Where is it now? First car off Mitsubishi line - Bloomington Pantagraph
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois government is forever linked to the soon-to-be shuttered Mitsubishi auto plant through a little red coupe. In appreciation of his hands-on involvement in helping to lure the joint venture between the Japanese company and Chrysler to a site west of Normal, the first car that rolled off the Diamond-Star Motors assembly line back in 1989 was presented to... In its 25 years, the sporty Eclipse has chauffeured multiple chief executives and their children, and served as a display piece in a museum. The coupe spent many of its years tucked away in the garage of the Executive Mansion on Fourth Street in downtown Springfield. The car, a 1990 model, had rolled off the assembly line to great fanfare and was soon presented to Thompson. Over the next 21 years, workers at the plant produced a total of 906,876 models under a variety of names, including the Eagle Talon, the Plymouth Laser and, as most know it, the Eclipse. Ron Cooley, who is now executive director of the Illinois State Police Merit Board, said the tall governor was too big for the little car. The car remained in the mansion garage through the transition from Thompson to former Gov. Source: www.pantagraph.com
