In January 2022, an auction will be held for one of Paul Walker’s Mitsubishi Eclipses from the Fast and Furious movie series.
In January, an automobile owned by Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker will be auctioned off. Walker co-starred with Vin Diesel in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, making him an early member of the huge action franchise. Despite the fact that he was absent from the third movie, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, a stand-alone that really occurred far later in the franchise’s timeline than many of the sequels, he was present in every other installment up to Furious 7.
Tragically, Paul Walker passed away in a car accident in November 2013 before Furious 7 could finish its filming. James Wan’s production used old material and stand-in performances from Walker’s two brothers to produce 350 new scenes. Brian O’Conner, played by Walker, is still alive and well in the remaining movies in the series, blissfully residing with his family away from the escapades of the other members of his gearhead team.
One of the six Mitsubishi Eclipses that Paul Walker reportedly drove for the most of the first movie will be auctioned off at the start of 2019. Although the character would subsequently gain more notoriety for driving a Toyota Supra, the initial automobile is still a recognizable piece of equipment. It’s anyone’s guess as to how much will be paid for this piece of cinema history, given that other franchise-related screen-used vehicles have sold for as much as $550,000.
In the first Fast and the Furious, Brian O’Conner’s hallmark vehicle was a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The undercover officer utilized the vehicle to prepare for a street race in which he was meant to win Dom Toretto’s respect. After nearly being wrecked by overpumping the NOS during the race, the vehicle is destroyed when Johnny Tran, a rival racer and crime lord, blows the NOS tank during a gunfight.
Without Walker’s dedicated involvement, the Fast and Furious franchise would not be what it is today. With 9 films, a spinoff, an animated series, and a linked pair of finale sequels, F10 and F11, being directed by Justin Lin, the series is now a box office powerhouse. The business was at its peak when Walker passed away, and it has only flourished since then. As a result, the auction will be driven by both the franchise’s ongoing appeal and Paul Walker’s legacy. It will be interesting to watch how much the car ultimately sells for because that worth goes beyond that of a simple collectible car.