Felippe Almeida's 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse in Brazil

A well-preserved example of a ‘90 Quartz Gray Mitsubishi Eclipse in Brazil.

Name: Felippe Almeida

Age: 25

Location: Criciúma – Santa Catarina, Brazil

Instagram: @felippe777

What got you into these cars and how old were you?

DSM’s in Brazil are very common. In 1990, the Brazilian market opened car importation and many companies brought a lot of cars to here. The Eclipses were the preferred choice by actors, soccer players and singers. In 1994, Mitsubishi officially came to Brazil and offered the Lancer, Eclipse, L200 and Montero in its dealerships.

When I was 14 years old, my dad pick me after school in a red ’94 Eclipse GS Turbo. He made a test drive and then bought his car. At this moment, I felt in love with Mitsubishi’s, all my was Google research about Eclipse, 4G63 and DSM.

My dad bought the car and, one year later, bought another one, a ’93 Almaden Red GS with 17.000 miles and one previous owner. We travel a lot to car shows and meetings in my adolescence, but always I went in passenger seat.

At one these meetings I saw one red ’90 GSX. After that, I decide if one day I buy a Eclipse, I want a 1G-A.

What’s the story behind your Eclipse GSX?

Some years later, in September, 2014, after an unsuccessful negotiation on a ‘70s Beetle, I had the idea to look for my dream car and just my luck…I found one! It’s a ’90 Quartz Gray GS Turbo, two previous owners and 45,000 miles on the clock. The car needed a lot of things to done. The engine was bad, the suspension was terrible and the body had many dents, but the interior was perfect.

I went to Curitiba/PR with my dad, Stefano, in his Eclipse and drove back home with the two cars. It was an amazing experience! Even with the weaknesses, the car ran great and make the entire 400 miles with zero problems.

Two months later the engine broke down by the classic issue caused by the balance shafts. So at Eurochip Performance, we rebuilt the whole engine, the turbo and the transmission with no upgrades. It took four months to complete the services. All parts we needed were found in Brazil.

Something about your car/build/you that’s totally unique and fun and different?

For the brakes, after much research, I bought front brakes of a Lancer Ralliart, it is the same for the Outlander Turbo.

The wheels are a set of Enkei Lancer Evo VIII. I found them in Rio Grande do Sul state, 450 miles away from my house. I traveled with my girlfriend on a Saturday to get the wheels. Cool note: These wheels were from a rally car.

From the US, I imported the Eagle Talon front grille, new headlights, strut bars and a lot of miscellaneous little parts from JNZ Tuning.

What are you most proud of?

I never put the car on the dyno or race track, but I travel a lot with it. In four years, I drove 25,000 miles, including an international trip to Uruguay and use the car everyday during three years.

I’m proud of bringing back life to a classic 90’s sport car. It’s a different experience to use this car everyday. Everywhere I go, someone asks about the car, take pictures and looks at it a lot.

What’s the best advice you’d offer someone just starting out?

If you want to go in the DSM world, search a lot, ask questions, download the technical manuals and buy a nice car with a good owner’s history. If the body and electrical are good, all the mechanical parts are easy to fix. Plan upgrades that you can finish, don’t create big projects that will make the car sit for a long time. And, the main thing to remember…use the car! Take trips, go to racetracks, use it everyday. Enjoy your project and create good memories with them!