The SRT-4 changed the way Neon's we're viewed for sure, while it wouldn't have become like the R34 not having the mystery of being unavailable etc. It would sure as hell be better than the Eclipse Spyder that did make the film.
I loved my SRT-4, I owned it for 8 years, 400wHP and beat on daily. Never broke anything, got great milage and it was WAY faster than most cars at the time. It was Well overbuilt for power, dodge had staged power kits and KW coilovers as optional add-ons. It was the ultimate budget sport compact.
Dodge mopped the floor with Japan with that car and every one talking shit in the comments got dragged by one in the early 2000s. Mine had 240k miles on it when I sold it, still ran like stink.
@@black99rt yea, I raced many mustangs, WRX's, an Evo, C5, and lots of other shit Basically won every race. 400whp and spare seats removed was pretty damn fast.
@@lexman8678 Not even remotely true. The 2005 GTi ran a 7 second 0-60 time, and that gets even worse as you get out to the quarter mile comparison. LOL do you know anything about cars? SRT4 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, quarter mile in 13.9. You'd have to dump about 10k into that era GTi to get that sort of performance.
I was big in the car scene back then and the SRT4 had a lot of hype. Bought one new in 2004 and proceeded to dump 10k into it. Rarely lost a race and everyone was in aw of it. Guessing Lieberman never drove an SRT4. To his credit though the SRT4 wasn’t out at that time so he could only base his opinion on the neon.
Just spotted one in LA as i driving through for work. He did a pull for me. Apparently low 400hp at 18 lbs, E85. Thing booooogies. Surprised the federals gripped 🤣
SRT-4 was pretty badass back then. Especially for its price, I don't think there was a cheaper faster car. It would run circles around that Eclipse that Roman drove.
But the issue is they were picking cars that FIT THE CHARACTERS PERSONALITIES. And Neon does not fit Rome’s big eccentric personality. The convertible eclipse did. No matter how ugly and over the top it was. That’s been his MO in every film.
As a Neon owner and fan, I agree with his decision not to use the SRT4. If it was the first movie, I would think the Neon could be the perfect option but to go from a Supra in the first movie to a Neon might have been a stretch.
@@Lilboncamino i guess at the time of the movie the SRT4 was a popular contender vs now in 2024 the SRT4 is a distant memory to most. Imagine if they used an SRT4… they’d probably be extremely overpriced now haha.
Credit to Singleton, he understood the assignment. For a great car action film, you have to treat the cars as extensions of the characters, almost like characters themselves.
I never personally liked Dodge Neons in the past. My cousin had a 2004 Neon SRT-4 that he let me drive back in 2008. It had some power to get up and go. This was at the time he was starting to modify the car. It was "somewhat" stock with a full 3 inch exhaust and cat delete, upgraded fuel injectors, and a re-tune. I'm not sure of the HP and torque numbers at the time, but I loved it. He later added a bigger turbo and done some things with the engine that I can't list all what he did, but he dynoed the car in 2010 and it made close to 500 HP on pump gas. He later sold the car, and he doesn't modify cars anymore due to him becoming a father of two girls in 2011. He still talks about that Neon to this day. Always has interesting stories to tell about it.
The srt4 ended up being one of the best "budget" tuner cars and would've been interesting in a small role in the movie. But yea if it was a main car everyone would downgrade the movie because it would be obvious they sold out. The partnership with Mitsubishi especially with the roles they created just made a lot more sense
I remember when my family all still lived in South Africa back in the early 2000`s, my brother bought a brand new Neon, a 2L R/T, they sold him on the comfort factor (in all fairness, the seats were great) and that it could compete with any other 2L on the market in South Africa at the time...I had a 1997 model 1.8L 16V Opel Kadett at the time and we constantly squabbled about who`s car was quicker, on Christmas Day on our way to the Holiday Inn at Johannesburg International Airport for Christmas lunch we ended up at a set of lights on a road with very little traffic in front of us...we raced, he lost...in fact, when he arrived at the Holiday Inn, I had already parked, exited my vehicle and had just put out the cigarette I lit when I arrived...he sold the car a few months later when he took it in for a service and they found rust all over the thing...he bought an Opel Astra and it was never spoken about again... Chrysler's SUCK!!!!!
The SRT-4 Neon should have never been a main hero car. But it was the perfect example of budget performance that your average person could afford, and isn’t that what the whole Tuner Scene was about anyways?
I noticed a lot of people were complaining that "you told us already". I mean I was sceptical at first but actually I like this type of video. Craig gives us more details and anecdote that hasn't been mention before and I really enjoy it. Regarding Neon SRT-4, while now it's considered a cult car with respectable performance. I can understand what Craig was saying because we had to put it into retrospective that what Craig said being that car doesn't have a street cred yet because it was brand new at that time. So I can understand Craig being reluctant to. That's the thing with product placement, they don't necessarily gave a lasting impact. Like FCA paying Universal to used (new) Chargers since 5th movie and personally none of the Chargers has really become cultural icon. Even the "cool" product placement such as Evo VII from 2nd movie and Evo IX from 3rd movie isn't really as known as Skyline or Veilside RX-7. While in my opinion Brian driving Neon wouldn't be as extreme as "driving people out from theatre" (especially international audience) if it happens it's probably became a footnote or forgettable. One more thing, given there is a news that 11th movie is getting a budget cut and reportedly "going back to its roots". It would be cool to have an open audition for background cars like the old days. Especially if people aren't informed that their cars would appear in Fast and Furious movie. I can imagine some cool builds from enthusiast, just a thought.
Faster than the WRX, 350Z, S2000 and Mustang GT in 2003, the SRT4 was more than a "cult following", it wiped the floor with the Japanese cars that Liebermuppet drools about.
Me and my cousin couldn't wait for the DVD of Fast and Furious to come out and when it finally did we would just watch it over and over analyzing everything and we also watched all the extras so I remember you Graig right away i recognized you when I seen your channel thanks for the great content and all you've done for making the two first movies of my childhood not as bad as it could have been 😂
They should of replaced Roman's eclipse spider with the srt4 that would of been a lot better. BTW wasn't the srt4 the fastest production car under 20k at the time?
Yes, and the fastest FWD car ever sold in the USA until recently with the Honda Civic Type R, albeit the R is like 45 THOUSAND dollars, more than twice the price the SRT4 was in 2005.
No fanboy, but srt4 production was twice the supras in the US...more affordable...and pretty quick at the time...local guy had one and it would stomp most stuff but this is small town Midwest 🤷 From Craig's perspective though I could almost agree...no way to be the hero car..but if it were a main car...I could see maybe more demand and sales. I made fun of the movies from the beginning.
The ONLY way the SRT-4 would make an appearance in ANY F&F movie is one of two ways: 1. An extra car with a few seconds to show it. 2. Driven by an annoying bad guy which will be hilariously destroyed. I mean in Fast 10, the '91 BMW M5 e34 sedan made it into the movie no frills to be digitally wrecked. If that car was at the bottom of the list while the '90 BMW M3 e30 didn't make the cut, under what circumstances would a Neon SRT-4 make its way up the list? Apart from millions for corporate sponsorship, of course.
Mr. Lieberman, thank you for your videos. These are all hilarious blasts from the past for me. When "the movie" (as we referred to it in my local car club) came out we all had so much fun. We all knew that it was ridiculous and we loved pointing out all the flaws but we loved the exposure it created and as you said before that "the cars were the stars." Good stuff man, keep it up!
@craiglieberman forgive me for not having seen all of your videos but i am curious who your influences were and how the import scene ended up being what it was when you were growing up. This is all really cool stuff to know for me, i love finding out "where we came from," for lack of a better term. Thank you for your time!
I could see the srt4 in a more anonymous role like the black civics in the first movies, or the four chargers in the fifth. I have to agree that the vibe just wasn't right for a hero car.
13:24 It actually was fast. Dodge purposely Underrated the HP ratings for unsurance purposes. It avtually put out 255-260 HP. 5.6 0-60MPH and low 13's 1/4 mile times. 15:54 All due respect, you were very wrong. Dodge sold 10x more than they expected... 25k of them. Had this car been in the movie, i bet they would've sold more. A suggestion for a future video. Go drive one and record your reaction. Its a shame. The SRT4 is a great car! It is essentially a FWD Evo. I say this as an Evo owner, too. It was a budget performance car that got looked over simply because of the Neon name. Ate they fantastically built cars? No. Can they easily be corrected? Absolutely! I will be adding one to my collect as soon as i can. I wpuld love to take it to the track (turns, not drag strip). Very capable car with ao.e strategic modifications.
Keep in mind, this meeting took place Before the Neon SRT was released. Nobody knew if it was going to be fast or not! They only knew that the econobox neons weren't fast or popular among tuners. Not until the Neon SRT was released could people actually test it and find out how cool it was. Regardless, since the OG neon didn't have that reputation, it still wouldn't have worked in the movie. The audience didn't know about the Neon SRT either, but they all knew the OG Neon.
My sister who was really into the tuner scene bought a 2005 SRT-4 new from the lot. I saw it and had a similar reaction to Craig. But as soon as I sat in the passenger seat and my she let off that clutch I was defiantly surprised. She sold it before moving out of state, but where she lives now and among her husbands car club friends. There are a couple tuner Neons in the mix. Had me thinking about what you said about how the car at the time would not get the respect or reaction intended, but in a couple years you would see them in the scene.
The SRT-4 came out in 2003 and in 2006 Mike Crawford went 7.9 @ 188mph in a DCR SRT-4. I don't think front wheel drive Honda's were even in the 7's yet
I believe he has stated that he was against that car because he understands both that a vert is heavier and wouldn't be as utilized in racing and that gen of Eclipses in general were not as liked. But the studio insisted on it. I might be wrong but I believe that was the case.
@@jasonhurbough9105 Think about how foolish that statement he is making is though: "I convinced them not to have a better car in the Neon SRT4, but they insisted on the worse car, the Eclipse" That shows that Lieberman is full of it. Don't believe this guy.
The worst sin in that movie was dubbing Subaru flat 4 sounds over the Mitsubishis. Although not as bad as the straight 6 sound on Doms RX7 in the first movie.
SRT4 was totally cool car, but it was too brand new, and still based off a neon, but that’s what tuning is lol, it would have been a good 2nd or 3rd character car for sure tho, not the main, SRT4 in black with eyelids was a mean looking thing, sounded mean too without mufflers and just resonators
To start out you did an amazing job being an advisor for the movies. At the time, even now i am a Honda guy so I loved the first movie. My wife and I had a ‘99 Eclipse about the time the movie came out, and I also was am a Ram guy, being I did have 4 of them. So when I first saw 2 fast 2 Furious I was stoked to see the rams in there as well. Thank god you didn’t use the Neon lol. Well done!!!!
well out of all the 2 fast cars the one that did not fit at all and was terrible was the 3rd generation eclipse the SRT4 would have been tens times better than that car
He should have drove a honduh huh? Lol I've had 2 neon that's would wipe most of these cars. Know how many sti, mustangs, evos I've taken out, let alone Hondas lol for a fraction of the money
These things were hated on hard when they were being produced. People treated them and the owners like they were jokes. Import owners hated them because they seemed like a wanna be import. Domestic owners hated them because they were not V8s. The owners basically had no community to support them, except themselves. We used to call them Skittles because of the factory color options. And make fun of the crank rear windows by rolling up and down our power windows at the owners. They actually turned out to be pretty good cars. But yeah would have been laughed at the time if the hero drove an SRT4.
@@lexman8678 ya very well could srt4s can very easily be pushing 500hp with a turbo fuel upgrades tune really doesn't take a lot to get them to 500hp on a red light it would be tough evos being awd launch hard and the neon would have to real it in depends on the length of the race but on a highway pull a srt4 is 1000lbs lighter it's going to eat a 500hp evo really depends on witch one is more modded a good amount of evos and srt4s aren't rolling around stock due to how easy and cheap they are to build power compared to other cars like the sti
That DVD Special is how I learned who you are. Many years ago, Mt grandpa bought me that DVD bc he knew how much I loved that movie. 15 year old me watched that special many many times.
This was hard to watch as an SRT4 fan 🤣but he's absolutely right! It wasn't right for the time. I don't think people thought it was cool when it came out, it took a while. The car definitely has at least a few fanboys now adays though.
Dude I wish I was a bug on the wall in that meeting, because it sounded intense.Sure they probably could've used the neon srt-4 as a background extra,but yeah riced out Neon as a hero car doesn't make sense.
You know what would've happened? The movie would bomb overseas and maybe had only 'relative success' in America. The Neon was never (or barely?) sold over in Europe. While the Japanese tuner type cars were. Heck, even Vipers got sold over here as a luxury sports model.
I love how people think it would be lame for Brian to drive an srt-4, which is actually fast, but totally fine with him driving an eclipse with the 420a engine, which was also in base neons LOL
I owned a 97 Neon before the 1st movie came out, some friends eventually convinced me to start working on it and join their car club. Wasn't an ideal car to fix up considering there weren't many aftermarket parts available for it, and it was a 4cyl, 4 door grocery getter. Won a bunch of trophies, made a couple magazines, and got it on ESPN2 from a show at Englishtown. Had fun doing it, but i never thought at any point that it was fast, no matter what we did to it. Actually met Craig at a NIRA event at MIR for about 15 seconds. Was probably just being nice, but he complimented the car while showing me where to park. All that being said, i could not see a Neon as a hero car. Not even an SRT4 once they came out. A background car in a scene or 2 in a later movie? Maybe.
i think the srt4 would have definitely been better for roman then the eclipse spyder. but we will never know now. the srt4 did in fact become the darling of the american tuner scene.
When I was in hs (when the srt neon released) and I only ever met one dude with a modded one. We gave him so much shit haha. But I will say it sounded super badass
If that srt4 would have been rear wheel drive it would have done better or even AWD I do like the srt4 and the cobalt SS both cars are sweet 4 cylinder forced induction heck ya I'm on board!!
Craig, in hindsight, you dropped the ball. Sure the srt 4 aint no skyline, nsx, rx7, supra; it is on par with cars like the focus st, mazdaspeed 3, and civic type r's. The engine has the same potential power density as any supra or rb engine.
SRT-4 is in the lowest tier of tuner cars, it’s not even comparable to a Type R but more to an Si. You can’t have the MAIN character drive a low tier car against side characters with Top tier cars just because the manufacturer is cutting the cheque. It loses all credibility and authenticity of the movie. Having said that, as a huge Mitsubishi fan, Roman should’ve never been near that Eclipse. He would’ve been perfect with a Toyota MR2 Spyder with the Veilside kit.
@@theninethrees8044 Hold on. Did you say the SRT4 is more in the category of a SI than Type R?? Stop the slander just because you're a hater. The SRT4 is a full second faster in the 1/4 mile and 0-60 than a same generation Type R and nearly 2 seconds faster through both than the SI. A mopar dealer bolt on stage 3 kit which came with a warranty saw those numbers axed dramatically and the add ons cost next too nothing and got you around 300whp. The SRT4 only weighs 300 lbs more with 2 whole extra doors. They also handled shockingly well and the ACR model was a autocross king. The SRT4 was literally designed to take down early 2000s STIs and pound for pound it was only .2 seconds behind it. I've owned a GSR swapped DX, a 2001 Type R (stolen 😫), 2004 stock SRT4 and a bolt on 04 SRT4 and the SRT4s were way faster and honestly, way more fun too drive but slightly less reliable (im looking at you, 3rd gear). So is it a RB car or 2JZ? No, is it a bottom tier tuner? Hell no.
@@Admiral_Potato41 It’s has a bigger motor and is forced charged over a Civic Type R. Remember the car thieves took your Honda and didn’t take your others, so maybe they know which car is better?
I’ve been watching your recent videos and honestly you’re one of the coolest car enthusiasts out on TH-cam! Nonstop entertainment with facts to support everything your say. Great job!
It should not have been the main car but secondary it could have been given the opportunity...since it had come out to compete with the tuners of the moment at a cheaper price...since it was the first bearer of the three most famous letters today SRT..
Craig, if you had the chance to write a script for a new car movie with the best/legendary tuner cars of all time, what would the script be and what cars would you have in it
No one is saying how because of this guy played a huge impact on how the movies turned out and became so big. At least until they started drifting away from the racing and tuner cars
Whoever does your cover art is killing it. Paul is instantly recognizable and the SRT-4 is hilarious. I hope this is human talent and not some AI/CGI nonsense.
The SRT4 is not a slow car. Stock 230HP and many people get 500HP after upgraded parts. He was only thinking of the basic NEON and didn't know what was under the hood of the SRT4.
I got smoked one time by a built SRT-4. I had a Grand-prix GXP at the time, had basic bolt ons and tuned with mag pro exhaust, nothing insane but was still a sleeper and was taken down the 2008 mustangs at the time. But I rolled with an SRT4 and got the jump on him and when that srt4 spooled what ever turbo it had, I could hear from behind me haha and it blew my freaking doors off
I got to follow the parts trail of a poorly built and tuned Neon down I-80 to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop. We were laughing our asses off the whole way and we lost our shit seeing it again in the parking lot, Iowa State Patrol was less amused but still had a chuckle after writing plenty of tickets.
As a Neon SRT4 fan and owner this video was brutal to watch, but Craig's decision was right for the time. Despite lots of SCCA success the Neon didn't have a good rep with car enthusiasts. Ironically, the SRT-4 would turn out to be a great tuner car that helped get the Neon some respect in the tuner world. Dodge did their homework and gave enthusiasts what they wanted. Good turbo power, racing seats, manual trans, a big wing, a loud exhaust (no mufflers from factory) and a cheap price. It was the perfect recipe for success and Dodge ended up selling a lot more than they even expected too. If only Craig could have seen the future in a crystal ball. lol I wish the SRT-4 would have been used instead of the Eclipse, but I saw in the other comments the Eclipse was a package deal with the Evo :(
He's an idiot, don't forget he used a gen 3 Eclipse in this movie. He seems to want to gloss over THAT little fact. That Eclipse was bout the biggest piece of garbage imaginable.
Especially Dodge back in the early 2000s. They were nobody's they didn't have the challenger or the charger. Mostly cars in the early 2000s from Dodge were mostly stationed wagons or compact cars. The only car that they had was the Viper.
Imagine $200,000 Neons
And now that ugly Eclipse that's slow and totally not fun to drive, at all, demands a premium.
There’s one here in Chicago going for $40,000. I’m pretty sure it’s an ACR but still … it’s a Neon.
At least the real automotive enthusiasts could afford to buy the gtr. Bittersweet.
That would not help to change the opnions about them.
They wouldn’t run long enough to be worth that.
The fact the SRT-4 was never in a F&F Movie baffles me. It perfectly encapsulated the franchise.
You're so right! The affordable tuner car! I don't see a problem with it. I really like them.
Craig single handedly saved the francise lol
Only for Diesel to ruin it
The SRT-4 changed the way Neon's we're viewed for sure, while it wouldn't have become like the R34 not having the mystery of being unavailable etc. It would sure as hell be better than the Eclipse Spyder that did make the film.
enthusiasts only cared for the 4G63T Eclipses.
I'm battling stage 4 colon cancer and I love your videos, big shout out from Troy Alabama !!!
Sending healing vibes your way brother 🙏 diet and vitamins and nutrient rich foods are your best friend, also gaja 🤙
You’re strong man!
sending prayers, good vibes and healing energy. Give me your email address. I'd like to reach out to you personally.
I'm sure the neon was fast, sporty, etc. it's just ugly. Craig nailed it.
I loved my SRT-4, I owned it for 8 years, 400wHP and beat on daily.
Never broke anything, got great milage and it was WAY faster than most cars at the time.
It was Well overbuilt for power, dodge had staged power kits and KW coilovers as optional add-ons.
It was the ultimate budget sport compact.
Dodge mopped the floor with Japan with that car and every one talking shit in the comments got dragged by one in the early 2000s. Mine had 240k miles on it when I sold it, still ran like stink.
@@black99rt yea, I raced many mustangs, WRX's, an Evo, C5, and lots of other shit
Basically won every race. 400whp and spare seats removed was pretty damn fast.
@@SrtRacerBoy fwd gti golf with less hp would gap that neon 😂
@@lexman8678 Not even remotely true. The 2005 GTi ran a 7 second 0-60 time, and that gets even worse as you get out to the quarter mile comparison. LOL do you know anything about cars? SRT4 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, quarter mile in 13.9. You'd have to dump about 10k into that era GTi to get that sort of performance.
I’m not saying the Neon SRT wasn’t fast… I’m just saying it was lowkey a bit dorky.
I was big in the car scene back then and the SRT4 had a lot of hype. Bought one new in 2004 and proceeded to dump 10k into it. Rarely lost a race and everyone was in aw of it. Guessing Lieberman never drove an SRT4. To his credit though the SRT4 wasn’t out at that time so he could only base his opinion on the neon.
20 years later, tuners chose the srt4 over the 3g eclipse 😂
It's no r34. But the SRT4 Neon was and still is pretty awesome.
Now-a-days seeing an srt4 is like seeing a unicorn.
Just spotted one in LA as i driving through for work. He did a pull for me. Apparently low 400hp at 18 lbs, E85. Thing booooogies. Surprised the federals gripped 🤣
That's what happens to most cars 15 years and older.
i own an 05 stone white srt4 ! owned 2 so far ! love them so much
I saw one in advance parking lot with half the engine bay pulled out laying in the grass 🤷🏾♂️ lipstick on a pig is a good description for this car.
SRT-4 was pretty badass back then. Especially for its price, I don't think there was a cheaper faster car.
It would run circles around that Eclipse that Roman drove.
But the issue is they were picking cars that FIT THE CHARACTERS PERSONALITIES. And Neon does not fit Rome’s big eccentric personality. The convertible eclipse did. No matter how ugly and over the top it was. That’s been his MO in every film.
I had an Srt-4 and if i remember correctly, tuner people hated it for being muscle car brand and muscle car people hated it for 4 cylinder turbo
As a Neon owner and fan, I agree with his decision not to use the SRT4. If it was the first movie, I would think the Neon could be the perfect option but to go from a Supra in the first movie to a Neon might have been a stretch.
I don’t agree with that idea
@@Lilboncamino i guess at the time of the movie the SRT4 was a popular contender vs now in 2024 the SRT4 is a distant memory to most.
Imagine if they used an SRT4… they’d probably be extremely overpriced now haha.
@@zackellis23 it’s 20 years old
@@Lilboncamino so?
@@zackellis23 the only person I can see driving it is Jesse
Credit to Singleton, he understood the assignment.
For a great car action film, you have to treat the cars as extensions of the characters, almost like characters themselves.
I never personally liked Dodge Neons in the past. My cousin had a 2004 Neon SRT-4 that he let me drive back in 2008. It had some power to get up and go. This was at the time he was starting to modify the car. It was "somewhat" stock with a full 3 inch exhaust and cat delete, upgraded fuel injectors, and a re-tune. I'm not sure of the HP and torque numbers at the time, but I loved it. He later added a bigger turbo and done some things with the engine that I can't list all what he did, but he dynoed the car in 2010 and it made close to 500 HP on pump gas. He later sold the car, and he doesn't modify cars anymore due to him becoming a father of two girls in 2011. He still talks about that Neon to this day. Always has interesting stories to tell about it.
The srt4 ended up being one of the best "budget" tuner cars and would've been interesting in a small role in the movie. But yea if it was a main car everyone would downgrade the movie because it would be obvious they sold out. The partnership with Mitsubishi especially with the roles they created just made a lot more sense
LOL "gen 3 eclipse garbage" enough said.
I remember when my family all still lived in South Africa back in the early 2000`s, my brother bought a brand new Neon, a 2L R/T, they sold him on the comfort factor (in all fairness, the seats were great) and that it could compete with any other 2L on the market in South Africa at the time...I had a 1997 model 1.8L 16V Opel Kadett at the time and we constantly squabbled about who`s car was quicker, on Christmas Day on our way to the Holiday Inn at Johannesburg International Airport for Christmas lunch we ended up at a set of lights on a road with very little traffic in front of us...we raced, he lost...in fact, when he arrived at the Holiday Inn, I had already parked, exited my vehicle and had just put out the cigarette I lit when I arrived...he sold the car a few months later when he took it in for a service and they found rust all over the thing...he bought an Opel Astra and it was never spoken about again...
Chrysler's SUCK!!!!!
The SRT-4 Neon should have never been a main hero car. But it was the perfect example of budget performance that your average person could afford, and isn’t that what the whole Tuner Scene was about anyways?
Well said, they got too big too quick
I noticed a lot of people were complaining that "you told us already". I mean I was sceptical at first but actually I like this type of video. Craig gives us more details and anecdote that hasn't been mention before and I really enjoy it.
Regarding Neon SRT-4, while now it's considered a cult car with respectable performance. I can understand what Craig was saying because we had to put it into retrospective that what Craig said being that car doesn't have a street cred yet because it was brand new at that time. So I can understand Craig being reluctant to.
That's the thing with product placement, they don't necessarily gave a lasting impact. Like FCA paying Universal to used (new) Chargers since 5th movie and personally none of the Chargers has really become cultural icon.
Even the "cool" product placement such as Evo VII from 2nd movie and Evo IX from 3rd movie isn't really as known as Skyline or Veilside RX-7.
While in my opinion Brian driving Neon wouldn't be as extreme as "driving people out from theatre" (especially international audience) if it happens it's probably became a footnote or forgettable.
One more thing, given there is a news that 11th movie is getting a budget cut and reportedly "going back to its roots". It would be cool to have an open audition for background cars like the old days. Especially if people aren't informed that their cars would appear in Fast and Furious movie. I can imagine some cool builds from enthusiast, just a thought.
I just recorded a video on that very topic two hours ago. It will be released next Saturday
@@craiglieberman Glad to hear that Craig, thank you for sharing to us.
Faster than the WRX, 350Z, S2000 and Mustang GT in 2003, the SRT4 was more than a "cult following", it wiped the floor with the Japanese cars that Liebermuppet drools about.
I had a SRT 4 I loved that car. Lot of people sleep on those
Me and my cousin couldn't wait for the DVD of Fast and Furious to come out and when it finally did we would just watch it over and over analyzing everything and we also watched all the extras so I remember you Graig right away i recognized you when I seen your channel thanks for the great content and all you've done for making the two first movies of my childhood not as bad as it could have been 😂
They should of replaced Roman's eclipse spider with the srt4 that would of been a lot better. BTW wasn't the srt4 the fastest production car under 20k at the time?
Yes, and the fastest FWD car ever sold in the USA until recently with the Honda Civic Type R, albeit the R is like 45 THOUSAND dollars, more than twice the price the SRT4 was in 2005.
No, Roman should’ve been in a 3000gt in the movie that’s what I think should’ve happened
You almost saved skyline prices and made American tuners the shit!
srt-4 > that purple eclipse 🥴
That Skyline is so iconic. Can't imagine Walker in anything else...... not counting the Evo... which also suited him very well.
Neon SRT-4 > Roman’s Eclipse 🤷🏻♂️🤣
all day! romans eclipse was an L.
Yeah, should’ve been a Veilside MR2 Spyder 🤦🏽♂️
@@theninethrees8044 still slower and not as nice as the neon
I’ll take an SRT-4 over that lame Eclipse. It should have been the second car.
Maybe they could just not bother with Tyrese and make Brian work with agent Dunn. SRT4 would fit him perfectly!
No fanboy, but srt4 production was twice the supras in the US...more affordable...and pretty quick at the time...local guy had one and it would stomp most stuff but this is small town Midwest 🤷
From Craig's perspective though I could almost agree...no way to be the hero car..but if it were a main car...I could see maybe more demand and sales.
I made fun of the movies from the beginning.
The ONLY way the SRT-4 would make an appearance in ANY F&F movie is one of two ways:
1. An extra car with a few seconds to show it.
2. Driven by an annoying bad guy which will be hilariously destroyed.
I mean in Fast 10, the '91 BMW M5 e34 sedan made it into the movie no frills to be digitally wrecked. If that car was at the bottom of the list while the '90 BMW M3 e30 didn't make the cut, under what circumstances would a Neon SRT-4 make its way up the list? Apart from millions for corporate sponsorship, of course.
Brian’s Neon would fit perfectly in Fast and Furious Pepega
Mr. Lieberman, thank you for your videos. These are all hilarious blasts from the past for me. When "the movie" (as we referred to it in my local car club) came out we all had so much fun. We all knew that it was ridiculous and we loved pointing out all the flaws but we loved the exposure it created and as you said before that "the cars were the stars." Good stuff man, keep it up!
Glad you like them!
@craiglieberman forgive me for not having seen all of your videos but i am curious who your influences were and how the import scene ended up being what it was when you were growing up. This is all really cool stuff to know for me, i love finding out "where we came from," for lack of a better term. Thank you for your time!
I could see the srt4 in a more anonymous role like the black civics in the first movies, or the four chargers in the fifth. I have to agree that the vibe just wasn't right for a hero car.
This movie was almost a giant neon commerical. Not all heros wear capes. Thank you Craig 🫡
Im very surprised that Toyota Celica VII didnt play any main role in any of 10 parts of movie. It had sport looks, and wasnt expensive.
I love my neon srt4 wish they put that car somewhere in the movie even if not a main car
13:24 It actually was fast. Dodge purposely Underrated the HP ratings for unsurance purposes. It avtually put out 255-260 HP. 5.6 0-60MPH and low 13's 1/4 mile times.
15:54 All due respect, you were very wrong. Dodge sold 10x more than they expected... 25k of them. Had this car been in the movie, i bet they would've sold more.
A suggestion for a future video. Go drive one and record your reaction.
Its a shame. The SRT4 is a great car! It is essentially a FWD Evo. I say this as an Evo owner, too.
It was a budget performance car that got looked over simply because of the Neon name.
Ate they fantastically built cars? No. Can they easily be corrected? Absolutely!
I will be adding one to my collect as soon as i can. I wpuld love to take it to the track (turns, not drag strip). Very capable car with ao.e strategic modifications.
Couldn’t agree more. I love my “neon” 😂
I finally found one and now own the srt4 I saved that car now building it. Love the car
Keep in mind, this meeting took place Before the Neon SRT was released.
Nobody knew if it was going to be fast or not! They only knew that the econobox neons weren't fast or popular among tuners.
Not until the Neon SRT was released could people actually test it and find out how cool it was.
Regardless, since the OG neon didn't have that reputation, it still wouldn't have worked in the movie. The audience didn't know about the Neon SRT either, but they all knew the OG Neon.
My sister who was really into the tuner scene bought a 2005 SRT-4 new from the lot. I saw it and had a similar reaction to Craig. But as soon as I sat in the passenger seat and my she let off that clutch I was defiantly surprised. She sold it before moving out of state, but where she lives now and among her husbands car club friends. There are a couple tuner Neons in the mix. Had me thinking about what you said about how the car at the time would not get the respect or reaction intended, but in a couple years you would see them in the scene.
The SRT-4 came out in 2003 and in 2006 Mike Crawford went 7.9 @ 188mph in a DCR SRT-4. I don't think front wheel drive Honda's were even in the 7's yet
Paul’s Evo is the greatest car in the series . His driving was the most memorable in that car 🏁
I can imagine how Melissa then thought that cars were just cars, that it doesn't matter to him which car appears in the movies.
Can’t put an srt-4, but you can put that garbage Mitsubishi eclipse spyder that Tyrese drove 🤦♂️
I believe he has stated that he was against that car because he understands both that a vert is heavier and wouldn't be as utilized in racing and that gen of Eclipses in general were not as liked. But the studio insisted on it. I might be wrong but I believe that was the case.
@@jasonhurbough9105 oh ok…lol
They did it to get the Evo's
@@jasonhurbough9105 Think about how foolish that statement he is making is though: "I convinced them not to have a better car in the Neon SRT4, but they insisted on the worse car, the Eclipse" That shows that Lieberman is full of it. Don't believe this guy.
@@rooh5825neons are rubbish cars
The worst sin in that movie was dubbing Subaru flat 4 sounds over the Mitsubishis. Although not as bad as the straight 6 sound on Doms RX7 in the first movie.
SRT4 was totally cool car, but it was too brand new, and still based off a neon, but that’s what tuning is lol, it would have been a good 2nd or 3rd character car for sure tho, not the main, SRT4 in black with eyelids was a mean looking thing, sounded mean too without mufflers and just resonators
To start out you did an amazing job being an advisor for the movies. At the time, even now i am a Honda guy so I loved the first movie. My wife and I had a ‘99 Eclipse about the time the movie came out, and I also was am a Ram guy, being I did have 4 of them. So when I first saw 2 fast 2 Furious I was stoked to see the rams in there as well. Thank god you didn’t use the Neon lol. Well done!!!!
well out of all the 2 fast cars the one that did not fit at all and was terrible was the 3rd generation eclipse the SRT4 would have been tens times better than that car
He should have drove a honduh huh? Lol I've had 2 neon that's would wipe most of these cars. Know how many sti, mustangs, evos I've taken out, let alone Hondas lol for a fraction of the money
The Neon is a Jessie’s type car haha.
Brian needed something else.
Imagine if Neons were the prices of Skylines😂😂😂
Although i knew about the story already, this edit was really funny Craig. You made me laugh with the SRT4 part😂
Now this was really interesting to watch as usual Craig, loving your content!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@craigliebermanYeah dude! Bought your book last year and it was very entertaining. Learned a lot!
These things were hated on hard when they were being produced. People treated them and the owners like they were jokes. Import owners hated them because they seemed like a wanna be import. Domestic owners hated them because they were not V8s. The owners basically had no community to support them, except themselves. We used to call them Skittles because of the factory color options. And make fun of the crank rear windows by rolling up and down our power windows at the owners. They actually turned out to be pretty good cars. But yeah would have been laughed at the time if the hero drove an SRT4.
back when mitsubishi makes good cars
Thank goodness they didn't use the Neon as the hero car, It would have killed the series right then and there!
To think now that s r t neon is a very coveted and wanted car and i've heard of em eating EVOs
Hell yea bro just recently bought one and more than a couple offers in my town immediately was made to me 😅😂
Must be clapped out evos as fbo ones are over 500 whp no neon is keeping up with one of those 😂
@@lexman8678 ya very well could srt4s can very easily be pushing 500hp with a turbo fuel upgrades tune really doesn't take a lot to get them to 500hp on a red light it would be tough evos being awd launch hard and the neon would have to real it in depends on the length of the race but on a highway pull a srt4 is 1000lbs lighter it's going to eat a 500hp evo really depends on witch one is more modded a good amount of evos and srt4s aren't rolling around stock due to how easy and cheap they are to build power compared to other cars like the sti
Young craig lieberman looked like young gabriel iglesias 😂😂😂
Nice move Craig 👍🏼 it was awesome seeing Brian in the R34 when 2F2F came out. I'm sure it wouldn't have been the same reaction if he was in a Neon 🫤👍🏼
That DVD Special is how I learned who you are. Many years ago, Mt grandpa bought me that DVD bc he knew how much I loved that movie. 15 year old me watched that special many many times.
This was hard to watch as an SRT4 fan 🤣but he's absolutely right! It wasn't right for the time. I don't think people thought it was cool when it came out, it took a while. The car definitely has at least a few fanboys now adays though.
Srt4s we’re cool when they first came out, but they proved to be shit after a few years.
5:04
Both of them are gone but not forgotten.
That was a serious car, I don’t see it as his main car, but it shoulda been in the movie
I cant imagine this car spitting out blue flames from the exhaust 😂 I’m really glad Craig put a stop to the nonsense
I’m pretty sure they spit fire from the exhaust stock from the factory. They 2 1/4in piping and no resonators.
Srt4s are actually pretty cool cars, but yeah, I can't see that as a hero car.
Dude I wish I was a bug on the wall in that meeting, because it sounded intense.Sure they probably could've used the neon srt-4 as a background extra,but yeah riced out Neon as a hero car doesn't make sense.
You know what would've happened? The movie would bomb overseas and maybe had only 'relative success' in America. The Neon was never (or barely?) sold over in Europe. While the Japanese tuner type cars were. Heck, even Vipers got sold over here as a luxury sports model.
I had 2 SRT4's. Very fun to drive
I love the dodge neon and the srt4 is badass.
I love how people think it would be lame for Brian to drive an srt-4, which is actually fast, but totally fine with him driving an eclipse with the 420a engine, which was also in base neons LOL
They shoulda made an Avenger SRT that woulda been awesome, seriously
You have to love how blunt Craig is when he makes his opinion known.
I owned a 97 Neon before the 1st movie came out, some friends eventually convinced me to start working on it and join their car club. Wasn't an ideal car to fix up considering there weren't many aftermarket parts available for it, and it was a 4cyl, 4 door grocery getter. Won a bunch of trophies, made a couple magazines, and got it on ESPN2 from a show at Englishtown. Had fun doing it, but i never thought at any point that it was fast, no matter what we did to it.
Actually met Craig at a NIRA event at MIR for about 15 seconds. Was probably just being nice, but he complimented the car while showing me where to park. All that being said, i could not see a Neon as a hero car. Not even an SRT4 once they came out. A background car in a scene or 2 in a later movie? Maybe.
This is a great video Craig, I was laughing so hard when you heard it was a Neon! 😂 what an experience. Thank you for sharing.
I'm glad this guy kept prices down on the srt4 so I can buy it now for cheap!
Check the neon srt-4 lately on car gurus? They ain't cheap anymore unless it's completely trashed. Glad kept mine for 20 years 😮
@handmouth I just bought a 150k STOCK n CLEAN srt4 for 7k AT A DEALER!
It's in my profile pic.
You’re a legend dude!! 🤘🏻
Man I love the old intro. Thanks for bringing it back to life
Me at 17 in '03 watching Craig in the backseat in the Evo 8 dropping that Craig Rizz..😂😂😂
i think the srt4 would have definitely been better for roman then the eclipse spyder. but we will never know now. the srt4 did in fact become the darling of the american tuner scene.
When I was in hs (when the srt neon released) and I only ever met one dude with a modded one. We gave him so much shit haha. But I will say it sounded super badass
Thank you for giving the SRT-4 credit in the end, they turned out to be legends.
Funnily enough, I remember a Dodge Neon was featured in at least one of the NFS Underground games.
If that srt4 would have been rear wheel drive it would have done better or even AWD I do like the srt4 and the cobalt SS both cars are sweet 4 cylinder forced induction heck ya I'm on board!!
It looks like shit tho. I can't imagine Paul Walker driving it. Maybe Suki.
@@cxssetteman182 ur buggin it looks good
You were not wrong, Craig. I’ve seen some of those cars around and doesn’t even interest me one bit. 😂😂
Craig, in hindsight, you dropped the ball. Sure the srt 4 aint no skyline, nsx, rx7, supra; it is on par with cars like the focus st, mazdaspeed 3, and civic type r's. The engine has the same potential power density as any supra or rb engine.
Probably true, but at the time , this car had yet to establish its reputation.
SRT-4 is in the lowest tier of tuner cars, it’s not even comparable to a Type R but more to an Si. You can’t have the MAIN character drive a low tier car against side characters with Top tier cars just because the manufacturer is cutting the cheque. It loses all credibility and authenticity of the movie.
Having said that, as a huge Mitsubishi fan, Roman should’ve never been near that Eclipse. He would’ve been perfect with a Toyota MR2 Spyder with the Veilside kit.
@@theninethrees8044 Hold on. Did you say the SRT4 is more in the category of a SI than Type R?? Stop the slander just because you're a hater. The SRT4 is a full second faster in the 1/4 mile and 0-60 than a same generation Type R and nearly 2 seconds faster through both than the SI. A mopar dealer bolt on stage 3 kit which came with a warranty saw those numbers axed dramatically and the add ons cost next too nothing and got you around 300whp. The SRT4 only weighs 300 lbs more with 2 whole extra doors. They also handled shockingly well and the ACR model was a autocross king. The SRT4 was literally designed to take down early 2000s STIs and pound for pound it was only .2 seconds behind it.
I've owned a GSR swapped DX, a 2001 Type R (stolen 😫), 2004 stock SRT4 and a bolt on 04 SRT4 and the SRT4s were way faster and honestly, way more fun too drive but slightly less reliable (im looking at you, 3rd gear). So is it a RB car or 2JZ? No, is it a bottom tier tuner? Hell no.
@@Admiral_Potato41 It’s has a bigger motor and is forced charged over a Civic Type R. Remember the car thieves took your Honda and didn’t take your others, so maybe they know which car is better?
@@Mega-G-Star You sound smart
Dude simping calling a Playboy bunny a "supermodel" 😂
I’ve been watching your recent videos and honestly you’re one of the coolest car enthusiasts out on TH-cam! Nonstop entertainment with facts to support everything your say. Great job!
It should not have been the main car but secondary it could have been given the opportunity...since it had come out to compete with the tuners of the moment at a cheaper price...since it was the first bearer of the three most famous letters today SRT..
Craig, if you had the chance to write a script for a new car movie with the best/legendary tuner cars of all time, what would the script be and what cars would you have in it
Who knows, if the neon would've been chosen, maybe the Skyline would've been still obtainable and the neon be overpriced hahahaha
At 7:38, that is a 1999 Miata Mono Posto concept. Really cool!
People still asking a arm and leg for a srt4 drove to hell lol
Remind me when I get to meet you in person I'm going to get you to autograph a diecast Dodge Neon and see if anybody will understand the joke 😂😂😂
How I miss NIRA! Was a great time to be into tuners!
No one is saying how because of this guy played a huge impact on how the movies turned out and became so big. At least until they started drifting away from the racing and tuner cars
Whoever does your cover art is killing it. Paul is instantly recognizable and the SRT-4 is hilarious. I hope this is human talent and not some AI/CGI nonsense.
The SRT4 is not a slow car. Stock 230HP and many people get 500HP after upgraded parts. He was only thinking of the basic NEON and didn't know what was under the hood of the SRT4.
Wouldn't be nowhere as popular as the GTR is though. At all 😅 ..
@@nselsmark
If you like driving on the wrong side of the car.
@@aikidragonpiper71 I would like to for a GTR 😁
Yeah that car was insane, with some bolt ons no one was laughing that it was a neon anymore
He 100% understood what was under the hood, he didn't care because it was a neon thats the point.
I'm not religious but man thank God that didn't happen
I got smoked one time by a built SRT-4. I had a Grand-prix GXP at the time, had basic bolt ons and tuned with mag pro exhaust, nothing insane but was still a sleeper and was taken down the 2008 mustangs at the time. But I rolled with an SRT4 and got the jump on him and when that srt4 spooled what ever turbo it had, I could hear from behind me haha and it blew my freaking doors off
I totally agree neons weren't on radar then at all & ive owned 3 srt4s. Im glad you stood your ground
That’s hilarious to think about they got an rx7 a Supras and a s2000 but the give the main character a neon
I got to follow the parts trail of a poorly built and tuned Neon down I-80 to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop. We were laughing our asses off the whole way and we lost our shit seeing it again in the parking lot, Iowa State Patrol was less amused but still had a chuckle after writing plenty of tickets.
I probably never would have got my srt4 if this came to fruition. Bone stock 32k almost 20 years later
As a Neon SRT4 fan and owner this video was brutal to watch, but Craig's decision was right for the time. Despite lots of SCCA success the Neon didn't have a good rep with car enthusiasts. Ironically, the SRT-4 would turn out to be a great tuner car that helped get the Neon some respect in the tuner world. Dodge did their homework and gave enthusiasts what they wanted. Good turbo power, racing seats, manual trans, a big wing, a loud exhaust (no mufflers from factory) and a cheap price. It was the perfect recipe for success and Dodge ended up selling a lot more than they even expected too. If only Craig could have seen the future in a crystal ball. lol I wish the SRT-4 would have been used instead of the Eclipse, but I saw in the other comments the Eclipse was a package deal with the Evo :(
oh crap, I almost forgot about the purple POS!!!!! lolol!! and had the nerve to make those comments about the neon??!!! lololol!!
He's an idiot, don't forget he used a gen 3 Eclipse in this movie. He seems to want to gloss over THAT little fact. That Eclipse was bout the biggest piece of garbage imaginable.
Especially Dodge back in the early 2000s. They were nobody's they didn't have the challenger or the charger. Mostly cars in the early 2000s from Dodge were mostly stationed wagons or compact cars. The only car that they had was the Viper.