Turbo Dodge Forums banner

Lamborghini powered AWD Daytona

20K views 41 replies 26 participants last post by  Ythorse 
#1 ·
Just playing around on Wikipedia and found this:

"The Lamborghini Jalpa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxalpa]) was a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1981 to 1988. The Jalpa was a development of the earlier Silhouette. The Jalpa was intended to fill a role as a more "affordable" Lamborghini, being much less expensive than the Countach. Instead of the big car's V12, the Jalpa was fitted with a transversely-mounted 3.5 litre V8 that developed 255 hp (190 kW). The bodywork was designed and built by Bertone.

Following the Chrysler takeover Lamborghini product programs general manager Jack Stavana fitted a Jalpa V8 into a Dodge Daytona, linked to an AWD system designed by Carroll Shelby and called it the "Decepzione". Despite its performance, the project was never followed up due to the car having just 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) of ground clearance, necessitated by the comparatively tall engine block."

Interesting.
 
#4 ·
pics pics pics pics pics pics pics
 
#8 ·
I remember this very clearly in one of the major car mags.

When I left home to go active duty AF years ago, my mom (thanks Mom) threw out my car magazine collection. This was one of them.
 
#15 ·
I have the mag with this article in it, I posted it years ago but cant find the post now. It is VOL4, No3 Automobile Magazine June 1989. It has the two articles show on the pdf link and another of the 89 Daytona Shelby test drive. Ahh the good ole days, one mag and three daytonas in it!
 
#17 ·
Daytona Shelby by Barry Winfield
The Z suffix is gone for 89, says Dodge's press release on the Daytona Shelby, but the zip is still there. And DDodge is not kidding about that. When the Garrett TO3 turbocharger winds up to full dental-drill shrillness, 174 horses come out to play, pulling the Daytona down the road with unmistakable authority. In fact, you can feel the team tugging at the reins as an undulating road surface alters the driveshaft angles, dialing in brief and changing amounts of torque steer that will make the car dart and hunt with few clues as to which way it will go next.
Deviations from dead-ahead are actually quite small, so there's no danger of leaving the pavement, and most of the nurvousness is self-correcting. Furthermore, it's only bothersome in low gears, when the torque is highly multiplied. But there is more than enough first gear fury to unhook the front tires when accelerating hard, turning motion into rubber smoke on any but the most grippy surfaces.
Despite the cars tweaked suspension, on-the-road conduct is unexpectedly devoid of harsh impacts; the suspension manages a credible level of isolation. Unfortunately, it doesn't do the same fine job with roll. There are some abrupt, short-duration roll motions on uneven surfaces, probably more the product of roll stiffness than softness, and this can be disconcerting on country roads. And even though the car's handling is predictable and the grip from its wide Goodyears is good, clean cornering lines can be disturbed by the conflicts of the suspension, power, and steering at the front wheels.
In its latest guise, the Daytona Shelby features sixteen-inch wheels and wide 55-series tires along with a special body package that includes revised nose detailing with a low front airdam, side sills, a rear skirt that Dodge calls a "wake modifier" and a two tone tail spoiler. It's not at all a bad-looking piece, and if appearance of the Shelby car promises high performance, then the 174-bhp engine honors that undertaking. So do the taut suspension discipline and the big brakes, which for 1989 are eleven-inch vented discs. They bite strongly, pulling the car down from high speed with unflagging intensity.
In short, the Daytona is an honest hot hatchback, and the Shelby label means that the car has had each area of its performance checked out for competence. Considering the level of equipment available on the Dodge Daytona Shelby and the quite reasonable amount of money being asked for it by dealers, it all sounds hunky-dory. But although the money buys an unpretentious hotrod, you should not expect elevated levels of refinement and sophistication given the machines K-car genes.
For one thing, the Shelby car is powered by the 2.2-liter Turbo II engine-not the 2.5-liter balance-shaft engine, which has had extra sound-deadening measures incorporated for the current model year to supplement the vibe-cancelling hardware. The 2.2-liter engine is rougher and noisier than its larger counterpart and prone to boominess from the high-performance exhaust plumbing, particularly on overrun. It even pops back sometimes like a good old-fashioned hot car. The four-pot mil gets a little thrashy when being flogged hard, too, but at least it sprints when you flog it, so you may be prepared to overlook that little vice.
Harder to overlook will be the imposing shape and size of the main instrument binnacle, whose square, flat panes aren't helped much by smooth grey plastic textures. The pinpricked leather steering wheel feels fine, but the large pentastar-embossed airbag panel in its center looks distinctly rubberlike. But who knows? Maybe its the material of choice for an airbag meant to smack you in the chest.
Then there are some arguably fine distinctions such as the quality of the gearshift, which feels unpleasantly metallic to us. It works well when used in anger, cooperating nicely during frenzied double-clutched high-speed downshifting, but the linkage is considerably less than velvety smooth. There's some audible whine in the lower ratios, although the transaxle is nicely quiet in fifth- a conveniently high ratio to help calm the rowdy powerplan for peaceful cruising. Our car also produced a persisistent buzz from the fuel pump, sounding as if we had trapped an outsized mosquito in the trunk.
Comfortable leather seats with all manner of power adjustments for the driver contrasted with needlessly confused ergonomics on other controls. None of this is serious unless your pathologically lazy, but it does seem strange to find the power lock switch where the window switch might reasonably be located and then discover the actual window switches on the central console, below the rear-screen washer-wiper and defog buttons, none of which, can be readily distinguished from each other by gloved fingers.
Mild confusion with cockpit controls can be forgiven in light of the high levels of equipment. The real problem with the Daytona is the aesthetic. Even though everything works adequately, some of the tactile sensations are less than pleasant. That seems to be the underlying characteristic of the Daytona Shelby; its fast, well equipt, and safe, but there are sensory trade-offs that an owner will have to accept as part of the package. Whether or not a perspective buyer can accomodate the cars various contradictions could best be determined during a demo drive.
Zip is always desirable, but without appropriate levels of refinement, some buyers may find it worth just that.
 
#19 ·
I know this might be a little of topic but I'm going to ask anyway since we're on the chrysler/Lambo subject but does anyone remember the 440 powered Countach in NHRA's Pro-modified class? Also, for a year there were pics in a magazine at that time with factory Countach's with the Chrysler Pentastar in the center part of the wheels. If anybody knows anything please post info.

Carlos
 
#21 ·
I put that article up on FR.net. I have the original colour version somewhere too, ill scan it when i get a chance and link here... if ShelbyMopar89 doesn't beat me to it.

There are lots of other interesting articles about our cars and Shelby/Lotus involvement and AWD research and info straight from the the horses mouth, the late great Pete weissmann, and Paul Harvey, take a peak.

Gareth
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top