Many are taken aback at all of the work done on individual rides such as Ryan Parrish's solid '98 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS, "Phantom Menace," cruising out of Las Vegas, Nevada. "I bought my Eclipse brand new in 1997 and used it as a daily driver for a coupe of months. Later, I went down to CCR Motorsports in Las Vegas and purchased my tires and wheels and a set of clear taillights," said Ryan. He drove his ride around for about a year before attending the '99 Super Show in Las Vegas. "I was bitten by the lowrider 'bug' and began customizing my GS soon after," he admits.
The next step to making menacing machinery was an interior stitched up by the guys at B&J Upholstery in Las Vegas, while Ryan did the door panels himself. Black and charcoal marine vinyl with red piping run throughout the cockpit and to the rear hatch. B&J also stitched in the Mitsubishi symbols to the headrests and dropped in Mitsubishi seatbelt pads as well. Ryan changed up the gauges by changing them to white faces and swapped out the shifter knob for one from Razo. He also replaced the pedals and altered the mood by using a red neon dome light.
Ryan saved a little more dough by doing up the install on the Wings West Combat GTR rear wing and T.C. Spoilers Kombat Bomb body kit, before handing the Eclipse over to Vern Gates at Vern's Wet Works in "Sin City." Vern shaved the Eclipse and prepped it before painting the car black. The Eclipse also features a clear LED on the wing, clear taillight lenses and chrome mesh grilles.
Ryan knew that he had to be different than most of the guys in the local Euro scene and he wanted to be slammed on the blacktop. So he figured that the best way to go about this would be to install a hydraulics setup. With the help of his good friend Dave Chaddock, Ryan installed a Pro Hopper Pro-X Euro kit. The hookup includes two chrome pumps, four dumps, a pair of Group 31 series batteries wired to 4 solenoids and 10 switches. The Eclipse can do front, back, side-to-side, three-wheel, seesaw and pancake moves. The suspension was also attended to by using 21/2-inch Sprint sport springs and a polished OBX upper strut brace. The Pirelli 215/40-ZR17 treads and 17-inch Giovanna "Vienna" wheels complete the hot desert ride.
Ryan and Dave also did up the audio in the GS by using all Kenwood gear. The head unit is a KDC-PS709 running to a pair of amplifiers, a KAC-746 four-channel and a KAC-827 two-channel. The speaker separates are a pair of 1-inch tweeters, four 6-inch midranges and a couple of 10-inch subwoofers to handle the low end of the sound spectrum.
Ryan also did a few mild power enhancements by installing a GReddy stainless steel cat-back exhaust system, a polished Focuz intake and a set of NGK sparkplugs. Cosmetically, Ryan added red convoluted tubing to cover the hoses and exposed wire looms.
It does not take a Jedi Knight to realize the force that possessed Ryan to pursue his vision of what a Euro in his hands could look like. Mystical stuff, you say? Nah, not when you consider the resources that he had at hand. It looks like an awesome ride for Ryan. Woe to anyone who dares to cross the Phantom Menace!
Owner: Ryan Parrish
Vehicle: '98 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS
City/State: Las Vegas, Nevada
Club: Euro Phi Psi C.C.
Engine: Stock 2.0-liter
Setup: Two Pro Hopper pumps, four dumps, 6-inch cylinders, Sprint 2 1/2-inch sport springs, OBX upper strut bar, two Group 31 batteries, 3/8-inch hoses, 10 switchesTires: P215/40-ZR17 Pirelli
Wheels: 17x7.5-inch Giovanna Vienna