While the 1990s wasn’t the best decade for the US automotive industry in general, there were some pretty interesting brands that are dead now. Take for example Eagle introduced in 1988 by Chrysler as an enthusiast brand targeted mostly at the younger customer base. Its lineup consisted mainly of rebranded models from Mitsubishi, Plymouth, and Chrysler, but the marque had its own identity and charm. After the Need for Speed era, stock examples of Eagle cars are difficult to find, though.
One such original Eagle was recently discovered by the WD Detailing team. It is a Talon TSi with a turbocharged engine and an all-wheel drive. It’s been sitting abandoned for the last 12 years and – as you can see for yourself in the video at the top of this page – is currently missing some of its parts. The biggest issue is that there’s no engine under the hood and the original turbocharged four-cylinder mills for the Talon are now increasingly difficult to find.
The unit in question is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger with somewhere around 195 horsepower (145 kilowatts) in this AWD specification. The front-wheel-drive Talon was rated at 190 hp (142 kW) due to its more restrictive exhaust system. The cars equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, in turn, had 180 hp (134 kW) due to their different turbo setup.
The Talon was essentially a rebadged and slightly redesigned version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was also sold with a Plymouth badge. While mechanically identical, the three coupes had their own design languages with different bumpers, taillights, and wheels. All three cars were assembled by DSM (Diamond Star Motors joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi) at its Normal, Illinois, plant.
In our eyes – while obviously far from its factory condition – this particular black Eagle Talon TSi has a lot of potential. Not only because it is from the rare and more sought-after turbocharged AWD models but also because its body doesn’t have big spots of rust. If this was your vehicle, what would you do – find an original example and restore the coupe to its former glory or put a more powerful and modern mill under the hood? Let us know in the comments section below.
