Was the Mitsubishi Eclipse Named After a Lunar or Solar Eclipse? 

After people from all over the world took time to view the first solar eclipse in 38 years, many car enthusiasts are sure to notice that the recently cancelled but popular Mitsubishi model shares the same name as the phenomenon with the former Mitsubishi Eclipse model. So was the Mitsubishi Eclipse named after a lunar or solar eclipse? 

While many people might jump to conclusions and assume that the stylish compact model was directly named after a lunar or solar eclipse, that is not the full story as to where the vehicle gets its name from. The Mitsubishi Eclipse was actually named after an English racehorse that was born in 1764 and went undefeated through 18 races and 11 King’s Plates. However, the horse was named after the solar eclipse that took place in 1764.  

Read more: How to keep your vehicle’s resale value high. 

Eclipse’s racing career lasted about 17 months, as the horse was eventually retired due to the lack of competition it faced. The horse was known as a large horse for the time period, and was strong and fast, often easily fending off the competition. Eclipse was also known as having an abnormally larger heart than most horses at the time. 

If you would like to know the origin of other company of vehicle names such as whether the Mitsubishi Eclipse was named after a lunar or solar eclipse, feel free to follow our blog. You can also browse through our inventory of pre-owned vehicles on our website.