Jim Kennedy’s Car Collection

Backstory

The Laser was the product of a joint venture between Chrysler Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation called Diamond Star Motors (the venture’s name, for those who care about such things, derived from the logos of each company: three diamonds—Mitsubishi—and a pentastar—Chrysler. I’m not sure why Mitsubishi’s logo is in first position, except that “Star Diamond” sounds like the name of a burlesque dancer). Variations of the same basic car were sold under the names Plymouth Laser, Eagle Talon, and Mitsubishi Eclipse. 

This particular vehicle was originally ordered by a businessman in Upstate New York and delivered to his local Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in late March 1992. The owner, then in his mid-thirties, wanted to purchase one more “sports” car before making any significant concession to middle age. He opted for a new addition to the Laser offerings for 1992, a Turbo all-wheel-drive version of the RS trim. For the first few years of ownership, he and his wife stored the Laser in Winter and used it during the Summer as a second daily driver to their Jeep 4X4. In later years, they traveled Laser-fast several times to Florida. By 2004, however, the Plymouth fell to third place in the driveway in favor of a new Ford Thunderbird, a larger vehicle with more safety features. 

 In 2011, desiring a four-door sedan and greater creature comforts for long-distance travel, the owners traded in the Laser toward the purchase of a Chrysler 200, at the same local dealership where the Laser had been purchased and serviced. I found the Laser listed online in the Fall of 2011, and visited the dealership in November of that year (a great time of year to travel to Upstate New York, by the way, if you like cold, sleet and snow. And cold—did I mention cold?). The All-Wheel-Drive served me well on the trek from Lowville, New York, to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where the Laser lived for several years. Summer 2016 brought a transcontinental adventure, as the Laser and I narrowly dodged a twister west of St. Louis and survived transmission trouble east of Denver on our way to Marin County, California. A rebalancing of the motive power portfolio led me to unleash the Laser to a new owner in 2018.

Gerald A. Nortz, Inc. had been a Lowville, New York, institution since 1924, when Gerald Andre Nortz (1897–1983), a World War I Army veteran and son of the local grocer, began selling Stewart Trucks, Packard cars, and the offerings of the newly-launched Chrysler Corporation. Plymouths joined the lineup after that nameplate’s introduction in 1929. Gerald’s son, Thomas (1926–2019), acquired the dealership in 1975, adding the Dodge brand. His son, Gerald A. Nortz II, joined the operation in 1983, and bought the business from his father in 1999, shortly after the dealership added yet another Chrysler brand, Jeep. The younger Gerald Nortz served as salesman and finance manager during my mid-November visit to inspect and collect my new prize. In July 2020, Nortz announced the dealership had been purchased by Ryan and David Payne, owners of a family-operated regional independent insurance agency, W.B. Payne Co, Inc. The Paynes renamed the business Empire Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, but maintained the continuity of “96 Years of Nortz” by retaining the current staff, including Gerald A. Nortz II as general manager.

Apropos of nothing in particular, if you find yourself in Lowville, be sure to check out Gary’s Restaurant—the food and service are great, and it’s well-heated.