I’m very hard pressed to come up with a better example of a car that best represents the 1980s. This one has it all: FWD, a four cylinder engine, tight, clean, flashy and sleek sports coupe styling, light weight, a spoiler, and perhaps most of all, a turbocharger. The black paint and pepperoni pizza wheels seal the deal, although its name goes a long way too. What’s more ’80s than “Laser”?
Ok; there’s a few others that could give it a run for the title, like the Chrysler minivans, the Jeep Cherokee, the Taurus; I’m guessing you’ll chime in too. But none of them have all those key ingredients, which so represent the 1980s.
This ad (wrongly identified as 1985) says it all. Which of course means that Lee Iacocca’s name had to be invoked, as the rightful father (god?) of all good things that happened at Chrysler in that decade. Admittedly, it was a lively decade at Chrysler, given that it started with the original K-Cars, Reliant and Aries. And what a fertile couple they were, the Adam and Eve of a (too) large family. But in the mid-’80s, they were in their prime, and the offspring were popping out in all sorts of permutations, none more different than their parents than the new for 1984 Laser and its Dodge sibling, the Daytona, which did tend to hog the bulk of the attention.
Rightfully so; what the hell was Chrysler’s name doing on a hot little sporty coupe hatchback? Why wasn’t this a Plymouth…Road Runner? Or just Plymouth Laser? Oh right; increasingly dull and dowdy Plymouth was on its way to being shoved in the back room, on the way to the back door. Just as well; there really wasn’t much room for both given the way the market was compressing. If a Chrysler LeBaron could be a gussied up K-car Reliant, then why shouldn’t Chrysler have a hot little sporty coupe?
The reality is that Chrysler soon enough decided that the Laser didn’t really belong at Chrysler and ditched it after just three years. Dodge was to be the sporty brand, and the Daytona would soldier on by itself through 1993, but sales started their terminal decline already in 1990.
This was a pretty good looking car when it arrived in 1984. Not exactly brilliant, but a very healthy step forward from the L-Body predecessors, the Dodge Omni 024/Charger and Plymouth TC3. It was the first K-Car derivative to abandon the boxy look of its progenitors, and previewed the quite handsome LeBaron GTS that arrived in 1985. The Chrysler designers were finally given back their French curves and turned in their straight edges. Progress!
This is my favorite part of these cars. There were several variations, but as far as I know, this was the first, and the best. Pepperoni pizza wheels; I really wanted a set on our Grand Caravan. Why didn’t I get some?
This was the really big thing: Turbo! Chrysler’s first shot at a turbo engine (Turbo 1), and it hit the mark pretty well, for the times. It was in many ways quite similar to Ford’s turbo 2.3 in the 1983 Turbo Coupe, a car I had quite a bit of experience with. Both had fuel injection and and about the same horsepower; 142 for the Chrysler 2.2 and 145 for the Ford. And that was just a starting point for both of them; already in 1985 the Chrysler Turbo 1 got a computer-controlled wastegate which in conjunction with a knock sensor increased power to 146 and allowed temporary overboost conditions.
Turbo lag? Not as bad as it’s often made out to be, but obviously there’s been progress made. Boost started at 1200 rpm, and was up to 7.2 psi (96% of maximum) by 2050 rpm. Peak torque (160 ft.lbs.) was at 3200 rpm, and peak power (142 hp) at 5600 rpm.
The leather in this car is inevitably showing its age. The 5-speed manual was the right choice at the time. But that generic K-car steering wheel was not. That was a real sore spot on my Turbo Coupe too; how expensive was it to fit a proper sporty wheel, especially since this was before air bags made all that so much more difficult.
This was Chrysler’s shot at the Camaro and Mustang, both of which sported V8s and RWD. That was a big hill to climb for these, given how deeply the V8 RWD pony car was entrenched in America’s psyche. Chrysler gave it its best shot, and one has to recognize that although these didn’t exactly make much of a dent in Camaro and Mustang sales, they gave it a good shot.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1987 Dodge Daytona Pacifica – An Impressive Transformation
This is a 1985 model. The 1984 Laser had four-lug wheels, and the 1986 had a third brake light. This example has one of the biggest follies of ’80s Detroit, the digital dash. That explains why it has sprouted aftermarket conventional gauges from its instrument panel.
The turbo you mention was a big step fwd, was a water cooled turbo ( a Mitsubishi contribution ?)that gave some longer turbo life, reduced the coking of the oil that changed it from a lubricating liquid to a not so lubing solid. Was first exposed to the Chrysler Turbo EFI when a friend invited me to a NAPA Night session at a local dealer. They demystified the OBD I electronic fuel injection systems for Chrysler, including the 3 key test for codes, turbo oil & care, and other customer care issues. Had many turbos after that, including H bodies (Lancer & LeBaron GTS) & K/E body New Yorker, G body Daytonas, & a GLHS……fun times….
I had the hardest crush on these when they first came out. This color, this trim, the turbo and the 5 speed – that was my dream car for a short time. I found one at a local dealer, but it was in the showroom and the salesman refused to let me drive it if I was not willing to commit in advance that I was buying a car that day. My ardor must have cooled soon after that because I never got around to driving one.
I can’t blame Chrysler for using Iacocca’s name every time it could because for the decade or more up to 1980, the name “Chrysler” had become such poison to so many people that the “under new management” thing was necessary to get people in for a look at the cars.
I agree, it is harder to find something more prototypically “80’s” than one of these. I think the runner-up might be the Nissan Pulsar.
Two of my brother’s friends bought identical black ’84 Daytona turbos soon after graduating from college. I believe they regretted the black interior, as it wasn’t well lit. One wrecked his within a couple of years, the other drove through a deep puddle and cracked the engine block.
This is also one of my favorites from the 1980s, though partially because I had some experience with one. My parents bought a used 1986 Laser Turbo for my sister in 1989.
I drove that car quite a bit, and it was an enjoyable car for the day. Not very refined, but that was part of the appeal. Handling was good, and that 146 hp wasn’t too shabby for the ’80s, even with the turbo lag (which was noticeable, but not a big deal with the manual transmission).
My sister’s car suffered a sad fate – the transmission suddenly self destructed when she was on a road trip in 1990. That might not have been entirely Chrysler’s fault, since my folks bought that car (cheap) with a reconstructed title, which was a big gamble. But while it ran, it was fun.
I agree that the Laser/Daytona didn’t make much of a dent in Camaro and Mustang sales, though I feel these peeled more customers away from Japanese sports coupes instead. It had a more American feel than a Celica or Prelude, was cheaper, and wasn’t RWD like the Camaro. For folks who valued those attributes, these were a decent buy.
One other very ’80s piece of equipment was the talking info. display, that told you in a very computerized voice to buckle your seat belt, etc. That was a novelty for people who were new to the car, but it quickly got annoying. I recall that its warnings weren’t always accurate either… it would often interrupt whatever was playing on the radio to announce “PLEASE CHECK FRONT BRAKE PADS”… though the pads were fine.
Be still my heart. This car – or I should say the G-Body sports cars – have been on my mind recently, and what a treat it was to open up CC on my commute and see this. Absolutely should have been a Plymouth, and the later Diamond Star Plymouth Laser is proof of this.
I miss the days when there was more differentiation between brands than “sporty” or “not sporty”. Plymouth had performance cars for years up to a certain point, and it wasn’t out of character for the brand. To Paul’s Appoint, this just speaks to Chrysler’s deinvestment in the Plymouth brand.
If only the PT Cruiser could have helped resurrect it.
Biggest problem these turbo Chryslers had was they required premium fuel, but nobody cared, and they would occasionally burn a piston. I repaired two of them for my friends, who bought lots of pizza and beer. And as I recall, the turbo pistons were unique, and at the time only available at the dealer. But they really were fun cars to drive.
For Chrysler – this, I have to agree, makes a strong case as the “Eighties Car” – yet, their minivans, are their “Eighties Vehicle”.
For Ford – it is the Taurus/Sable, and the Mark VII.
For GM – their dustbuster vans.
I had a Dodge Daytona rental car once, non-turbo and non-5 speed. It was pretty mediocre. I do remember having to peer over that steering wheel and dash from the low seating. And I’m not that short. Still, this and various evolutions of the performance variants of FWD Chrysler Corporation products, into the Sundance and even Neon and PT Cruiser, highlighted more than any other brand how American cars were changing, mostly for the better.
Back in 1989 or so, a friend/co-worker and his wife had two of these. His was the “sporty” 5-speed turbo model, hers was a “luxurious” non-turbo automatic. They were both crude, rattly, unreliable, trouble-plagued cars.
I vividly remember my friend calling me in a panic one morning, begging to borrow my car (a 6 year-old Celica) to pick up an important client; because he had suffered a major engine failure in his car on the way to work, and his wife’s car had been stalling frequently and running poorly — and he didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the customer.
In Canada, the FWD Daytona was badged as a Chrysler instead of Dodge as shown in this Canadian brochure showing a 1990 model. https://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/Chrysler-Canada/Chrysler/1990-Chrysler-Daytona-Brochure-Fr/index.html
Gotta love a car that had Darth Vader as its pitchman lol. Thought they looked a lot cooler than the IMO ugly fox body Mustang. Couldnt top the kings of cool though, the IROC Camaro or Trans Am, with the v8 burble and smokey burnouts. But those were expensive if you wanted one with the good TPI 305 or 350.
Of course Honda had the beautiful pop up headlight Prelude and Toyota’s Celica was still RWD and looked great in hatchback form. Lots of neat options back in the day, these seemed to get lost in shuffle.
I had a friend who owned one of the later Daytona Pacifica models when they were new, around 1987 or ’88. One thing I recall about her experience was that the ashtray and lighter are under that panel in the console just ahead of the gearshift. She kept change in the ashtray and usually plugged a radar detector into the lighter socket. Apparently one day while the lighter socket was not in use a penny slid out of the ashtray and into the socket, shorting the digital dash, climate control unit and probably a couple other things out. Not an inexpensive fix, and not a warranty repair due to user error. It only happened once. Lesson learned after that.
I have never driven a Daytona, but I have spent a fair amount of time driving a LeBaron GTS. It was owned by my first girlfriend’s mom. For its day, it went pretty well but I do remember that it didn’t make much power until about 2500 RPM. When the turbo kicked in, there was substantial torque steer. Still, it was a nice car for the era and not cheap.
Yes, Paul I’ve seen this one in our neighborhood, several times last winter and spring. It is remarkably preserved, for a model with no collector interest. The wheels are really cool. My uncle and aunt had two of these in the 1980s.
Why was the Laser a Chrysler and not a Plymouth? That one’s easy: Lee Iacocca. I vividly remember how pre-production buzz was how the Laser was going to look like a cross between a Porsche 928 and 944. So, quite obviously, Iacocca was trying to pull the same old slight-of-hand he had when he was over at Ford, comparing their brougham-mobiles with Rolls-Royce and Mercedes Benz.
Unfortunately, while the Laser’s appearance did sort of resemble a Porsche if one squinted, Iacocca’s new FWD sporty coupe fooled no one; a Porsche it was not, nor even remotely close. Ironically, the name ‘would’ eventually be attached to the Plymouth version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse.
And the Plymouth version of the Eagle Talon. 😉 I guess they wanted to correct a mistake and thinking they should been a Plymouth model right from the start.
Btw, here a French Plymouth Laser ad featuring Céline Dion.
Chrysler did have some high-performance heritage, most notably with the 300, especially the letter-series and Hurst versions. Those were a distant memory by the time the Laser was introduced though. I’m guessing the Laser became a Chrysler for the same reason the Cordoba did at the last minute – it could probably sell at a higher price than a Plymouth would have.
Replace the worn black leather interior with a burgundy velour one and you have total ’80sness.
While the Laser/Charger twins embody any number of 1980s design cliches, they still look reasonably modern to these eyes. While I was deep into imported cars in the Eighties, I liked the Laser, which seemed much more modern than throwbacks like the Camaro IROC-Z and Trans Am.
I see this car and inevitably think of Buddy, my neighbor in an Atlanta apartment complex in the mid-80s. He drove a 1984 Charger turbo and was the picture of the redneck stereotype, sporting a mullet, the Members Only jacket, and confident swagger of self-styled ladies man. For all his dirtball tendencies, Buddy was also always in a good mood and fun to hang out with. Today, a modern-generation Buddy would probably drive a lifted brodozer pickup.