Junkyard Find: 1981 Dodge 024
After Chrysler looked to its European operations to develop the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon subcompact, a bunch of Omnirizon-derived machines were spun off the original Rabbit-ish hatchback's design. I have made a long-term effort to document examples of each one in junkyards, and today we have a genuine Dodge 024 in a boneyard south of Denver.
The hatchback coupe version of the Omnirizon first appeared as a 1979 model, a year after the Omni and Horizon hit American showrooms. At first, they were called the Omni 024 and Horizon TC3.
When it came time to make a pickup-ized Omnirizon, the 024 and TC3 were called upon as the basis for the Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp, respectively. That meant that the Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup was no longer the only front-wheel-drive pickup available here.
Beginning in 1981, a "Charger 2.2" package was made available for the 024, offering "a lot of go without the guzzle." For 1983, the 024 became just the Charger, and it was built through 1987.
As the 024 became the Charger for 1983, the TC3 became the Turismo. The 1983-1987 Turismo and Charger were identical other than their badges.
The Plymouth Turismo Duster version of the Shelby Charger is most famous today as the subject of the legendary "Cocaine Factory" TV commercial starring Finola Hughes. This ad was shown only once, during the 1984 MTV Music Awards.
I haven't managed to find an example every single US-market Omnirizon variation in a junkyard, but I'll keep looking. And hey, there's a nonzero chance that some American serviceman brought a Chrysler Omni 024 back from Japan and it will end up in one of my regular junkyard stops. Very, very close to zero chance, but technically nonzero; I'll keep looking.
Now that we've had our global Omnirizon coupe/pickup history lesson, it's time to take a look at today's Junkyard Find. As you can see, this car has the kind of catastrophic lower-body rust that you get when you leave a car in a shady field for decades at the higher elevations of the Rockies. It sits in the snow all winter and then fills up with snowmelt and rain when the weatherstripping fails.
Will spray foam fix the problem? No, it will not.
There's quarter-inch-thick body filler galore, which probably contributed to the corrosion problem.
Only two engine types were ever used in the 024: a 63-horse Volkswagen 1.7-liter and the good old Chrysler 2.2 straight-four. This car has the latter type, rated at 84 horsepower and 111 foot-pounds.
This 2.2 was a $104 option in 1981, which comes to $387.28 in 2025 dollars. Later on, the 024-derived Charger could be purchased with a Simca-sourced 1.6-liter four-banger.
Did any Omni 024 buyers believe that the "Electronic Fuel Control System" involved fuel injection?
For 1981, the Omni Miser and 024 Miser were the very cheapest US-built Dodge cars, with identical $5,299 list prices ($19,733 after inflation). The Miser came with the VW engine; today's non-Miser 024 had a $5,938 MSRP ($22,112 today). If you didn't insist that your Dodge be built in the United States, you could get a new 1981 Colt for $4,988 ($18,575 now).
This car has some options, including a digital dash clock and the same front buckets that came with the 2.2 Charger package.
It's not a seldom-seen De Tomaso Omni 024, but at least it has this exquisitely golden-razor-blade-medallion-tangled-in-chest-hair-grade sunroof.
I can't find any reference to this sunroof in my 1981 buyer's guides, but it may have been buried in one of the many option packages. More likely, it's aftermarket; either way, I'm sure it leaked like crazy.
This commercial has a soundtrack that might have been lifted from a 1979 cop show.
Was the Omni 024 better than the Mustang, Firebird, 280ZX, TR7 and Celica? Hell yes! It beats the other five in fuel economy (when all are equipped with automatic transmissions), it's the only one with front-wheel-drive… and a year-old Omni 024 sells for just a sawbuck less than its original sticker price.
A majority of randomly-chosen car shoppers from the Los Angeles area chose the 024 over the Datsun 200SX.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
1981 Dodge Omni 024 in Colorado junkyard.
[Images: The author]
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Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.
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The steering wheel is the only worthy item to salvage. 🚗🚗🚗
Can't believe that my girlfriend and I both lost our virginity in the back of one of these How did we fit