By Antti Kautonen
Moving smoothly within the Chrysler Corporation scope, today’s street submission is a 1991 Eagle Talon. Eagle-eyed commenters pointed out yesterday, that the LH Chrysler 300M was essentially an Eagle until 12 months before its hatching, and development photos uncovered showed the triangular Eagle emblem mounted on the front grille.
This Diamond Star car is in somewhat better condition than the rattlecanned Eclipse I posted some time ago, and it’s often seen doing daily service around town. Take a peek.
Clean DSM:s are hard to come by here. They were practically never imported to Finland officially, and most of them have been modified somewhat ricerly, as their fate seems to be. Not too many DSM:s survive without terrible aftermarket steering wheels and resprayed interior plastics.
I’m also positive the front bumper has been resprayed, as it appears somewhat too light in comparison.
This Talon looks at least semi-reasonable from the outside, and the Speedline wheels are its winter gear. I do remember it sounding a bit clattery when driving along, so it’s probably had its share of hard driving. I also spot, yet again, an aftermarket wheel. It’s strange, as the factory steering wheel is absolutely fine in my opinion.
“Naahs!”
Yeah, I still want a DSM. Preferably a pampered European import that’s seen secretary or second car use throughout its life, and since the drivetrain is considered fragile, I’d be perfectly happy with the 140hp it offers stock. If it ain’t broke, don’t you dare touch it – especially since DSM-specific parts aren’t too easy to source here.
[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]
I always preferred the Talon of the DSMs. Just better looking, no real reason.
<img src="http://cars-database.com/data_images/gallery/02/eagle-talon-2.0/eagle-talon-2.0-03.jpg" width=480>
<img src="http://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/plymouth/laser/1991/oem/1991_plymouth_laser_2dr-hatchback_rs_fq_oem_1_500.jpg" width="480">
<img src="http://trialx.com/curetalk/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2011/06/cars/1993_Mitsubishi_Eclipse-2.jpg" width="480">
But the Plymouth is a frikkin' LASER!!
Edit: and it had Tina Turner in the commercials. Yowza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV3VYJnPuRM
I quite like the Laser, but it's a shame it's FWD only.
Hard to believe how far Mitsu has fallen.
That implies that they had a place to fall from.
Look at that greenhouse with those turn of the 90's almost apologetic C-pillars. Now we have bunkers with gunports for greenhouses and that blackout treatment is used for fake flattop rooflines on SUV's.
I'd love to find a wrecked one and bolt its motor and drivetrain into an Eagle summit van thing, or whatever the equivalent Mitsubishi model was. I can't remember where I saw several videos of people who had performed the swap running very respectable quarter mile times. The thought of an AWD turbo people carrier that I can take to the track and run 12/13's with is very appealing to me.
Unfortunately in rust ridden eastern Canada I may see one or two clean examples a year when it comes to DSM cars. The rust just seemed to eat them up.
Right here: http://hooniverse.info/2012/06/23/hooniverse-weeke…
That's the good stuff right there.
The DSM turbos were making 195 hp when the M3s were making 192hp.
Turbo aside, that was a lot of power in 1990… Mustang GTs made 205hp. IROCs were 245.
That blew my 1990 mind.
Although at that point, the M3 got its 192 hp (and more than that on non-catalyzed European Evolution models) from a normally aspirated 2,302 cc engine. Eighty-three horsepower or more per liter was pretty hot stuff for a non-turbo street engine in 1991.
A pal and I were talking about his B5 S4 and the 250hp twin turbo it had… and we were amazed.
270 with NA in a Odyssey now, 350 with a Hyundai V6.
So that 200hp 4 banger was pretty impressive in the day.
I like em…and I want one but like that other feller said they are rather rare to find on the east coast of Canada. A friend of mine had a 91 (iirc) laser in laser blue, it looked smoken clean and drove fine but on close inspection the rockers where sooooffft and the rear suspension pick up points where nearly rotted through. That said daily turismo and BAT both had really nice clean examples of the talon tsi(iirc) that where almost like new. The one on DT had only 23k miles but was and auto. It would be s nice first car for my wife (30 and just got her liscense shame shame)
Are those Ray's (Volk) TE37s? I coveted them for a decade. Almost the ultimate 90s VW tuner wheel for street cred (with the exception of Compomotive THs). I dunno tho, they seem to be an odd offset and/or size.