**The GLHS**
The GLHS was the fastest at 175 horsepower and 175 pound-feet. This wasn’t a track tool, this was a weapon of mass destruction. It had a modified Garrett Turbo I engine, a long runner (2 piece) tuned intake manifold and an intercooler. The engine had a compression ratio of 8.5:1, a maximum boost of 12 psi. Because of all this, it could do 060 mph in an incredible 6.70 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.7 seconds at 94 mph. It also pulled .88 g on the non-slip deck.
Rather than continue to produce Shelby-inspired Dodges, Carroll began building real Shelbys at its new facility in Whittier, California. These were cars that he purchased from Dodge, modified, and then sold himself through select Dodge dealers. These vehicles were produced in limited numbers. Each model ran for one year and all received a numbered dash plate.
The suspension was modified with adjustable low pressure gas charged Koni front shocks and rear shocks. The standard 1 in. front and 5/8in. The rear anti-roll bars were retained, as well as the factory brakes and steering. Shelby Centurion 15x6s with cast-aluminum wheels were surrounded by 205/50VR15 Goodyear Gatorbacks.
With the added power, it now had a top speed of 130 mph. All this bundle of brilliance at what cost? At that time, it was only 11 thousand dollars. However, it wasn’t just Shelby who tweaked Dodges, as Dodge themselves got into the game with their own products. Products like the 1984 Dodge Colt Turbo. Sure, it could have been a Mitsubishi, but that didn’t make this vehicle fast. Sure, it only had 060 mph in 8.9 seconds and only 103 horsepower. That was not the Colt’s goal. It was a driving machine meant to be more Lotus Elise, then Chevrolet Camaro.
It was lighter than the Alfa Romeo 4C light. It may have only had 103 horsepower, but it only weighed 1,896 pounds (or 860 kg). It also had a top speed of 112 mph. Not much, but like the Miata… It’s not necessary.
“Now, on this corner, we have the 110 horsepower (82 kW) Dodge Omni GLH Packing.
In the other corner we have… Where did they go? They were scared?
Supossely Yes…”
The Omni GLH was a great hot hatch. It was fast, fun, light, agile, cheap and frivolous. This is a classic. It’s not as classic as the GNX; however, it remains a classic in its own right.
This car is a fast little bugger, it’s a bugger when you mod it. This is also a very light car, coming in at less than 2,400 pounds. While we don’t see many of these, they still prove that Dodge can make a proper small car… A proper compact car, but the GLH wasn’t the only “GLH” in the series.
Then you had the GLHT. It was basically a GLH with a turbocharged engine. Although it was much more powerful, power was now raised to 146 horsepower (108 kW) and 170 pound-feet. Making it one of the quickest cars of the trio, this car went from 0-60 mph in 8.1 seconds and a quarter mile in 16.2 seconds at 85.5. It could reach a top speed of 119.
The GLH turbo was upgraded to half-shafts of equal length. Even though it was just (pretty much) an update to the engine, it didn’t take anything away from it. It was still an amazing hot hatch.
Then we have the car that nobody remembers. The Dodge Shadow ES, while the ’87 looks better than the ’89, they are good cars either way. These are really fun cars to drive too. Like many of the cars on this list, the Shadow was (and still is) a very light car. Weighing in at 2,535 pounds (or 1,150 kg), it had 146 horsepower and 170 pound-feet.
This car was less powerful than some of the cars on this list, and a bit heavier. But this wasn’t a Shelby-tuned Shadow. So he wasn’t going to be so focused on racing, even though they were still great fun to drive.
This is the canvas that Shelby used to fabricate the CSX with his own hands. And it’s a nice little package from the factory. Basically, he turned the Shadow into an Evo, except without the AWD. Like almost every car on this list, it’s turbocharged. Use the same engine in the following cars:
Omni GLH/GLHT/GLHS
dodge shelby charger
shelby
shelby lancer
dodge daytonas
That’s a lot of cars to have the same engine. But once 1989 rolled around, power was increased to 150 horsepower and 180 lbft. While it didn’t look quite as good as the year before, it did make a bit of a surprise with the facelifted model.
That’s how it is! We have a convertible. In 1991, Dodge introduced the Shadow convertible. It was a pretty good convertible in that! You could get an ES trim level, which means you could get a convertible with 150 horsepower and 180 lbft. Since it was light, it went pretty fast.
But wait, there’s more!!!
Could be? Yes, another sedan! The Dodge Spirit R/T with 224 horsepower and 218 lb-ft. This was the Charger Hellcat of its day. Because it has the most horsepower of all the vehicles on this list, it has the highest top speed. It has a top speed of 141 mph. That’s 190 E territory. I could do the quarter in 14.5 seconds at 97 mph. This was tubular back in the day. (Yes, I had to look that up.) Their heads were also designed by Lotus. At the time, it was the fastest four-door sedan in the United States. It was also fuel efficient, getting 26 mpg on the highway.
It was very, very cheap. Making it one of the fastest cars you could get for under $20,000. As good as it was, it’s not nearly as memorable as the other cars on this list. (Apart from Shadow and Colt)… However, they are still quite popular within a certain group of people. **Cough**
TurboDodge Guys **Cough**
The Dodge Daytona is one of the best vehicles on this list. It produced 146 horsepower (109 kW) and 170 pound-feet. It’s a bit heavier than some of the other vehicles on this list. He weighs 2,701 pounds (or 1,225 kg). It handled so well that it beat out the Porsche 924.
You do not believe me? Here you have:
http://www.allpar.com/model/daytona.html#handle
Read it and cry or admire. He had a Garrett T3 Turbo. With 2 valves per cylinder. Lots of people love this car to this day, someone even swapped the 2.2 liter turbo for a 5.7 liter Hemi in theirs and converted it to RWD. But that’s beside the point. He also got a T-top option for ’86. Later in his life, he gained pop-up headlights and a new variant. It was named the Shelby Z. It gained more horsepower from 146 to 174 horsepower (130 kw) and 200 pound-feet, as well as a heavy-duty A555 transaxle with Getrag gears. (If you want more information, I’ll provide links at the end of the article.)
The Dodge Caravan ES Turbo, the total dream. Like some of the vehicles on this list, it makes 150 horsepower and 170 pound-feet. It’s not the lightest vehicle on this list, coming in at 3,086 pounds. It’s lighter and faster than some of the vehicles to come. It has a top speed of 110 mph, not very fast. But for a pickup in the 1980s, that’s pretty fast. Combine that with 060 mph in 9.4 seconds, and you’ve got the makings of a sleeper for sleepers.
Ford came for a ride. They proved that the ’80s were not the end with the Foxbody Mustang. Foxbodies are very popular right now, they are known as a good platform for almost anything. They are the lightest of all Mustangs. Once upgraded to a Dart block, it can easily handle 900 HP. But these go beyond drag racing. Because they are light and small, they make good economy race cars.
You could get a whole armada of engines. Here is the list:
2.3 L (140 cu in) 86 hp I4
2.3 L (140 cu in) turbocharged I4
3.3 L (201 cu in) I6 85 hp
2.8 L (171 cu in) V6
3.8 L (232 cu in) Essex V6
4.2 L (256 cu in) V8
302 cu in (4.9 L) Windsor V8
Pretty, right? He was also chosen as the beat for the Indy 500, they also did a special edition celebrating this. More than 10,000 were made. Unlike the Daytona, you can get a convertible or just a standard coupe. The Fastback was the option if you wanted a sportier Mustang. The Daytona was just a factory fastback/hatch.
There were also a variety of broadcasts. From a 4 or 5 speed manual or a 3 or 4 speed automatic. But who could forget the Mustang SVO? This is the Foxbody we all remember. It had 200 horsepower, 240 pound-feet. and the new (for the moment) “aerodynamic” headlights. However, the Mustang was not the only car on the “Foxbody” platform, we also had the Thunderbird. Think of it like a Chrysler 300 Coupe. It was bigger than the Mustang and more luxurious. In a weird way, it reminds me of the Bentley Continental.
The Turbo Coupe had a 2.3-liter OHC (Over Head Cam) engine with EFI, an Air to Air Intercooler, and a 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive. This was a luxury coupe with a dark side. Initially, the engine produced 142 horsepower, but this was later increased to 155 horsepower. As expected, this was heavier than the Mustang. It was also bigger. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While the Mustang was more of a sports car, the Thunderbird was more of a cruiser. A GT because if you want.
Unfortunately this is a very underrated car. Not getting as much love as Foxbody, which is really ironic given that it’s based on the same platform. It’s just a rejection, losing the glory it once had to the ruthless mistress of time. Destined for a life of misery… that’s a great shame, because if people had seen the potential of this car…
We may have seen more cruise ships from this forgotten beast.