If you want a cheap, small car that goes fast, you’ll have to look back to the first hot-hatch craze of the early to mid-1980s. That’s where you’ll find unusual hits like the Dodge Colt GT-S with twin stick, the Chevrolet Sprint Turbo, or the Isuzu I-Mark RS. To be fair to today’s feature car, that’s a bit of a digression, since it is no longer in possession of its original engine, having been upgraded with a Japanese-market B13G, which appears to be the stock engine in a Suzuki Swift GTi. You can find this 1986 Chevrolet Sprint Turbo, listed as a Chevy Sprint Turbo Forsa Cultus Swift Gti for sale for $3600 in Los Angeles, CA.
Posts Tagged ‘japanese’
Long Name, Short Car – Modified 1986 Chevrolet Sprint Turbo
November 7, 20131979 Mazda RX-7
November 6, 2013Mazda just won’t give up. In 1967, they started selling the first Wankel rotary engine, having spent several years on developing the version they’d licensed from NSU. In 1970, due to low emissions, and in spite of high fuel and oil consumption, they brought the rotary engine to the United States. In the early half of the decade, Mazda’s rotary-powered lineup grew to several cars and a North-America-only pickup truck. However, the oil crisis put a stop to that, and Mazda reverted to regular piston-engined cars. However, they stuck with the idea, and in 1978, they unveiled the RX-7 sports car, which survived in three generations through 1995, followed by the 2003-2012 RX-8. Find this second-coming car, a 1979 Mazda RX-7 for sale for $2500, in Tacoma, WA.
JDM WTF – 1991 Honda Civic Si
October 25, 2013Given the common perception of Honda today, it may be a little surprising that Honda was late to the hot hatch party. While VW had had their GTI out since 1983, with significant improvements to horsepower and handling, Honda’s 1983 Civic S only got improved suspension and had to make do with a paltry 62hp. It was only by 1989 that Honda got its act together, by which time Toyota’s Corolla FX16 GT-S with the 16-valve 4AGE engine from the MR2 and AE86 Corolla fastback had come and gone, and VW had already released its 134hp 16-valve Mark 2 GTI. Honda’s first true entry in this market had a 16-valve 1.6-liter engine with 108hp and 100 lb.-ft. of torque to motivate a sub-2300 lb. car. You can find this 1991 Honda Civic Si for sale in Marysville, WA for $4000.


