Rusty But Trusty

Based on a European Simca design, with substantial modification for the European market, sales of the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni were credited with saving Chrysler’s bacon back in the 1970s, convincing the government to put together a rescue package. They beat Ford’s Escort to market, and were right on the heels of GM’s (rear-wheel-drive) Chevette/T1000. In spite of Chrysler having borrowed quite heavily from the Mark 1 Golf, VW agreed to supply Chrysler with its 1.7-liter engine, and for many years this VW and a Peugeot/Talbot 1.6 were the base engines, depending on year. However, America being America, we needed more power, and so Chrysler started fitting their 2.2, and then (more power! more!) they added a turbo. With 146hp, it blew the segment-leading GTI out of the water, at least in terms of acceleration. You can find this 1986 Dodge Omni GLH for sale for $3500 in Deer Valley, AZ.

The car is said to only have 34,200 miles, and is one of only 3629 naturally aspirated and turbo GLHs produced that year. Unsurprisingly, it’s said to be rust free as well, but there is a disappointing lack of detail (okay, no detail) given as to the condition of the 80s plastic interior, the engine, or anything else. However, compared to low-mile GTIs, this seems like a stunning deal, and is worth the effort to send a quick message for more information. Pick this one up, and go hunting for unsuspecting watercooled VW nuts.

Tags: american, dodge, Feature, glh, hatch, hot hatch, omni

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