Image courtesy productioncars.com
As we’ve found out, it’s difficult to not highlight turbocharged cars here in the Class of 1986, especially when it comes to Mopar products – this was right in the thick of the era when Chrysler was liable to slap a turbocharger on anything if it sat still long enough. That approach holds true to this week’s selection for the Class of 1986, the Chrysler Laser.
Introduced in 1984 along with its Dodge cousin, the Daytona, the Laser rode Chrysler’s G platform, an extended version of the front-wheel-drive K platform that underpinned the Aries and Reliant. Depending on your opinion of the Chrysler Conquest, a rebadged version of the rear-wheel-drive Mistubishi Starion, the Laser represented the first or second attempt by Chrysler to produce a sports coupe. Chrysler’s positioning of the Laser is most apparent in its ads, where it most often compares the Laser to the Nissan 300ZX, the Camaro Z28 and even the Toyota Supra. In its most basic version, the Laser came with a naturally aspirated and electronically fuel-injected version of the Chrysler overhead-camshaft 2.2-liter four-cylinder, worth about 99 horsepower. With a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger, the 2.2-liter’s power output climbed to 142hp that first year, 146hp after the addition of a variable electronic wastegate in 1985. Technically available across all trim levels, the turbocharger was most suited to the XE performance variant, which added the 100hp overhead-camshaft 2.5-liter four-cylinder in 1986. A second performance variant, the XT, also came along in 1986: It included the turbocharged engine, close-ratio five-speed transaxle, more aerodynamic bodywork, a performance suspension, and 15-inch wheels and tires. That year also saw the introduction of the optional T-top roof with tinted glass panels.
Oddly enough, for all the changes Chrysler made to the Laser for 1986, the model wouldn’t make it to 1987. Chrysler did continue to sell the Conquest throughout the Laser’s run, but the front-wheel-drive Chrysler LeBaron coupe, introduced in 1985 and also fitted with a turbocharged engine, quickly took on a sporting appearance and demeanor, making the Laser redundant. The Daytona would assume some of the Laser’s more luxurious aspects in 1987 and continue to be produced through 1993. The Laser name, meanwhile, migrated to Plymouth for use on that brand’s version of the DSM cars starting with the 1990 model year. Up North, the Laser did live on after 1986, though as the Chrysler Daytona.
We’re sure there’s a story behind the quick shuffling of models that makes the Chrysler Laser’s story so quick and convoluted, but what we’re ultimately left with is a brief-lived sporty and turbocharged Chrysler that made heavy use of the Mopar parts bin, a car that potentially hits all the right buttons for fans of Lee Iaccoca Chryslers. But you tell us – would you seek out one of these cars – we imagine a 1986 XT would be the most desirable – for inclusion in your fantasy garage dedicated to 1986 vehicles?
Also, James Earl Jones?