Junkyard Gem: 1990 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo
Mon, Jul 3 2017
This car is unrelated to the Chrysler Laser of a few years earlier, which was based on the K-platform-derived Dodge Daytona. The Plymouth Laser was a pure Mitsubishi design.
This one has the DOHC turbocharged 2.0-liter Sirius engine, rated at 190 horsepower. That was plenty of power by 1990 standards, a year in which the wildest possible Chevrolet Camaro (the IROC-Z, of course) packed just 230 hp under the hood. The IROC-Z weighed 3,149 pounds versus the Laser's 2,483, giving the Laser a slightly better power-to-weight ratio, not to mention a price tag more than $500 lower.
CD players in cars were still uncommon in 1990; this Laser has the much more mainstream "computer controlled deck" cassette player, complete with nine-band graphic equalizer.
Badging in futuristic typefaces was all the rage when this car was new.
The all-wheel-drive Eclipse/Talon/Laser didn't hit dealerships until the 1991 model year, so all the '90s are front-wheel-drive only. The torque steer experienced in these cars could be exciting.
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In the United States, Tina Turner pitched the Laser.
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North of the border, Celine Dion did the Laser's TV ads.
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In Japan, the 1990 Eclipse featured "international breeze," whatever that is.
Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo
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- Auto News
- Chrysler
- Mitsubishi
- mitsubishi eclipse
By Murilee Martin
See also: Major automakers post mixed US June sales figures, Mitsubishi celebrates 100-year-old car with PHEV re-creation, This month's deals on wheels: 3 cars with incentives, rebates.