They say no man is an island, and two hands are better than one. Well, in the world of business, partnerships are revolutionary. Toyota and General Motors had NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc), while Chrysler and Mitsubishi had the Diamond Star Motors (DSM) joint venture, and consequently, the release of the iconic sports compact car – Eagle Talon.
The late 80s and 90s were the sports car era. Automotive designs switched from boxy shapes to streamlined wedge designs. Obnoxious wings, force-inducted engines, and two-door coupes were the order of the day.
Even though the Eagle Talon was only offered in two generations, from 1990 to 1994 and from 1995 to 1995, its legend still prevails in the drag racing scene.
The most potent engine slapped on the two-door 2+2 coupe was the legendary Mitsubishi 4g63 turbo engine that also powers nine generations of the famous Evolution line. For the TSi/TSi AWD Eagle Talon, the powerplant made 210 hp (213 ps) at 6,000 RPM and 220 lb-ft (298 Nm) of torque at 3,000 RPM.
Today, tuners have been able to push up to 2,000 hp (2,028 ps) on the Eagle Talon, making 7-second passes on quarter-mile runs on the drag strip.
That Racing Channel recently featured such an Eagle Talon with an amazing build story that takes place over 23 years. It might not make 2,000 hp (2,028 ps) but screams up to 196 mph (315 kph).
Brad Gary, the owner of the 1995 Eagle Talon, has a remarkable build story that began in early 1998. Gary has data with dyno sessions dating back to the late 90s in VHS tapes.
He’s always loved the Talons, and one of his first cars was a turbocharged 1995 (2G) front-wheel-drive Eagle Talon. Three months after acquiring it, young Gary hit a deer and totaled his new sports coupe.
The unfortunate incident was a blessing in disguise because it led him to his current 23-year-old build second-generation AWD Eagle Talon. He’d always wanted an AWD version but settled for the previous one since it was the only one he could find.
“We sought out a 1995 Eagle Talon from Pittsburg. I think I paid $9,500 for the car, and that was in early 1999. The car was white, and soon as I got the car, of course, like anybody, I wanted to mod it right away,” Gary revealed about his first mods.
As you’d imagine, the tuner world of the 90s involved not just powerplant upgrades but detailed body kit mods synonymous with The Fast and the Furious (2001) film.
Gary went the whole nine yards with the Talon build and installed lowering springs, an intake, and a complete body kit with an aluminum wing.
With the simple bolt-on mods, his Eagle Talon pulled 330 hp (335 ps) and 267 lb-ft (362 Nm) of torque on the dyno. With those figures, it did 15.45 -seconds at 96 mph (154 kph) on a drag strip event (quarter mile) recorded in early 2001.
“This is what 300 horsepower and 18-inch access wheels does at a track, which is extremely slow. That was 23 years ago,” Gary explained, showcasing the drag strip VHS recorded clips.
It was at this point that Gary decided to go full throttle on the Eagle Talon build. He ordered a fully built engine, upgraded the turbo, and got the transmission fully synchronized for street racing.
His goal was to get the 90s sports coupe running tens. And by 2008, he was doing 9-second quarter miles at 141 mph (227 kph), making 850 hp(862 ps) on the dyno.
In 2009, Gary got his big break. TPG Tuning fully sponsored his car after getting wind of its performance. It wasn't a walk in the park even with the extra support.
After a couple of misfortunes (the last one leading to a crash on the strip), he decided to rebuild the Talon again. The team upgraded the turbos from 37Rs to 7675 Precision turbos.
“Put that 7675 on it and took it to the track. It made easy 1,000 horsepower on the dyno, so we were pretty psyched about that. We took it to the track and first hit right off the trailer ran 88 mph at 120 mph,” Gary revealed.
Gary has since upgraded the motor (aluminum long rod motor). Part of the mods includes Wiseco pistons, Precision 8385 turbo, TMZ transmission, and a Magnus intake manifold. The setup makes 1,500 hp (1,521 ps) and rips 7-second pulls on the strip at 196 mph (315 kph).
Curious how hard this 90s compact sports coupe rips? We recommend catching that action and more about its history and mods in the video below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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