Dodge Daytona/Laser
The Dodge Daytona is a lesser-known American sports car, but it boasted some unique features and performance figures that easily lets it on our list. Produced from just 1984 to 1993, this front-wheel drive hatchback sported a 2.2L Chrysler K motor, available naturally aspirated making 93 horses, or turbocharged making 142 and eventually 146 horses. The latter, known as the Daytona Turbo, made its way onto Car and Driver’s Ten Best List in 984.
The car even caught the attention of none other than Carroll Shelby, who eventually gave the Daytona his own signature performance treatments in 1987. Chrysler branded the Daytona and its clone, the Laser, as the company’s first real sports car. The Laser was the same as the Daytona by most measures except the interior. It received some upgrades and was billed as a luxury competitor to European sport.
The Laser most notably offered some industry firsts that are only just now appearing as standard features in modern sports cars. Those included a digital readout for the dash display, an electronic monitoring system that checked 22 separate functions and provided voiced alerts as needed, and an electronic navigator that provided mileage, travel, distance, and driving time.
In the late 80’s, the Daytona/Laser received a bigger 2.5L engine that made 174 horses and over 200 torques. While these numbers are only meager by today’s standards, the Daytona Shelby weighed just 2,800 pounds. An even more powerful IROC R/T version of the Daytona was unveiled in 1991, sporting DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder. This allowed the IROC R/T to make a robust 224 horses and 217 torques, with a 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds.
Although the Daytona’s styling was nothing to stare at in awe, its reliability, low compression motor, simplicity, and factory turbo configuration won over many buyers. Today, the Daytonas, Lasers, and special trims garner a cult following. Few compact, sub-V8 American sports cars exist in recent production, but the Daytona and Laser certainly pulled the feat off, making this 90’s two-door a quirky but qualified candidate on our list of Top U.S. Sports Cars.
