130lb-ft of torque.

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)---In-The-Fast-&-Furious---Nitrous-Exhaust
Fast & Furious Facts
 

Brian's Eclipse featured a handful of bolt-on mods such as the bored-out throttle body, Hotshot header, cold air intake, RoboCar Eclipse body kit, APR GT2 performance rear wing, green neon lighting, carbon fiber mirrors and front splitter, and a 75hp NOS.

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)-----Rear
Mecum Auctions
 

In the end, these mods got an extra 10hp at best. The fact that Brian's Eclipse was naturally aspirated, it produced 150hp on a good day. So, unlike what the movie portrayed, the three-stage nitrous oxide system couldn't have helped its course – it was just for show.

6 No Match For Dom's Mazda RX-7

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)---In-The-Fast-&-Furious---Front
Fast & Furious Facts
 

At the street race, Dom crossed the finish line ahead of Brian by an inch. While it was a close race, any enthusiast knows it's only in the movie where the Eclipse could challenge the Mazda RX-7. In other words, Brian's Eclipse stood no chance despite having DSM customization parts and technology from 2001.

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)---In-The-Fast-&-Furious---Front---Rear
Fast & Furious Facts

 

Additionally, Brian's Eclipse was neither turbocharged and produced a mere 140hp compared to Dom's twin-turbocharged RX-7, which was twice as powerful, with a claimed 330hp sent to the rear wheels.

5 Unboxing The "Danger To Manifold" Scene

This Is The Truth Behind The Danger To Manifold Scene From The Fast And The Furious
via YouTube

The "danger to manifold" is now a defined internet meme. It was born from the scene where the Eclipse's intake manifold began overheating due to overcompensation from the first NOS. While attempting to beat Dom's RX-7, Brian snarled at his laptop, pushed the second NOS intake, and the floorboard piece fell out.

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Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)--Overheating-In-The-Fast-And-The-Furious-Movie
Fast & Furious Facts
 

It's hilarious because what the film intended to be a warning regarding the intake or even the exhaust manifold had nothing to do with the car's floorboard. Lieberman, the technical director at the time, suggested a better pop-up warning message, but the producers declined as they insisted the general public would understand the message better. As for the floorboard falling, Lieberman added it was for dramatic effect to get sparks.

4 A Fan Favorite In The Tuner Scene

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Engine
Mecum Auctions
 

The Fast and Furious started as a franchise centered around the JDM tuning culture. In fact, the first Fast and Furious movie is arguably one of the films that rejuvenated the rice car craze in the US. It has since evolved into a car-culture show featuring all types of cars.

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Engine-Bay
Mecum Auctions
 

While the tuning culture was still zealous at the time, Brian's Mitsubishi Eclipse was among other JDM cars in the film that fueled the cultural revolution further beyond the decade. It inspired an entire generation, and fervent fans have done their best to create replicas of the iconic Mitsubishi Eclipse.

3 Buck Car No. 35 Is The Most Expensive Eclipse To Date

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Side-Angle
Mecum Auctions
 

Cars driven by Paul Walker (Brian O'Connor) continue to command furious prices. The latest entry is this 1995 Eclipse that fetched a whopping $170,500 (the highest price paid for an Eclipse) at Mecum Auctions. While it wasn't the hero car, it featured an APR rear wing, custom mirrors, alloy wheels, Jensen stereo, Recaro seats, and diamond-plate floor pans.

Paul Walker's Green 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse Parked Outside
via Mecum Auctions
 

The 1995 Eclipse joins the Brian-driven Toyota Supra in commanding blockbuster prices. Surprisingly, it's not the most expensive Mitsubishi. That honor belongs to the $197,000 Lancer Evo VI Tommy Makinen Edition sold at Silverstone Auctions in 2021.

2 Six Eclipses Filmed The Fast And The Furious Movie

Paul Walker's Green 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse Parked Outside
Mecum Auctions
 

Since Brian's hero one car was privately owned, the filming crew used stunt cars to prevent damage and act as a backup to the rented Mitsubishi Eclipse. According to Craig Lieberman, the Fast and Furious movie used six Eclipses.

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Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)-----Green
Fast & Furious Facts
 

One was the hero car owned by John Lapid, and hero two was the car used for interior shots. Three Eclipses served as stunt cars where one was the blown-out model, and the last one was the "buck car" for blue or green screen scenes.

1 Where Brian's Mitsubishi Eclipse Is Today

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)-----Side
Mecum Auctions
 

After the shoot, John Lapid hanged on to his car for a while before selling it to George Barris for $50,000. According to Lieberman, Brian's Eclipse is now in Hollywood Star Cars Museum but with missing parts. Universal also sold the hero two cars to George Barris. He later sold it to a buyer in the Netherlands.

Paul-Walker-(Brian)-1995-Mitsubishi-Eclipse-(Green)----Front-Right
Mecum Auctions

 

Stunt one (the exploded car) resides in a museum in Las Vegas. Universal Studios repainted and reused the other two stunt cars in the 2 Fast 2 Furious sequel - they are in different locations today, one in Illinois and the other in Rusty's Museum in Tennessee. The Buck car was recently sold to an unknown movie fan via Mecum Auctions.