Chrysler’s 2.2 turbo shows the world how America does “mouse motors”
One thing that we’ve pretty much always been able to say, as Americans, is that if the Japanese are able to build big power out of a small engine, than the American automakers can do it that much better. In terms of architectural refinement maybe not so much, but when it comes to squeezing flat-out horsepower out of a small-cube engine, we Americans have pretty much been able to say, not only to Japan but to Germany and others, that we can do what they have already achieved overseas, except that the U. S. does it with a certain sense of brute.
During the mid 1980s, Chrysler was in need of a turbocharged, small-displacement motor that could compete against the ever-rising, Japanese compact market.
The engine that would become their primary, 4-cylinder platform was the 2.2 liter, single overhead cam motor that would replace the Volkswagen, 1.7 liter motor, known commonly by Mopar enthusiasts as the K-Car engine. Originally, the naturally-aspirated 2.2 motor put out a mild 84 BHP, but with the incorporation of a Garrett T03 turbo and the abandonment of a two-barrel carb for fuel injection, Chrysler, and eventually Carroll Shelby, would be able to push the small motor up to 146 BHP.
If you were to ask most die-hard motor enthusiasts, they would probably tell you that an inline, Dodge/Chrysler 4-cylinder is about one of the last engine platforms that they would include on their “top 40” list. However, it must always be noted that Chrysler’s 2.2 motor was built and sold during a time in our country’s automotive history when Japanese imports were taking-over the everyday driving landscape
, and turbo 911s and Mazda rotary cars were dominant in the higher-priced, sports car category. On top of this the Dodge Daytona, or Chrysler Laser, built between 1984 and ’93, was one of the highest-performing, production cars of its time.
Besides the outright performance of the turbo-4 platform, the architecture of the “K-Car” engine has design cues evident that are significant in that Chrysler learned, during their relationship with Volkswagen, superior methods of engine building. For example, the overhead cam and inline valve layout were building techniques that Chrysler borrowed from VW when designing the 2.2 mill, even though the motor itself would completely diminish the American automakers’ use of VW powertrains in the future.
Small-displacement performance motors, like Chrysler’s 2.2 liter turbo-4, are almost never known for their aggressive idle or off-the-line punch, but one thing that’s for sure is that this portion of American auto history and the powertrains that they produced will always stand as a testament to what happened when Detroit decided to ball their fist at Tokyo and Stuttgart.
- Sal Alaimo Jr., B. A. (3/13/11) S. J. A.
