No American manufacturer (and perhaps no manufacturer at all) embraced turbocharging so wholeheartedly as Chrysler. Sure, Saab is renowned for its turbocharged engines, and various other manufacturers turbocharged their cars for extra power with acceptable efficiency, but Chrysler applied it across their model lines, to sedans, minivans, sports coupes, and luxury coupes. They even produced some very high performance turbo engines in their Shelby series of cars, including the Omni and Spirit R/T. Here’s one example of their enthusiasm for artificial aspiration, this 1986 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z C/S, available for $3800 in Modesto, CA.
The C/S version (Carroll Shelby or Competition Series, depending who you ask) came with thicker anti-roll bars and specially tuned struts. The 146hp from the 2.2 liter engine sounds meager, but it was enough to get the car to 60 as quickly as a Nissan 300ZX or even the Porsche 944, and was actually similar to the output of Chrysler’s own 318 V8. Aside from being a decent performer for its day, it’s also become quite a rare car. Have you driven a Chrysler lately?
Rusty But Trusty 
February 24, 2016 at 12:56 pm |
I own one wit 1411 original miles on it-wanna buy it?