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The Eagle Talon was one of three model names given to a passenger car that was manufactured and sold by the then Chrysler Corporation (symbol: penta-star) and Mitsubishi Motors of Japan (symbol: triple diamond) in a collaborative project known as Diamond-Star Motors (DSM), between 1990 and 1998. Talons are a Japanese car made in the USA. The Talon was sold under the Eagle marque, which fell into Chrysler's hands after purchasing American Motors in 1987. The other two sister models were the Eclipse (sold by Mitsubishi) and the Laser (sold by Plymouth, another Chrysler brand). Note that both the "Eagle" and "Plymouth" brand names have since been discontinued.

All three vehicles were built on the same platform at the DSM 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 were found in wheels, availability of colors, tail lights, front and rear bumpers, and spoilers. 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 (Note: 1G Eclipses with a 2.0 L engine also have black 'greenhouse' roofs). The basic characteristics of the Eagle Talon are:

• Two doors
• Hatchback
• 2+2 seating (2 front seats and 2 marginal, fold down rear seats)
• 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 base model DL did not use this engine but still had a bulge as evident in the 1992 Talon brochure. 2nd Generation cars all of which had such a bulge, even with the inclusion of the Chrysler supplied 420A engine also found in the Dodge Neon.)

One notable thing about the Talon is its success compared to the Eagle nameplate itself, which was a huge flop for Chrysler. While the Eagle nameplate was not very well accepted and failed to gain any market share, it sold nearly 200,000 units in its lifetime and has retained a loyal following.

First generation (1G)

The first generation Talon was released in mid-1989 as a 1990 model and ran through 1994. This era of DSM vehicles is commonly referred to as the first generation, or "1G" for short. However, there were two 1G styles. The "1GA" models of 1990-1991 featured pop-up headlights lights and a "6-bolt" engine, while the "1GB" model of 1992-1994 featured composite style headlights with integrated turn signals.

There were four models of the Talon:

• DL (1993-1994)
• ES (simply "Talon" pre-1993)
• TSi
• TSi AWD

The 1993-1994 base model DL was front-wheel drive and used a weak 92-horsepower 1.8 L engine (4G37). The ES model (or just the base Talon before 1993) sported a naturally aspirated 2.0 L 135 hp Mitsubishi 4G63 engine. The TSi and TSi AWD models used the same engine but added an intercooled Mitsubishi 14b turbocharger producing 11.06 psi of peak boost from the factory, resulting in 195 horsepower on TSi AWD models. The front-drive TSi produced only 190 due to a more restrictive exhaust system, and automatic models only had 180.

The "6-bolt" engine on all Talons built before April 1992 refers to the number of bolts connecting the flywheel to the crankshaft. All 1G Talons built after 4/92 received a freer reving "7-bolt" engine borrowed from the 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution's lighter rods and 7-bolt crankshaft. The 6-bolt engines are prized for their impressive ability to withstand large amounts of boost due to the more robust combination of connecting rods and crankshaft. 25-30 PSI is not uncommon, and 6-bolt engines have been known to handle 500+ hp using the stock internals. The 1G "7-bolt" engines suffer from crankwalk no more than the 1G "6-bolt" engines. The majority of crankwalk cases that affected many "7-bolt" turbo Talon engines were found later in the revised 2G "7-bolt" motors found in 1995-1997 model year Talons.

The Eagle Talon was consistently featured on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1990-1992.

Production numbers

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

Second generation (2G)

The second generation Eagle Talon was introduced in 1995 simultaneously with its Mitsubishi Eclipse counterpart, while the Plymouth Laser model was eliminated. Mechanically, the new Talon and Eclipse models were almost identical with the engines in the turbocharged versions receiving a modest increase in output thanks to a redesigned intake and exhaust and new turbocharger. The new T25 turbocharger, provided by Garrett, had boost increased to 14psi and was smaller than the previous Mitsubishi built 14b turbo that was on 1G models. The T25 did spool up faster than the previous turbocharger in order to increase the turbo response (or reduce turbo lag).

From an aesthetic standpoint, the differences between the Eagle Talon car and its Mitsubishi equivalent were somewhat more substantial than exhibited in the first generation models. 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 tail light 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 "basket handle" spoiler mounted on the rear deck). Other differences included the air intake beneath the front bumper which did not have a body-colored splitter (minor difference) and the absence of side skirts.

For model year 1997, a design update occurred for both the Talon and the Eclipse that is sometimes referred to as "2Gb". The update was primarily limited 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 center of the bumper cap (as opposed to a badge that inset into a similarly shaped hole). At the rear, a new high-mount spoiler was introduced that projected further into the airstream, replacing the flush-mounted sickle spoiler. Added plastic moldings on the bumper caps and doors completed the revisions to the body. Lastly, an aluminum wheel incorporating more angles replaced the curved 5-spoke wheel.

Models:

• ESi - 2.0 L 420A/ECH I4, 140 hp (104 kW) at 6000 rpm and 130 ft·lbf (176 N·m) at 4800 rpm
• TSi / TSi AWD manual transmission - 2.0 L 4G63 turbo I4, 210 hp (156 kW) at 6000 rpm and 214 ft·lbf (290 N·m) at 3000 rpm
• TSi / TSi AWD automatic transmission - 2.0 L 4G63 turbo I4, 205 hp (152 kW) at 6000 rpm and 220 ft·lbf (298 N·m) at 3000 rpm

The TSi and TSi AWD models again featured an intercooled turbocharged engine, now replacing the 1G Mitsubishi turbo with a Garrett T25 model. Although the T25 was a smaller turbo, it spooled faster at a lower RPM resulting in increased low end acceleration performance. The TSi AWD model retained the All Wheel Drive drivetrain system.

The TSi nameplate (which was the only available trim for Talon in 1998), surfaced on Jeep's Grand Cherokee for the 1997 and 1998 model year. The model, which was the more sporty of the Grand Cherokee line-up (with the exception of the 5.9 Limited) featured trim reminiscent of Talon's TSi model, and featured the same Indigo blue trim and monochromatic scheme found on the Talon.

Production numbers

• 1995: 25,066
• 1996: 15,100
• 1997: 9,788
• 1998: 4,308

Colors

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

End of the Talon

By 1998, the Talon was the last model in the declining Eagle lineup and the rarest talon model year. Although a concept car called the Eagle Jazz was produced, which bore a strange resemblance to a 4-door Eagle Talon, Chrysler stopped promoting the Eagle brand and in 1998 the Talon stopped production.

Video Game Appearances

• 1995 Eagle Talon TSi - Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (as a computer-controlled police car)
• 1998 Eagle Talon TSi - Forza Motorsport
• 1997 Eagle Talon ESi - Gran Turismo 4

See Also

• Cult car
• Mitsubishi Eclipse
• Plymouth Laser
• Dodge Stratus
• Chrysler Sebring (coupe)
• Diamond-Star Motors

External links

• Eaglecars.com - historical website dedicated to the Eagle brand
• DSM.org - home of the Talon Digest, the original source of all DSM knowledge
• DSMTuners.com - Online owners' club
• DSMTalk.com - Online owners' club

• Eagle vehicles
• Compact cars
• Front wheel drive vehicles
• All wheel drive vehicles
• Hatchbacks
• 1990s automobiles
• 1990 introductions