Junkyard Find: 1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2
The final Dodge Omnis and Plymouth Horizons were sold as 1990 models and their price tags were hilariously cheap in the final years, so I still find quite a few Omnirizons during my junkyard travels. Some of the more obscure Omnirizon-derived vehicles are nearly extinct, however, so I was excited to find this Turismo at the same northeastern Colorado boneyard that gave us the quadra-Corvan Junkyard Find a week ago.
All of the 1978-1990 Omnis and Horizons were five-door hatchbacks, but Chrysler sold a series of sportier two-door siblings over the years. First came the Omni 024 and its Horizon TC3 twin; these became just the 024 and TC3 soon after.
Then the 024 got a "Charger 2.2" performance package for 1981, finally becoming just the Dodge Charger for 1983. The TC3 became the Turismo that year.
There were Omnirizon pickups as well, giving Chrysler a competitor to the Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup. The Dodge Rampage was based on the Omni 024 and was built for the 1982 through 1984 model years, while its Turismo-derived Plymouth Scamp sibling was available for just 1983.
Despite being sold for just one year, the Plymouth Scamp has been easier for me to find in junkyards than the Turismo (which was available all the way through 1987). Before now, I'd documented just a singled discarded example: a gold '84 in Denver back in 2012.
This one is in rough shape, wedged tightly between a LeBaron convertible and a Mitsubishi-built Sapporo.
The Turismo is best-known today for being the subject of the legendary "Cocaine Factory" TV commercial. Starring future soap-opera star Finola Hughes, it was shown only during the 1984 MTV video Music Awards show. My favorite part comes at the end, when we see a backward-run film of the Turismo Duster crashing through a glass Plymouth logo; I'd have removed the car's backup-light fuse or bulbs before shooting it, had I been the director, but that's just me.
It was tough squeezing around it to shoot photos, and both doors were wedged firmly shut. I ended up getting stabbed by cacti spines and dried-up thistles, but at least it was too cold for the rattlesnakes to be out and about.
That means the only interior photo I got was this one taken by putting the camera up against the door glass. I wasn't able to get to the build tag, but I know this car is a 1984 model because it has quad headlights but no (1985-up) Liddy Light.
The base 1984 Turismo got a 1.6-liter Peugeot engine, to honor its Chrysler Europe ancestry. This car is the upscale Turismo 2.2, so it has 96 horsepower of genuine Chrysler power.
There's a weathered mop wedged into the hood latch mechanism.
The Plymouth Division had just 17 years to go when this car was new, though few would have predicted it at the time.
The Reliant was matched against the Ford Tempo for mileage, the Horizon against the Corolla for price, and the Turismo 2.2 against the Camaro Z28 for… acceleration?
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
1984 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 in Colorado wrecking yard.
[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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I'm happy to see that many states are strengthening laws regarding auto junkyards. Such environmental degradation and poor land management is ridiculous. 99% of these jalopies should be recycled-instead they rot in a fantasyland field for dreamers. State legislators: Do your job and protect the environment!
what is with that ugly hunk of plastic attached to the rear sail panel?? Awful excuse for styling.