Dodge Omni 024

Dodge Omni 024
Overview
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation
Also called	Dodge 024 Plymouth Horizon TC3 Plymouth TC3
Production	1979–1982
Body and chassis
Class	Subcompact
Body style	3-door hatchback
Layout	FF layout
Platform	L-body
Related	Dodge Omni Dodge Rampage Plymouth Horizon
Powertrain
Engine	1.7 L Volkswagen I4 2.2 L K I4
Transmission	4-speed manual 3-speed A404 automatic
Chronology
Successor	Dodge Charger (Omni 024) Plymouth Turismo (Horizon TC3)

The Dodge Omni 024 was a modified version of the popular Dodge Omni made from 1979 to 1982. Analogous to the VW Scirocco, this car was a lower, sportier version of the Chrysler/Simca Horizon, using the four-door hatchback's floor pan and chassis as a basis. The cars were designed in-house at the prompting of Lee Iacocca.^[1]

It used the same chassis and engine options as the Omni but had a fastback and a new front fascia. The base engine was a 1.7 L Volkswagen inline four producing 70 hp (52 kW), with a 2.2 L, 84 hp (63 kW) Chrysler inline four as an option beginning in 1981. For the first year, the wheels were painted in the exterior color, and had a folding back seat. The car's looks promised more performance than the engine could deliver, and the car was not as practical as the Omni. Both the Omni and Horizon prefixes were dropped for 1981, making them the "024" and "TC3", respectively.^[2]

Rear view of 1979-1980 Dodge Omni 024

The 024 did not sell well and was renamed as the Dodge Charger for the 1983 model year, a name which had been gradually introduced as part of a special "Charger 2.2" package beginning in 1981.^[2] The 024 had a twin called the Plymouth Horizon TC3. (The name "TC3" may have referred to the car being a Touring Coupe with 3 doors.) It, too, was renamed in the 1983 model year: to the Plymouth Turismo. The "Turismo" label had already been used on a sport package beginning in 1980.^[3]

In its last year, many parts from the 024 and TC3 were recycled into the Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp pickup trucks. This included the chassis, engine and front fascia.

In 1980 the Plymouth Horizon TC3 also became available with the Turismo sport package. For the Dodge Omni 024 this was called the DeTomaso package, with De Tomaso designed trim and wheels but the standard drivetrain.^[4] 1,333 De Tomaso 024's were built in 1980, followed by 619 more in 1981. The 1981 De Tomasos were only available with the new 2.2 litre engine.^[5]

In 1998, for the release of the Pearl Jam album Yield, a TV commercial was made using a Plymouth Horizon TC3 to mimic the album's cover art.

References

• Lee, John (1990). Standard Catalog of Chrysler, 1924-1990. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-87341-142-0. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plymouth Horizon.