In the American version of the sport of golf, the term “Double Eagle” refers to a score of three under par, i.e. getting the little ball in the hole in three strokes less than the number of strokes that a particular hole is rated for. What is curious is that an “Eagle”, i.e. the singular version, is defined as doing it in TWO less than par, which makes the double defy sense on the face of it from a math perspective. The Double Eagle term is an Americanism, the same feat is known elsewhere in the world as an “Albatross”.
An “Albatross” however, in a complete pivot from golf, is also colloquially known as something burdensome, dating back to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, wherein the perceived good luck of the seabird following a ship is turned into a burden or a curse after the titular mariner shoots the bird with a crossbow. In the poem, the dead Albatross is literally draped around the shooter’s neck, spawning the metaphor of an albatross as a burden to be carried.
When I saw these two Eagle Talons parked in the sideyard of a house, my first reaction was surprise at seeing an Eagle at all, let alone two of them, as there aren’t exactly convocations of them still around (groups of eagles aren’t called flocks, they are convocations, yes, I looked it up). After crossing the road to get a slightly better look, I realized they looked a little worse for wear. Being parked around the side in an externally fenced outcropping of the yard, they no longer took pride of place in front of the house and looked to be stashed away, almost as if unwanted.
Looking inside, one of them was reasonably complete, if filthy, but the other was in pieces. This is when I realized that these may in fact be someone’s albatross. The only shots to be gotten by me were the three initial pictures here as I realized someone across the street was watching me. I thought discretion the better part of valor and went on my way and just filed the pictures away.
Then yesterday, while perusing Craigslist, I was surprised to see both of the Eagles listed for sale, and they appear to be exactly how I took them to be, someone’s project that for whatever reason has fallen out of favor. And for me the ads provided the missing pictures that I needed for this!
The Eagle Talon, of course, is a version of the Diamond-Star Motors joint-venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler that also spawned the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Plymouth Laser in the very late ’80’s. At the time, these cars, especially the Eclipse, sported quite the enthusiast credentials with powerful turbocharged engines as well as AWD being available. Good build quality, comfortable interiors and excellent looks made them quite popular, one of the few Mitsubishi products to genuinely gain a mainstream following as well as enthusiast respect.
Chrysler established the Eagle brand for the 1987 model year and when the new DSM coupes became available for the 1990 model year, a version of these cars were sold as the Eagle Talon and held down the sporty corner of the showroom. With Eagle sort of being positioned as a premium brand, it was decided to offer a version of this that was every bit the equal of the top Mitsubishi version.
While the Plymouth Laser was more or less the dowdy sister of the three and mainly focused on lower and less powerful trim levels, the Talon was heavily (solely?) promoted in top-spec and available with both AWD as well as the 195hp Mitsubishi 2.0 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. (Of course it was also offered in milder trim.) The Mitsubishi version spanned the gamut and was available with pretty much every permutation of both the Plymouth as well as Eagle ranges.
Initially debuting with pop-up headlights (which I much prefer to this facelift), halfway through the first generation they received a mild facelift and the fixed headlights seen in these examples.
Talons all received the distinctive black roof to give it sort of a “jet-fighter” canopy look and overall were quite attractive visually, pretty much the equal of the Mitsubishi and more so than the Plymouth with none of the Eagles really ever getting a stripper look even though not all of them were the high-zoot versions.
Eagle itself was a short-lived brand, ending most lines by 1997 and the Eagle as the sole remaining holdout for the 1998 model year. A total of around 115,000 Talons were sold across two generations over the eight model years.
The cars here are a 1992 Talon in I believe base FWD trim and then a 1994 Talon AWD TSi with the turbo. According to the ads the base car was purchased as a “project” and now sort of runs after rebuilding the head but sensor issues are bedeveling the owner. The AWD car was purchased as a parts car with a gutted interior and loads of extra bits and pieces. As complex as these cars are, I think it’d be quite the project to fashion these two back into one well-running example.
Here is the ad for the 1992 (the one on the right at the top): “Bought this car as a project. Rebuilt the head and got it running. Has 100 miles on the new head. I have been trying to dial in the sensor issues for a while now, but recently purchased a truck so I don’t really have a need to continue the project. I do have a second talon, that is the tsi awd, I have a brand new turbo, used turbo. All sorts of things. Between the two there is twin turbo AWD tsi minus a gasket kit and some tubing.”
And here’s the ad for the 1994 (the one on the left): “PARTS Bought this car to use for parts, the guy I bought it from said the motor was a fresh rebuild with all after market internals. I never took the time to actually dig into it though. The inside is gutted. The last owner started parting it out and sold the front and back seats. Motor needs fuel injectors and throttle body (with sensors) but obviously if you intend on building it you will have to look into the details and specs to ensure it has all been done correctly. I do have 1 extra block, 1 brand turbo(w/manifold) 1 used turbo(w/manifold)and quite a few other odds and ends.”
If it were me, I would have focused on getting the turbo AWD car up and running before worrying about the base one but I have no idea how this project got started, as you read above the owner did state that he recently got a truck so now has no need to continue this project… At this point I can’t really see either car getting back on the road but if interested, they can be had for $1500 (or best offer) for the lot. Or, you could get a truck as well and leave this for someone else while you go play a round of golf.
Related Reading: Brendan Saur’s excellent take on an Eagle Talon
Another car I have never seen or heard of, not bad looking, was it ever sold in Europe?
Interesting with Turbo and 4 wheel drive, will need to look it up
The ’67 Camaro of the Millenial Generation… they’ll come back as tuners. Some 18 year old will fall in love with them.
The tuner crowd has already had their way with these cars years ago and have moved onto other things. That’s why they are so rare nowadays, especially a complete, unmolested example.
A double eagle is also a US $20 gold coin.
The irony of the Eagle brand is that it was established so the former AMC/Jeep dealers would have conventional passenger cars to sell, along with the Jeeps. Now FCA is running away from conventional passenger cars as Jeep’s sales volume overruns everything else in the product portfolio.
The former Mitsubishi plant in Normal IL, still stands, intact. Mitsu sold it to a liquidator who planned to auction off the equipment piecemeal, but an electric vehicle startup bought the plant intact and promises to have an electric SUV in production in a couple years.
I am frequently tempted by project cars, but lack of both space and skills always brings me back to reality, before my ambition crashes and burns, like that of the owner of these Talons. This is the one that has been haunting me lately. If I had it, it would be the first and only Kenosha built Renault to show up at the local AMC meet.
Sounds like the Mitsu plant is a project plant with a history parallel to this project car. Maybe Elon needs to buy it and use it as a parts plant for his own failed project plant. That would make slightly more sense than what he’s doing now.
I’ve been in the Mitsubishi factory in Illinois. It was a fascinating place. It’s very sad what happens when a factory like that shuts down. A thousand-plus people out of work, and all that falls out from that. Along with the EV start-up company, the huge parking lot at the plant in this photo is now being used to store VW diesel buy-back cars.
Reminds me of how many a dying mall’s parking lots are used by car dealerships to store new-car overstock.
Never cared much for the 1992 Diamond-Star facelift with the exposed headlights. The hidden-headlight original looks better in my view.
I remember thinking these were very attractive when they first came out.
This pair? Not so much. Although the design is nice!
Mitsubishi has certainly made some fine cars (yeah, I know it’s really a a DSM), and the first two generations seemed to click all the right boxes with the turbo four and AWD combo. How then did the next two generations stray so far those origins, and now the Eclipse is a crossover???!!! The Eclipse Cross actually gets good reviews but from a brand identity perspective this is definitely a series of deadly sins.
Think about it a different way. The Eclipse and other sporty coupes back than were a big fad. And now CUVs are the big fad. And I’ll bet that a very healthy percentage of young buyers who bought an Eclipse back then are quite likely driving a CUV now. The sporty coupe market is essentially dead, so the name issue is not really negative, IMHO. I can see actually see using it as a positive.
And I read that the Eclipse Cross is off to a strong start. By the way, Mitsubishi sales are up very strongly, as are their profits. It’s the fastest growing car company by far, except for Tesla, but they’re profitable.
By the way, Mitsubishi sales are up very strongly, as are their profits.
I would not be surprised if their turnaround is largely due to the tie up with Renault and Nissan, so buyers don’t worry about being stuck with an orphan.
As for the CUV fad, when Ford announced they were dropping every passenger car except the Mustang and Focus “Active”, the local media here was nattering about a Mustang CUV.
For those who missed it, Ford announced another course change with the Focus last Friday. The Focus Active will not be offered in the US after all.
I would not be surprised if their turnaround is largely due to the tie up with Renault and Nissan, so buyers don’t worry about being stuck with an orphan.
Seriously? The .03% of Mitsubishi buyers that actually know that or could care? Me thinks not. It’s not like that’s exactly been front page news except in the trades.
You’re projecting. Most car buyers are clueless about that kind of thing. Like the huge majority of Saturn buyers that thought it was a totally new independent company and had no clue GM owned it. How many know Smart is owned by Mercedes? Or that Renault owns a big chunk of Nissan and shares platforms and technology. And…
Or know the Volvo they revere learned FWD from Mitsubishi, tie ups between car companies are very tangled but it works well enough.
I’ve noticed quite a few Mirages around here lately. (Cue the comics.) No, really I have.
You only think you’ve seen comics on this website – trust me it’s an illusion
I’ve noticed quite a few Mirages around here lately. (Cue the comics.) No, really I have.
The longer the model is sold, the more of them that will accumulate on the roads.
That being said, Mirage sales are up significantly this year. All the models showing significant sales increases this year are old models. The new Eclipse Cross is selling in lower volume than the now discontinued Lancer sold a year ago. The big numbers are from the Outlander, Outlander Sport and the Mirage. If buyers are not aware of Mitsu having Renault/Nissan backing now, the new owners must be doing something different to juice sales volume, because it doesn’t appear to be an excellent new model that is making the difference.
Here’s their sales report for July and YTD.
http://media.mitsubishicars.com/channels/Sales/releases/mitsubishi-motors-july-sales-up-24-percent
As a consequence of having rental houses, there is one thing has always been a notable constant with all of them. That being the fact that the tenants, along with other dodgy effects, always seem to have vehicles like this that appear like fruit flies out of nowhere and roost in the yard, and barring them moving ( out of their own ideas or mine ) the cars or boats or campers or whatever it happens to be always stay. I have had to tow, or have otherwise removed, endless varieties of “ projects “ from the yards, and I think warrant a sub thread all it’s own. A “rental house boulevard of broken dreams” if you will.
I don’t have that problem as a consequence of the kind of tenants I generally have. Right now I have two houses with philosophy PhD candidates in them. They don’t exactly mess around with old cars. In fact in one of the houses none of them has a car; they all ride bikes or the bus. The other one, a couple, just picked up a brand new Subaru Outback.
I get a lot of grad students, or young adults who tend to espouse a rather “progressive” lifestyle, which generally does not include old cars.
FWIW, my lease doesn’t allow storage of non-running cars, but I’ve only once in all these years had to remind someone of that.
And a very high percentage of them leave my houses clean and without any damages. All my turnovers this summer were total non-events; the houses were left pristine! 🙂
I am in awe, as I cannot imagine that type of client. Not sure why but it seems many cant come up with steady rents, but always have a ready supply of cigarettes (or other!) and endless tattoo upgrades. Ok, not entirely true, but we just spent all day yesterday cleaning up after our current clients and encouraging them to mow the lawn and pick up the yard bombs. He was amazed how better the mower functioned when you put gas in it.
darren: the three most important things in real estate: location, location, location…
I’m in a university town, in a hip neighborhood, and far enough away from the university to not have to deal with undergrads but close enough to attract lots of grad students and such.
That’s great. I’ve never had to haul an old car either, but I have had to clean up some broken dreams, of sorts. My last renters left some chickens without food or water. My son procured them out of the coop (he’s 7 and I was too big to fit), and we brought them home. We’ve been getting 5 eggs a day, and the rooster just placed third in our County fair. I’ll claim that as a double eagle.
From the sounds of it, the secret of successful landlordship is to carefully pick the House (and location) for your rental unit. Obviously there are some neighborhoods you would never buy in, no matter how good the deal.
Hahahaa Darren, that’s funny! Actually, I’d love to see that be a CC article.
One word of advice, though……stop buying up slum housing, and the quality of renters should likely be better. 🙂
+1
I know dozens of renters and none of them ever treat their rental properties like that.
Interesting comments, and I appreciate the “ location “ idea, however none of our properties are slums, nor in bad areas. It’s more along the lines of “ drive any street and you can spot the rental “. Some folks are good, in fact most have been for us, but my point is they often come with “fixer uppers” that seem to arrive from nowhere. And that was my point, as if this site is subtitled “ every car has a story”, then I’m sure full up of them. And no, this is not a slam the renters rant, as we have occasional issues with B and B guests as well. In fact the most damage caused to our property was a bunch of lawyers in for a wedding. They made a UK rugby team look cultured by comparison.
Yeah. I agree that enough time has elapsed, and we’re in a different automotive culture as well, so using the Eclipse name for a crossover is probably OK. My disappointment was when the 3rd gen Eclipse came out and was just a Japanese-branded Sebring, after the AWD Turbo cars and the Lancer Evo had set the performance bar so high. And the 4th gen as even less interesting.
Interesting mashup of parts, Eagle never sold here, Mitsubishis did and quite well plus we now have the JDM range to complicate matters, I had a Mitsubishi Mirage die in my driveway due to sensor issues, the cure was to remove the relevant JDM parts carb distributor etc and replace them with non sensor NZ market parts, did so and the car ran well and was still on the road four years after i sold it, Buying two of these as a project some assembly required isnt something I’d take on in this brand at that age,
once bitten twice shy.
nice to see some that weren’t run into the ground by tuners.
Very cool find Jim!
I’ve always pitied the poor Eagle brand, for despite a few captivating models like this Talon and the Vision, as most can agree, it never really had a chance.
I understand that 1) Chrysler wanted a car brand to sell alongside the Jeep brand at what were ultimately Jeep-Eagle franchises, and 2) Chrysler saw the “import fighter” brand to compete against European and Japanese brands a profitable segment.
However, most Jeep-Eagle franchises were also paired with Chrysler-Plymouth franchises, making for significant model overlap at the dealer. Likewise, the investment in Eagle could have been money better spend boosting Chrysler and Plymouth lineups, making them more “import fighter” competitive.
If Eagle ever had any truly unique products that were not badge-engineered versions of cars already sold by Chrysler, Dodge, and/or Plymouth, there might of been a case. Sadly, as much as I like the proposition and general styling of its models, there just wasn’t a case Eagle.
Eagle was also 3) a way to deal with some AMC vehicles that Chrysler didn’t really want, but ended up with in order to get their hands on Jeep. That did give Eagle at least one unique vehicle – the short-lived Eagle Medallion (which was a rebadged Renault, but you could only buy the Eagle version in the US). I would also argue that the Dodge Monaco was re-badged Eagle rather than the other way around, as that was another vehicle that came from the AMC buyout.
It’s kind of sad that Eagle only hung around for little more than a decade, but like a lot of other brands that were killed off after it, Eagle really didn’t have a reason to continue to exist.
The big surprise, given the power of the red-sign-dealer lobby within Chrysler Corporation, is that the DSM’s early sales success didn’t lead directly to a Dodge version.
Especially since they were given the Monaco when the Eagle Premier wasn’t selling in sufficient numbers to use up the PRV V6s Chrysler was contracted with Renault to buy – a DSM would’ve been a deal-sweetener for that.
the Dodge Boys were not forgotten in this as they got the Dodge Stealth (Mitsu 3000GT) that was just as fun to drive as the DSM trio was. I got a chance years ago to drive a stock Stealth RT Twin Turbo that had been religiously taken care of and all I can say is damn that was a sweet ride! with its 300hp engine the thing hauled
If you’ve ever had to fix these cars, you’d understand why the current owner lost interest. There aren’t enough hours in a day to mess with these.
There is aan adapter to put these engines in front of Turbo 350s and Powerglides. So many irresponsible shenanigans and so little time.
My first car I bought back in 2016 was a 1991 Eagle Premier! It was a bargain as I paid $1000 for it and it was in perfect shape. It was so rare, never saw one prior or after selling it a year later due to radiator problems. I took a road trip with two friends from Akron, Ohio to Washington DC and yet, no Premier in sight. I miss the car and I’d love to own another to go with the classic car I own now! 1984 Trabant 601S.
The prior owner of my house drove the Plymouth version in that same light turquoise. I always liked these when they were reasonably common.
Because my college roommate was a tuba player and lover of Sousa-era march music, Double Eagle sends my mind off in an obscure musical direction.