Eagle Talon

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{{Infobox Automobile |image=Image:DSC00879.JPG |name=Eagle Talon |manufacturer=Diamond Star Motors |production=1990–1998 |class=Sport compact |body_style=3-door hatchback |platform=FF/AWD D |related=Plymouth Laser
Mitsubishi Eclipse |similar=Plymouth Laser
Mitsubishi Eclipse }}

The Eagle Talon is a sports car sold by the Eagle division of Chrysler. The Eagle Talon often outsold its cousins, until Eagle's demise in 1998. The Talon is popular in the aftermarket because of its very potent 4G63 turbocharged inline 4 cylinder engine also used in the Mitsubishi Evolution, which is capable of 400 hp+ on stock internals. The first generation models are the most popular among aftermartket tuners, due to the extensive abuse and high horsepower their engines are capable of withstanding. The second generation models are also popular with aftermarket tuners, despite their engines notoriously suffering from a problem called "crankwalk". This problem is only cured by swaping in an engine from the previous generation. The engines are differtiated by their "6 bolt" or "7 bolt" designations, referring to the amount of bolts connecting the flywheel to the crankshaft.

Contents

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Overview

The Eagle Talon was one of three model names given to a sports car that was manufactured and sold by Chrysler and Mitsubishi in a collaborative project known as Diamond Star Motors (DSM) between 1990 and 1998. The Talon was sold under the Eagle marque, a brand developed by Chrysler to compete with Japanese imports in the late 1980s from the remnants of American Motors which was purchased by Chrysler in 1987. The other two names were Eclipse (sold by Mitsubishi) and Laser (sold by Plymouth, another Chrysler brand). Note that both the "Eagle" and "Plymouth" brand names have been discontinued.

All three vehicles were built on the same platform at DSM's manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois. All three vehicles were mechanically identical (when comparing the same option level) including engine, transmission, and drivetrain. Cosmetically, differences between the three was limited to wheels, availability of colors, and minor trim pieces. The primary way to establish the identity of an Eagle Talon is its two-tone body color - the 'greenhouse' (roof, pillars, door-mounted mirrors) was always black regardless of the body color.

The basic characteristics of the Eagle Talon are:

  • Two doors
  • Hatchback
  • 2+2 seating (2 front seats and 2 marginal, fold down rear seats)
  • Four option levels (from lowest to highest): DL, ESi, TSi, and TSi AWD
  • front-wheel drive (FWD) for all option levels except for the top option level, which had all-wheel drive (AWD)
  • 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions
  • Two-tone color combination as described above
  • Hood bulge on the left-hand side of the car in order to provide adequate clearance for the camshaft sprockets/timing belt cover on the 4G63 engine (note: the DL did not use this engine and therefore, although it had the bulge, did not need it).
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First generation (1G)

Image:Talon.jpg

The first generation Talon was produced from model years 1990 to 1994. This era of DSM vehicles is commonly referred to as the first generation, or "1G" for short.

There were four models of the Talon:

  • base or DL
  • ES
  • TSi
  • TSi AWD

There were four models of the Laser:

  • Base
  • RS
  • RS (Turbo FWD)
  • RS (Turbo AWD)

The base model was front-wheel drive and home to a low-power 1.8 L engine. The RS model sported a naturally aspirated 2.0 L Mitsubishi 4G63 engine. The TSi/RS Turbo and AWD (all-wheel drive) models were powered by the same engine, with the addition of a turbocharger to boost performance significantly. Note that the RS Turbo AWD Laser was not available until the 1992 model year.

The Laser Turbo was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1989, and the Talon and Laser Turbos made the list for 1990 through 1992.

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Production numbers

  • 1991: 29,853
  • 1992: 29,911
  • 1993: 27,360
  • 1994: 27,680

Image:Talon Eclipse Laser production.png

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Second generation (2G)

Image:DSC00879.JPG Image:Newtalon.jpg Image:DSC04089.JPG

The second generation Eagle Talon was introduced in 1995 simultaneously with its Mitsubishi Eclipse counterpart (the Plymouth Laser was not continued into the second generation). Mechanically, the Talon and the Eclipse were practically the same. The engines were carried over from the first generation models with only modest increases in output.

From a design standpoint, the differences between this car and its Mitsubishi equivalent were somewhat more substantial than exhibited between in the first generation. These differences were most obvious at the rear of the car. For example, the rear fascia of the Talon featured a bumper cap with a dip in the middle to allow for a high-mounted rear license plate; rear light clusters incorporating amber turn signals (the Eclipse used red turn signals); reverse lights as part of the main rear taillight clusters (the Eclipse's reverse lights were mounted separately and lower around the mid-mounted license plate); and a sickle-shaped rear spoiler for the TSi and TSi AWD version mounted at the base of the rear window that was painted black regardless of body color (the Eclipse used a body colored, conventional spoiler mounted on the rear deck). Other diffences included the air intake beneath the front bumper which did not have a body-colored splitter (minor difference) and side skirts that were more bulbous on the Talon.

In 1997, a design update occurred for both the Talon and the Eclipse. The update was limited, primarily, to the non-metal portions of the car. The front and rear fascias were heavily revised to incorporate more aggressive looking features. At the front, a larger air intake was created and the "Eagle" emblem was enlarged and embossed into the bumper cap (as opposed to a badge that inset into a similarly shaped hole). At the rear, a new spoiler, mounted higher on a post so that it projected further into the airstream, replaced the flush-mounted sickle spoiler. Added plastic moldings on the bumper caps and doors completed the revisions to the body. Lastly, a wheel incorporating more angles replaced the curved 5-spoke wheel.

Models:

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Production numbers

  • 1995: 20,824
  • 1996: 13,842
  • 1997: 1,987
  • 1998: 2,957
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Dimensions

  • Wheelbase: 98.8 in (2510 mm)
  • Track (front/rear): 59.7 in (1516 mm)/59.4 in (1509 mm)
  • Overall length: 172.2 in (4374 mm)
  • Overall width:
    • ESi: 68.3 in (1735 mm)
    • TSi/TSi AWD: 68.7 in (1745 mm)
  • Overall height:
    • ESi: 51.4 in (1305.6 mm)
    • TSi/TSi AWD: 51.5 in (1308 mm)
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Colors

  • Bright White
  • Black
  • Indy Red
  • Wildberry Metallic (maroon)
  • Medium Gray Metallic
  • Blue Metallic
  • Polo Green Metallic
  • Prism Blue
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End of the Talon

By 1998, the Talon was all that was left of the dying Eagle brand. After 1998, Eagle was done away with altogether.

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Third generation (3G)

In 2000, a third generation Mitsubishi Eclipse was released. The DSM car was instead sold as the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus coupes

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External links

Template:Eagle

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Eagle_Talon"