For the 1979 model year, Chrysler shortened the L-platform of the
Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon four-door hatchbacks from in wheelbase to make more sporty two-door with a sloping hatchback called
the Dodge Omni 024 and the Plymouth Horizon TC3. The cars shared a 1.7 L
Volkswagen inline-four as the only engine. In 1981, the Charger nameplate returned as a performance package on the Omni 024. Called the Charger 2.2, it cost $399 extra and came with a hood scoop, quarter-window appliques, special gearing, rear
spoiler, and "Charger 2.2" tape graphics, as well as the new 2.2 L I4 engine that was designed and built by Chrysler. A total of 7,306 were built. In 1982, the Dodge Charger returned for a second year as the performance option for the 024. Nothing was changed from 1981 except for a Pentastar emblem on its
hood and adding a resonator to the
exhaust since the previous model had no muffler, utilizing the catalytic converter as the sole method of engine noise reduction. Production increased to 15,000. In 1983, the Volkswagen engine went out of production, so a joint Chrysler/
Peugeot 1.6 L engine was used instead. The Omni 024 was renamed the Charger. The Plymouth Turismo was introduced as a companion entry for 1983, with the TC3 designation now discontinued.
Carroll Shelby developed a sporty version of the Charger later in the year, the Dodge Shelby Charger. The transformation continued in 1984, with quad
headlights now differentiating the Charger from its Omni origins. However, the Shelby models continued to use the previous year's front nose cap/bumper assembly. The Plymouth Turismo would share the same front end. Apart from the badging, both cars were identical. For the 1985 model year, the Shelby (with its unique front end) and Charger names were shuffled to reflect the addition of a
turbocharged engine. One new color was added for 1985 — black with silver stripes. Plymouth also got a version of the old Shelby Charger, reviving the
Duster name as the Plymouth Turismo Duster. However, Plymouth would never get a turbocharged version of the Shelby Charger. Two turbocharged Turismos, using the Shelby front end, were seen at Chrysler headquarters with a
'Cuda Plymouth badge, but they were not put into production. They currently reside in a private collection. The previous high-compression Shelby Charger engine was now an option on regular Dodge Chargers. For 1986, a
center high-mounted stop light was added, and the 2.2 L engine became standard in the base models. The 1987 model year was the last for the Omni/Horizon-derived Charger and Turismo. A total of 2,011 Chargers with the hotter
Turbo II engine were now badged the
Shelby Charger Turbo (not "Dodge"). For 1987, they were replaced by the
Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance, and the Belvidere plant was retooled to build the
Dodge Dynasty, which succeeded the preceding
600 at the time.
Carroll Shelby bought 1,000 of the last Chargers and equipped them with the
Omni GLH's engine and suspension to be sold under this name. The Duster name was revived for a model in the
Plymouth Sundance line midyear in 1992. The Charger name, aside from the unrelated
Dodge Ramcharger, would go on a more long-term hiatus until it was
revived as a
concept car in 1999 and eventually as a
performance sedan in 2005; the nameplate had previously been on a brief hiatus from 1979 through 1981 after the
Dodge Magnum replaced the original
Dodge Charger (1966).
Production figures: File:'85 Dodge Charger (Centropolis Laval '10).jpg|1985 Dodge Charger File:PlymouthTurismo.jpg|1986/87 Plymouth Turismo ==Dodge Shelby Charger==