Eagle Talon

Eagle Talon
Production period:	1990-1998
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Combi coupe

The Eagle Talon was one of three car models that were built and sold by Chrysler and Mitsubishi in a joint venture from 1989 to 1998 as "Diamond Star Motors" (DSM). The Talon was sold under the brand name Eagle , an automobile brand Chrysler used to compete against Japanese automakers in the late 1980s after they acquired the brand from American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987 . The sister models of the Eagle Talon were the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Plymouth Laser . The two brands Eagle and Plymouth have since been discontinued.

features

All three models were built at the DSM facility in Normal , Illinois . They had the same platform, i.e. the engine, the gearbox, the drive train and parts of the body were the same. There were small differences in the wheels, the color palette, the rear lights, the front and rear bumpers and the spoilers. The roof of the Talon was always black, no matter what color the car was otherwise (the 1st generation Mitsubishi Eclipse with a 2.0 liter engine also had a black roof).

The main features of the Eagle Talon were:

Two doors
Hatchback with tailgate
2 + 2 seats
Front-wheel drive with the exception of the best trim level with four-wheel drive
Manual five-speed gearbox or 4-speed automatic
Two-tone paint (see above)
Elevation on the bonnet on the left to provide enough space for the timing belt cover of the Mitsubishi 4G63 engine (the basic DL model had a smaller engine, but the elevation on the bonnet nonetheless)

First generation

1G

Production period:	1990-1994
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.8–2.0 liters (68–154 kW)
Length:	4390 mm
Width:	1695 mm
Height:	1305-1320 mm
Wheelbase :	2470 mm
Empty weight :	1156 kg

Eagle Talon TSi AWD (1993)

The first generation of the Eagle Talon came in mid-1989 as a 1990 model and was built until 1994. This era of DSM is known as the first generation, or simply “1G”. There were, however, two 1G styles: The 1GA models from 1990 to 1991 had sleeping eyes and a “6-bolt” engine, while the 1GB models from 1992 to 1994 had composite headlights with built-in indicators.

Equipment variants 1G

Basic model: 1990–1992
TSi model: 1990-1994
TSi-AWD model: 1990–1994
DL model: 1993-1994
ES model: 1993-1994

The DL model from 1993/1994 was front-wheel drive and had a weak 1.8-liter engine (4G37) with 68 kW (92 hp). The ES model (or the basic model before 1993) had the uncharged 2.0-liter engine (4G63) with 99 kW (135 PS). The TSi and TSi AWD models had the same engine, but with a turbocharger and 143 kW (195 PS) in the AWD. The front-wheel drive had only 140 kW (190 PS) because of the different exhaust system and the automatic models only 132 kW (180 PS) with a smaller turbocharger and a smaller injection system.

The name of the "6-bolt" engine, which all Talon had installed up to April 1992, comes from the number of screws that connect the flywheel to the crankshaft. All 1G Talon from 1992 onwards got the "7-Bolt" engine. Both versions (6-Bolt and 7-Bolt) differ in some details of the motor construction.

The 6-bolt motors are valued in the USA for their stability, reliability and their performance potential. The 7-bolt engines, however, are due to the frequent occurrence of crankshaft bearing damage (mainly 2G 1995–1997) and the smaller ducts in the cylinder head in the USA as unreliable and weak.

The 7-bolt engine is actually a normal further development of the engine by the manufacturer, in which some design details have been improved (bearing brackets of the crankshaft, fastening of the exhaust manifold). Since all cars with a 4G63 engine (including EVOs) that were built after 1993 were equipped with a 7-bolt engine, it is reasonable to assume that the crankshaft bearing damage of the 7-Bolt-2G is not a constructional problem. , but rather a quality defect.

The Eagle Talon was regularly in the list of the top ten in Car and Driver magazine 1990-1992.

Production numbers

1990: 32,708 pieces
1991: 33,537 pieces
1992: 27,945 pieces
1993: 26,740 pieces
1994: 24,040 pieces

Second generation

2G

Production period:	1995-1998
Engines:	Petrol engines : 2.0–2.4 liters (103–156 kW)
Length:	4375-4380 mm
Width:	1735-1745 mm
Height:	1275-1340 mm
Wheelbase :	2510 mm
Empty weight :	1265 kg

Eagle Talon TSi (1995)

The second generation Eagle Talon was introduced concurrently with its sister model Mitsubishi Eclipse in 1995, while the Plymouth Lasers were phased out. Mechanically, the new Talon and Eclipse models almost corresponded to the turbo-charged models of the 1G. They gained a bit of power as they got modified intake manifolds and exhaust manifolds, as well as new turbochargers. Garrett's new T25 turbocharger had a boost pressure of 0.8 bar (12 psi) and was smaller than the one built into the 1G of the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The T25 also responded more quickly to accelerators.

The look of the new Eagle Talon was more different from that of the Mitsubishi Eclipse than was the case with the first generation. This was particularly evident from behind. The rear view of the Talon had a bumper with a lowered center, which left space for a license plate mounted above, the indicators were yellow (red on the Mitsubishi) and the reversing lights were integrated in the rear light block (in the middle next to the license plate on the Mitsubishi). The spoilers for the TSi and TSi-AWD versions on the lower edge of the rear window were always black and sickle-shaped on the Talon, while the Eclipse had basket-handle spoilers painted in body color on the rear of the car. Other differences concerned the radiator grille under the front bumper, which had no ribs in the body color, and the lack of side panels.

In 1997 Talon and Eclipse were revised, so that the new models are often referred to as 2Gb. The update mainly related to the non-metallic parts of the car. Front and rear views have been significantly redesigned to make them look more aggressive. The front air intake and the Eagle logo have been enlarged. That logo was now in the middle of the bumper. The rear got a new, high-build spoiler, which protruded further into the air flow and replaced the old crescent-shaped spoiler. Additional plastic parts on the doors and on the bumpers completed the body modifications. Eventually, new aluminum wheels replaced the old 5-spoke wheels.

Equipment variants 2G

ESi model: 1995-1997
TSi Turbo model: 1995–1998
TSi Turbo AWD model: 1995–1998
Basic model: 1996–1997

Engines

ESI: 2.0 liters - four-cylinder in-line engine (420A / ECH), 103 kW (140 hp) at 6000 min ^-1 . and 176 Nm at 4800 min ^-1
TSi manual transmission: 2.0 liter, four cylinder in-line engine with a turbocharger (4G63), 156 kW (210 hp) at 6000 min ^-1 and 290 Nm at 3000 min ^-1
TSi with automatic transmission: 2.0 liter, four cylinder in-line engine with a turbocharger (4G63), 151 kW (205 hp) at 6000 min ^-1 and 298 Nm at 3000 min ^-1

The TSi and TSi AWD models in turn had a supercharged engine with charge air cooling, which now replaced the Mitsubishi turbocharger of the 1G with a Garrett T25 charger. Although the T25 was a smaller turbocharger, it revs higher at lower engine speed, which resulted in higher vehicle acceleration. The TSi AWD had four-wheel drive again.

The designation TSi (which was the only equipment variant for the Talon in 1998) existed in the 1997 and 1998 model years for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The sportier model of the Jeep Grand Cherokee (with the exception of the 5.9-liter) had the equipment of the Talon TSi model with the indigo-blue trim and the monochrome paintwork. In 2005 and 2006 there was again a TSi as a high-performance model of the Chrysler Sebring .

Production numbers

1995: 25,066 pieces
1996: 15,100 pieces
1997: 9788 pieces
1998: 4307 pieces

Colours

Bright White (pure white)
Black
Indy Red (fire red)
Wildberry Metallic (chestnut brown)
Medium Gray Metallic (mouse gray)
Blue Metallic (blue)
Polo Green Metallic (polog green)
Prism Blue (light blue)

The end of the talon

In 1998 the Talon was the last model from the slowly disappearing Eagle brand. The 1998 model is also the rarest.

Although there was a prototype called the Eagle Jazz that looked very much like a four-door Eagle Talon, Chrysler stopped promoting the brand that year and then stopped producing it.

Video games

1992 Eagle Talon TSi AWD - Game: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
1992 Eagle Talon TSi - Game from '' Car and Driver ''
1995 Eagle Talon TSi - Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (as a PC-controlled police car. The same car appears in Need For Speed: High Stakes , but painted in black and white.)
1997 Eagle Talon ESi - Gran Turismo 4
1998 Eagle Talon TSi - Forza Motorsport
1998 Eagle Talon TSi Turbo - Forza Motorsport 2
1998 Eagle Talon TSi Turbo - Forza Motorsport 4
1999 Eagle Talon TSi - Horsez for Nintendo DS

Web links

Commons : Eagle Talon - collection of images, videos and audio files