MITSUBISHI Eclipse Spyder 2009-2012 Photos, engines & full specs

The fourth generation of the Eclipse appeared in 2005, and the carmaker waited another two years before introducing the open-top version and refreshed the lineup four years later.

With the world financial crisis gone and the market started to go up again, Mitsubishi was eager to recover the money it lost. Its spyder version was one of the vehicles that were built to get money since it used an already developed platform.

There were a few improvements that worth on the 2009 Eclipse Spyder. At the front, the big grille divided by a black element of the bumper looked like a wind-tunnel with a silver badge on it. The mesh design only accentuated that, while the bigger headlights tried to be convincing that they deserved to be on a sports roadster. On its sides, the rear quarter panels were slightly enlarged, showing a muscular line. For the rag-top, Mitsubishi developed a power-system that could cover or uncover the cabin in 19 seconds. It featured a glass rear defroster window.

Inside, the sport bucket-seats with integrated headrests featured high-bolstered sides to keep their occupants in place during high cornering. In the back, it was enough room for very small children or a few bags of shopping. The Spyder was not a sports car anymore. It was more of an affordable sporty open-top vehicle.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed front-wheel-drive powertrains with a choice of two engines. The base version featured a 2.4-liter inline-four, while the other option was a 3.8-liter V-6, too heavy for the car's front but powerful enough to get to 209 kph (130 mph). Both versions were paired to a five-speed automatic transmission.