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| The two yuppies are probably looking over the Horizon at a more upscale car. (photo credit-allpar.com) |
If there was a car that could be labeled as "the right car at the right time," it would be the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. This car debuted at a time when the Chrysler Corporation had one foot in the grave. All their other cars were gas guzzling land yachts that collected dust on showroom floors due to a 2nd gas crunch that swept the nation.
Under the guidance of Lee Iacocca and with the help from their European counterpart, Talbot, and a government bailout loan, Chrysler developed their first front wheel drive car for the 1978 model year. Chrysler aimed the car at penny-pinching consumers that didn't give a crap about air conditioning, power windows, or even a radio. And it was bargained priced at around $4000. The car became a saving grace for Chrysler, as the high number of sales (couldn't find an exact number) led Chrysler to pay back its government loan several months ahead of schedule.
The Omni would also form the basis for other successful Chrysler products such as the Aries/Reliant K-cars and the game-changing Dodge and Plymouth minivans. By the time the 1980s came to a close, Chrysler was on top of the world. And all that success traces back to this little car.
The car remained relatively unchanged during it's 12 year run, with the only notable difference being the addition of a new dashboard and airbag...in it's last year of production. There was even a high performance Shelby version of the Omni called the GLH (Goes Like Hell) that came complete with a stiffer suspension and a turbocharger.
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