1991 Dodge Spirit RT | Retro Review
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The Dodge Spirit RT had a turbo 4 that put out almost as much power as a Mustang GT! Way ahead of its time!
Show 1021 | Original Airdate 2-16-1991
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The car I drove in highschool
Dude was knocking that shifter around like it owed him money
I wouldn't mind him knocking me around like that lol.
It was hard to watch he was so brutal with it!
You must be new to MW. They always beat the crap out of the shifter.
@@FantomLightning send him my way when he's done with you, thanks
Died laughing reading this
0-60mph in 6.4 sec was fast as hell for 1991!
hell yeaahh
Did they make a Shelby version or was that just the Charger/Omni/Shadow? These stood out too much, they should have offered a sleeper, plain model.
Not too shabby
No it wasn't
@Dennis Burger Leads one to believe Chrysler was underrating their turbo cars or, as many manufacturers did for the magazines, provide a "ringer" car that was a little bit more healthy than the actual production car...
I'm surprised John Davis didn't like the car more, I mean, did you see the dash? Voltage, and oil pressure gauges were there - as standard!
A turd is a turd don't matter how many gauges is have
@@WHO9119
@@WHO9119 But that turd was diarrhea fast!
@@ericharrison619 That car was so unreliable, back then I work for a rental company and the managers could order cars that wasn't in the fleet and I had one along with the base modles so many had transmissions issues panels falling off, I had less issue with Taurus Sho and it was quicker
@@WHO9119 you know what they say if you can't afford it Dodge it
The Dodge Demon of K-Cars.
lmaooo😂😂😂😂
the hellKatt lol
Yeah
Neon srt-4
@@BIGGIEDEVIL The Neon was not on the ridiculous K-Platform. Chrysler beat that platform to death with everything from economy cars, minivans, sports cars, and luxury cars in the 80s. The result? Nobody was fooled by it!
0 to 60 in the 6 second range for this time period is pretty amazing.
97 mph trap speed shows the immense power available. This would whoop many modern 4 door cars of its class.
Yeah my Eagle Talon Turbo did 0 to 60 about the same time. And that was a purpose built sports car. These cars were fast for their time
Yeah, that is very quick for this era, in particular for a sedan. I was a car nut as a kid and I have no memory of this version of this car, probably because it was so boring and generic looking.
This is faster than my Fiesta ST. really cool!
This would be a great car to see at radwood.
@@rodmunch69 i wouldn't want it any other way :)
i've just always been the guy in the background, Hated being in the center of attention and such. So cars like this catch my attention much quicker than the aggressive looking cars
0-60 in 6.4 seconds for a turbo 4 in a box on wheels in 1991? Impressive.
I owned a red 91 Spirit RT in high school. I was so proud of that car.
How did you afford a car like that in HS? And auto insurance for a teen on that car? What year was this? Just curious. I remember when that engine config came out, 224 Hp was pretty damn impressive out of a 4 cyl in 1991.
@@12yearssober “They were considered girl cars” never by those who had the rare opportunity to drive or ride in one. Who cares what the have nots say.
@@markbrinton6790 I worked two jobs, I didn’t play sports or party like my friends, I worked. Insurance was around $1200 every 6 months with progressive at the time. I was very much aware of what the spirit RT was, my brother’s first car was an Omni GLH which created a great awareness and desire to own one of dodge’s turbo 4’s because they were so much fun and when this was introduced I had to have it.
@@jetninjamonkey I have an R/T and a GLH love them both! great cars, way ahead of their time!
@@12yearssober haha ya. He need a man's sports car like a mx-5 or 240sx
My father purchased a 1991 Red Spirit R/T for the sole purpose of teaching my brother and I how to drive a manual transmission.
Luckily, we were both a quick study and I especially enjoyed racing a Plymouth Cuda with a 340 Six Pack one night. The guy pulled up to me late one summer night at a red light and asked me what time it was...I told him. Then I looked at him and revved my engine, he looked at me and revved his. The light turned green and I beat the guy off the line through 1st-4th gear...then he past me and pulled away when I was in 5th gear.
I’ll never forget that night back in 1991. My father got rid of the car after only two years b/c the engine belt kept squeaking and no dealer mechanics could fix it. I wonder whatever happened to that car. Damn, I miss the 90’s.
Damn you could live nicely off of coke back in the day
Wish we would have crossed paths, my mom had a 1984 Turbo Regal lol...
@Marc A We're entering the automation era. Humans become more robotic and computer-like every single day...Look at most jobs that exist. Humans do not need to even do these jobs anymore. Put a robot or computer in its place and the human will not be missed, nor will the human miss doing his/her old shitty robotic-like job.
@@robertelmo7736 Me too Robert, would have given you a run. Was your mom’s car a Regal T-Type? Unfortunately, nowadays you hardly see those cars anymore.
I used to know a guy in high school who was big into GM products, always talking trash about Mopar. One day I challenged him to a race...him in a 1987 Pontiac Sunbird Turbo and me in my parents 1991 Plymouth Voyager V6. I was in the hole shot lane at the light and beat him in my parents’s minivan! I still remember the look on his face in the review mirror. Lol.
@@mikekelly53 I remember those Sunbirds, they had a weird motor that was square I think. Bore was same as the stroke!
Yes, Mom's car was Turbo Regal...that monster ran a 9.18 in the eighth bone stock.
That's how you do a sleeper.
The Dodge Spirit RT is the greatest factory sleeper ever made. It has no equal. It looks like an econo box that would be driven by some school teacher but it was the fastest 4 door sedan available in America at the time. It was faster than cars that cost two to three times as much such as the 1991 Lexus LS400, Infinity Q45, or BMW 5 series.
Any Taurus SHO might take issue with that statement, especially the last generation with all-wheel drive and the twin turbo Ecoboost V6.
@@johnjones393 The Taurus SHO is an expensive car though and not a sleeper. Not to mention to it has taken Ford 3 decades to catch up to what Chrysler was doing in 1991.
I'd still prefer a Galant VR-4. I bought one in 2000. It was quite powerful with just a few simple and easy upgrades it broke into the 13's. This car with a set of Nokian snow tires also went through snow drifts as deep as the hood. This Spirit would never be able to do that.
@@Novusod Research the Galant VR-4. The best factory sleeper was the Lotus Carlton.
I worked at a Goodyear in early 90s and did a front end alignment on a Spirit RT that was a rental car. When I test drove it I couldn't believe how fast it was vs what I expected. I played with it for a few mins and took it back to the shop and was telling all the other guys. One other guy finally took it for a spin. When he came back he said hell yeah..
Yeah, I wondered why my Aerosmith "Pump" cassette and my four color Bic pen had been acceleration-catapulted into the back floorboard. Thanks. Thanks a lot.
The Dodge Spirit R/T was the high-performance variant of the mainstream Dodge Spirit. It was a K-car derivative built on the extended AA-platform shared with the Plymouth Acclaim and Chrysler Lebaron sedan (sold outside the USA as the Chrysler Saratoga). The R/T was sold exclusively with the 2.2L 4cyl turbo with a Lotus tuned head and came with a 5-spd manual. It was made for only the 91 and 92 model years. It was offered in white, red, or silver over a gray cloth sport interior. For 1992, they modified the gear ratios for quicker acceleration of 5.8s to 60. A very rare and incredibly fast car for its time.
The 92s switched to a VNT turbo made by Mitsubishi that spooled up much quicker and cut lag in half. Hence the better times, and torque curve. Revised gearing did help as well. That same A555 trans was offered in Daytona Shelby cars of the period, and for a change, Chrysler had a frt drive manual, that was actually hard to break!
My neighbor has a white one in his garage literally with like around 20 thousand miles on it..
@@KrGsMrNKusinagi0 what's he saving it for? Drive it and enjoy it, I say.
I have no memory of an RT of this era, certainly never saw one, not that I'd even notice since it's such an ugly and generic looking car.
3:48 John: NO AUTOMATIC IS AVAILABLE FOR THE RT. LOL
Good.
As it should be
Probably a good thing otherwise it would either have had the very old school, but dependable TorqueFlite hydraulic 3-spd automatic with a 1st gear that topped out at 50mph (yes, seriously) or the failure prone Ultradrive 4-spd automatic.
*proceeds to slam it in reverse so hard it sounds like a pistol going off*
It's very interesting to reflect on that, considering that some luxury and performance brands will soon offer ONLY automatic transmissions.
I continue to praise MotorWeek for posting these old videos! This completely brings back memories of sitting at my buds house waiting for this show to come on. This was also back in the day where I was ready the AutoTrader mags in the bathroom, then scrubbing my finger tips because of all the black ink coming off the pages. Please continue to post these vids, you'll always have an audience!
Request: I would like to see the following cars if you did have them in a show:
- early 70's Chevy Nova
- 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham
- 1986 Chevy Cavalier
- 1991 Acura Integra GS
- 1996 Nissan Altima SE
- 1999 Nissan Maxima SE
- 2001 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V
The body colored wheel accents on the Dodge Spirit R/T looks great. Plus, I like the sporty color gradient seat upholstery too.
Like Pontiac vehicles from that time period.
@@chaseman94 Pontiac did a nice job making the wheels to match the exterior of the car.
@J K I love the caramel gold colored mesh wheels on the dark green Pontiac SSE/SSEi and the Grand Prix GTP. If your Grand Prix 2door is the SE variant, it can be optioned with the aero performance package and the mesh wheels are included.
@J K My good friend from the same block had a new white Grand Prix GTP as a senior in high school. Only Martinez with his pure white GMC Typhoon and neon backlit stereo was more bad ass. That thing would squat then load up and take off like a...well...typhoon when he floored it.
That entire car looks cheap and stupid. Most cars from this era age well, in that it's been a long time since you've seen them and you tend to really like the looks now - but not this one. This looks so cheap and generic.
I wish I could go back to 1992 and buy one of these new, then bring it back to the present with me.
I love watching these old videos which I am old enough to remember. Makes me remember how far cars have come in this time. Also remind me that I am not young anymore
My buddy had one in highschool. His Grandma passed away and he got her. None of the adults realized what it was and at the time it was surprisingly fun!
His grandma got this sleeper? Interesting choice by her!
0 to 60 in 6.4 😱 and still good
haha, i drive turbo diesel and it can get to 60 in 9 sec lol
220 some hp same as the 5.0 ford????
@@ericgollahon6138 220 out of a turbo 4 is still pretty damn impressive even today
My old BMW 428i xDrive had a turbo 4, with "240" hp, and does 0-60 in about 5.1seconds, despite being heavier than this. It does have AWD, which certainly helps, but it doesn't seem like 20hp should make that huge of a difference. I'm convinced BMW vastly underrates the power to keep insurance companies in the dark. In any case, in 1991, this was really impressive. I'm shocked I don't remember these as a kid, this would be right when I started driving and I was a car nut, and I don't recall this car at all - probably because it's so ugly and generic looking I wouldn't even have stopped and bothered to read a story on it.
My best friend bought one of these brand spanking new in 1991. Took it to our local dragstrip and it went 14.2 @ 98mph. If they (MotorWeek) would have done their testing on an actual dragstrip I suspect they would have achieved similar results. I also bought a 2003 Neon SRT-4 brand new in 03 and took it to my same local track....the SRT-4 laid down a 14.0@100mph in the intense South Florida heat and humidity in August! (and that's saying something for anyone who has lived here). A buddy of mine took his '03 SRT-4 to the track in upstate NY (his was also 100% bone stock) and he ran a 13.9@101mph which (in cool weather) sounds about right. One interesting point to note: What other production 4 cylinder car (available for sale new, in the USA back in 1991) made 225hp? Closest thing I can think of is the Eagle Talon TSi (Mitsu Eclipse GSX with 190hp). In any case, 224hp was pretty darn good power for 1991....out of 4 cylinders. Go Dodge!
I prefer to visualize a world where Dodge forged two of them together for a 448hp V8.
Little sleepers these bad boys were
Before internet was really a thing. Most found out the hard way about these being sleepers. I know I did. (84 Z28 5sp I was in my teens) I saw taillights. Been in rehab ever since getting beat by "Mom's Plymouth Acclaim"😄
@@ericharrison619 😂
Had a red one for a few years. That car beat a lot of pony cars in its day. Everyone thought I had nitrous. Aluminum head had cracking problems around the steel casting plugs. Also broke a timing belt - thankfully non interference motor. Best I ran was 14.5 @ 95.
Used to love revving it up at 45-50 and dumping the clutch in second. Thing would squat and go. It loved cold nights. Had a lot of fun in that car!
Ah yes, the 80's and 90's. Car designers took a rectangle, added their own grill and emblem, then went home for the day
This would be the very last of that. After the bubbly Taurus things started getting very round, and the Chrysler LH cars influenced the "can forward" proportions that most FWD cars still carry. Boxy went to swoopy REAL fast.
They looked better than now where all the crossovers look like rain drops.
@@one7decimal2eight Yeah in a lot of ways I agree
Yeah, because it actually made sense. Unlike the fruity cuckwagons running around on the roads today. Simple, effective and relatively easy to maintain and repair. Again, unlike the over-engineered, ugly money-pits that pass for cars nowadays.
The test driver manhandled the Spirit like he had an axe to grind with Lee Iacocca.
Never realized how quick these cars were. I’d be pissed to have a z28 or 5.0 back then and get walked by one of these if you weren’t ready.
In 1991, a Z28 is faster. But if you had like an 86 Z28, then sure, you'd lose in a straight line. Of course, at the same time, what Z28 owner is even going to notice you in your ugly, generic K-car? To even get a race, the other people has to actually acknowledge you.
I remember these and the Iroc R/T like it were yesterday.. Love them, miss them. They are SO rare nowadays.
Back in college I owned a maroon '91 Spirit ES automatic with the 3.0 V6 - aesthetically decked out almost exactly like this R/T, right down to the sport-stripe seats. It was reasonably quick, loaded to the gills, horrendously unreliable, and chock-full of personality. I miss that car so much!
Personality? These cars were some of the most generic and boring looking cars on the road. At that time you just assumed someone that drove one of these was too poor to buy a Chevy.
Shamus Shifter-Wrecker is at it again.
They had such fantastic cars back then. Better days all around
One of the best 90's sedan, I owned 1993 2.5l here in Argentina, I have to sold it, because no spare part came to country
I'd like to visit your country one day! When I went to Uruguay, being a car guy, I took many pictures of cars in Uruguay, that were manufactured in Argentina, like the falcon, and the chevy truck, amongst others. I like the music of Soledad Pastoretti as well. Saludos, desde los EE. UU. de america, desde el estado de arizona.
@@carloscarpinteyro332 Dear Carlos, glad to read your message.
Here until 1980 the most of the cars were from US, then started to came from Europe. I love American cars, most Classics and muscle cars.
Soledad is the great Folckore (country music for you) musician. I send you greetings from Córdoba, Argentina.
My father passed away and left me many vehicles, and among them was a 91 spirit R/T. He always told me something simple was preventing it from running, but I never listened fully. Here’s hoping I can get her up and running, I’d love it if his spirit lived on thru the spirit 😉
Wish clean examples were easier to find. One of the greatest sleepers of its time...even taking a shot at the almighty SHO.
Back in 1991 I saw a guy driving down the road who owned one.
Oh ok
@@kt81776 don’t get the joke. Check out the group on Facebook
I'm in that group
@@y33t88 I bet you can back me up that back in 1991 I did see that guy who drove one🤷♂️
I had a 94 ES model. Far from an R/T but loved it. It was my first car, and it was my first Mopar. Since then I've been a Mopar fan. Dodge Challenger FTW!
My father had a white Spirit RT, it having replaced a black Dodge Shadow ES Turbo. The Spirit was a rocket ship back then. Was surprised to see the 0-60 was only 6.2-6.4
Unfortunately that motor was very rare. Being a Chrysler Tech back then I’ve only ever seen one of those motors! IIRC it was a collaboration with Lotus?
Looks like you are right. Also, had low production numbers. There appears to be less than 2000 R/T's built, ever.
This engine appeared in the 1993 Daytona IROC R/T. It was also in the Phantom R/T, the Mexican version of the LeBaron. But yes, anyway you look at this engine was rare.
Yes, which is amusing when you recall that Lotus was owned by GM at the time!
Correct. The head was designed by Carrol Shelby and built by Lotus and the block was a forged-piston 2.2L turbo-2 engine without a distributor hole provision. In a short two-year run, 1991-92 for the Spirit R/T, there were only 1,399 units produced in the American market (more in Mexico, but unsure of how many exactly) and from 1992-93 had 431 in the Daytona IROC R/T. I've had three of these 91 Spirit R/Ts, but like any die-hard old turbo Dodge fan, two of them have been skeletonized for parts to keep one of them going! XD
I still have the daytona r/t with this motor. It's hard to get parts for and its expensive but when I had it running good, it was fast.
About time! I've been waiting for this review. I got my 91 red r/t sitting outside my house right now.
You mean trailer.
@@rodmunch69 It's not a Camaro
Was that guy trying to rip the shifter out of the car?
I was wondering the same thing.
No shit!
Also, the leather gloves are quite the thing too!
Gotta demonstrate that it can hold up when the petal is to the floor racing mustangs.
I was thinking the same, he is yanking the shit out of it 😆 lol
This would be amazing with some minor modernized components. Like, "how did that 30 year old K car blow my doors off?!" amazing.
*”IF YOU CAN FIND A BETTER CAR, BUY IT”*
I had a flashback, my mom had a 1991 Spirit base model with the 5-speed. She had it from new up until 2000. With the 5 speed even the base model was kind of fun to drive.
Wow the manual is rare! Most had the 3spd automatic.
Loving the OJ gloves lol.
Them spirits are clean from factory ! I got a baseline sprit still on the road right now and it's still rockin like a dream
Used to drive one when I worked at a Dodge dealer. It was a blast. Couldn't hardly hold it on the road in 1st and 2nd. Was a tire frier for sure. And at 3 -3500 RPMs it was full boost on the gauge no matter where your foot had the throttle.
Back during my childhood, our neighbor's mother owned one of these and we always laughed at it. We had no idea. 😂
Lol I bet you can’t find these around anymore. Definitely a sleeper car status
3:25 Heyyyyy! We have a winner here! It has voltmeter and oil pressure gauges!
you can't go wrong with the good old Dodge Spirit.
Hot stuff back in the day.Dodge's answer to the Ford Taurus SHO
Give me the SHO any day of the week, that Yamaha V6.
@@thejake8099 Yeah I agree.Was selling Ford's when both the original and the 92' refresh were out and they would go down the road in a hurry.
That is blisteringly fast for a FWD car from the early 90's wow!
Fastest sedan for sale at the time even beating out the m5. Chrysler may make interiors that make a 70s bug feel like a rols, but holy shit do they let their hair down and do something wild from tome to time
@@eskamobob8662 For sure. The V10 Viper was perhaps the best example of that.. Not the best interior comfort, but what a wild ass ride!!!
@@eskamobob8662 The Spirits have a nice interior. Comfy seats, padded dash and door panels. Good sound dampening. Very pleasant overall.
@McVaio I have an 86 glhs. The seats are solid, but everything else is pretty junk imo
@@eskamobob8662 Yeah but that was a French car (Simca Horizon). French cars have terrible quality. No argument there.
80s and 90s MW starter pack: black driving gloves, acid wash denim, shifter you can beat the hell out of.
And a Masterful Mondo Moviestar Mullet.
We used to have a Plymouth Acclaim. Miss that car. This one resembles it.
Yeah with the V6
Had a white '91 R/T. Was fortunate to have been chosen to do TV testimonial commercials for Dodge at the time with the Spirit R/T. Took the R/T to the strip, ran a best of 14.94 @94.11. Good memories. Fast car for the time.
That's cool! How did that go down?
I think it was a overall good car. Nice to see Dodge do something out of the box in those days with that engine. Manufacturers in 2020 don't think out side the corporate mindset money box my opinion. My 1st company car was a 90s Dodge Dynasty. It was a great comfortable & reliable car. It lasted 15 years & 190k miles. Not to bad in my book.
I liked the look of the Dynasty. The boxy, traditional style with the long hood was handsome to me. What engine and transmission did your company car have? 190k miles is impressive for an American car of that time. My mother test drove a Dynasty with the standard 2.5L 4cyl and 3-spd auto. It was extremely underpowered, so she test drove the slightly smaller Plymouth Acclaim with the same powertrain and bought it. It was a fantastic car overall for the 182k miles she had it.
Not sure I agree. Theres the whole Dodge Charger line that gets you anything from 290hp to over 700 with the hellcat. Its basically the same car aside from increasing hopped up engine packages and tire/suspension/brake upgrades.
Dodge was still doing this until 2023 with the Hellcat Demon. Too bad Brandon put an end to that.
I had a 1992 Dodge Spirit ES... Loved that car... Put over 350,000 kilometers on it with no problems at all... If you look after a car, it will look after you!
The Plymouth Duster was the performance machine of my dreams as 12 year old.
YESSSSS!!!!! THANK YOU for posting this video with synched audio/video!
This is the best YT on a Saturday morning in late July 2022 - who's with me?
I'm watching this in June, 2024 and it says "1 year ago" by your name.
I had the 1992 Dodge Daytona IRIC R/T that came with the same engine. I remember thinking wow 224 HP was allot! Fast forward and I now own a 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 and it comes from the factory with 263 HP and 280 LBS FT of torque. And newer 4 cylinder hot hatches come from factory with even more power too, like the Ford Focus RS with its 350 HP! Insane,... But ultra cool. lol
Turbos can make double hp. 1.5 l turbo BMW formula engine was capable of producing 1500 hp, from blocks of BMW 2002 and that was in 81 lol.
@J K It's a special rust bucket lol.
224 dohc turbo hp in 1991, impressive!!
@@gregorizi and some goober in his garage can make a lawn mower with 3000hp. Who cares if it wasn't built and sold to the public. You remind me of those dolts who brag about show cars, when they don't even have engines in them and they're never made. If the car isn't sold, if you can't buy one, it didn't exist.
@@rodmunch69 V 2, twin turbo and than ....
I knew two people who bought these cars new. Both had problems with head gaskets at fairly low miles. One had a problem with the turbo. Typical '90s Chrysler quality control issues. But these cars were a rush when that turbo kicked in.
While I liked the Spirit R/T, I preferred this engine in the 1993 Daytona IROC R/T .
Typical EVER Chrysler lol
Head gasket issues came from people not knowing how to treat a turbo engine properly. They didn't let them heat up sufficiently before flooring these engines.
dam this car is faster than my 2013 subaru brz.. i'd love to daily.
Keep these retro dodge reviews coming!
Cummins D250 this Sunday
I bet this thing was a blast to drive back then
I was only a teenager but I remember this car driving very smooth. And was surprised how quick it was back then.
1991 Spirit R/T, 3" hole cut in front of the catalytic converter, 22" M/T slicks, manual boost controller set to 14.2 psi = 13.2s 1/4 @ 104mph, having beat all the Corvette club at the track had them wondering WTH this car was this was in 1996...ha!
Seeing something like that would want to make me put on my driving gloves too! lol
I had a white 91 Spirit R/T it ran 14.55 1/4mile @ 96mph.
I had the v6 duster 5MT version. The car was lightening on wheels and a blast to drive.
My Sundance had those same pinstripe seats. They were very comfortable. I had the SOHC 2.5 turbo, it was fast but not this fast.
same material only. totally different seat. spirit es/rt seats are flatter and wider. shadow/sundance are deep buckets that sit you low.
These things left behind a lot of smoked mullet heads in their 70’s and 80’s vintage Camaros and Fireturds
I don't care what a certain mechanic from Tennessee has to say, nobody can do badass like Dodge.
Rev up your engines!
Scotty is the best and fyi Dodge and mopar are big pieces of s**t..
The value of Spirit RT are now skyrocketing
When reviews complain about modern cars and turbo lag, I just laugh and think back to this era. You could floor it, take a nap, then HOLY CRAPP BOOST WRESTLEMANIA w/ steering wheel just keeping the car on the road. These cars felt cheap even when new, but those moments of crazy full throttle drama(especially on a cool day) were still addictive enough to put up with the rest.
late 80s early 90s srt-4 before the neon
Imagine a Taurus SHO vs Spirit R/T comparo!
Let's get this SHO on the road.
I'd think the SHO would it alive
Car and Driver did compare the two. The Spirit was fast and cheap, but had all the typical Chrysler quality problems.
the taurus Sho was slower than the Spirit RT
There is comparisons with the SHO, R/T, and the Z34 Lumina. Check Google. I believe the Z34 took last, R/T took 2nd, and the SHO took first
I've had an old beat up 94 Plymouth Acclaim with V6 and 3-speed auto, been wondering what to put in it to make it a pseudo-sleeper. This Motor Week segment is giving me inspiration!
The V6 came with the 4-speed auto.
These things were the ultimate Q-ship fast car. Nobody had any idea what they were picking a fight with until they got their doors blown off. I had one and mine was running just south of 400 hp. ( anything over that and it ejected halfshafts violently). My turbo was different so it came on faster too. My last 1/4 mile run with it was 13.2 at over 100 mph. And I hauled 2 other people there. Lent it to my friend while I was out of town and using my truck cause his car was in the shop. He raced a corvette on the highway and was ahead at 150 mph when the engine let go. It locked up the front and he rolled it when he went into the ditch sideways. He was ok ( which really was more important). The car was a complete write off and I was never able to replace it
the engine seized up?
I never knew there was an R/T version of the spirit. So much performance from a mundane car, must've been fun for the 10k miles it lasted.
Quick 0-60 time just over 6 seconds. The 911 Carerra in those days was probably 5 seconds flat. The spirit RT only comes with a standard transmission, and has mediocr braking. Featuring 60 series tires. This thing sounds like a dream.
I dont know what was more impressive that dude's hair or gloves.
Visualize his gloved hand slowly sliding back THROUGH his hair as he winks slowly at the camera. Best of all possible endings.
Wish we had color matched wheels nowadays....it is a trend that really needs to come back, have always been a fan.
All of the sudden I want a 91 spirit r/t
I am guessing this car was FWD like the base model? I would imagine torque steer was massive. A modern AWD system would have done that car wonders. Still a pretty cool car I never knew about.
My first new car was an ‘89 Acclaim LX with the Mitsubishi V6 engine. It was really a well-built and well-designed vehicle for the day! They must have all been passed down to high school kids who drove them into the ground because I haven’t seen one on the road in quite awhile!
I watched this for laughs but instead gained some respect for this Dodge along the way, it's the true grandfather to the Neon SRT-4 !
Those had great styling, still looks great haven't seen one in forever
FAKE NEWS
I like those front driver bucket seats, really cool looking.
My older bro bought one new. Fun car to car. Engine with Lotus-designed head and balance shaft was awesome. Bought him a Quaife ATB, monster traction after install.
a dude i knew in high school had one. i had the sweet 88 iroc-z with t-tops, and he use to come out and embarrass me after school as we were all leaving (in the k car…in the new yorker for christ sake). got to love mopar, don’t cha. even my girlfriend would look at me back then and say, “damn, doesn’t this thing go faster.”
Haaaaaa, this little box was kicking ass in ‘91 !
this used to be my favorite car back in the 80's. i had a poster on my wall. this used to be compared to the ford taurus sho and the gm something.
Do any of these actually still exist?
Sure, but they are extremely rare. They were rare when new. Limited production run for only 2 years.
Used them in a fleet back in the day. They had V6's though. Not a bad car for it's time.
That is one of the most finest Dodge Spirit RT ever. 224 hp and 217 pound torque what 0 to 60 and 6.4 seconds and a quarter mile of 15 seconds at 97 mph; it could be faster than the Ford Mustang with 225 hp, and worst, they can beat it in a straight line against the first gen Ford Taurus SHO. that's fast as hell for 1991 standards and an embarrassment for Ford and GM in the compact car in the early 90s. The Dodge Spirit RT should be it up there with the 2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4 numbers, but it was replaced by the Dodge Stratus in 1995 with a cab forward design. But they never made an RT version with a V6. Only in the second gen Dodge Stratus RT four-door sedan. Not sure about the horsepower, but rumor has it that did make a turbocharged Dodge Stratus RT in Mexico with a 2.4 liter turbocharged intercooled engine, but was never sold in the United States. Oh we never get the cool cars.
Yep they sure did had a 01 US model mitsu engine though.
Yeah, on a coupe.
@@ericbritton9346 Yes we had a coupe R/T model but with an auto :( there was the ripp supercharger you could install though just like in the 2nd fast and furious the eclipse had one on it.
And the four door sedans had a 2.7 liter V6 and it was trash and non-reliabe.
@@ericbritton9346 I had one that my employer leased but that engine was a big failure because it suffered from oil sludge so bad.
I had a Dodge Spirit ES--I think it had a 2.5L turbo 4 or a 3.0 V6, can't remember--but it handled well and was a good long distance cruiser.
If bet that if Dodge re-released this car with modern tech and safety and a decent engine it would sell a lot
Oil Gauge?
John: "All the information a sport minded driver would need."
So cool that a Dodge with a turbo, a manual, and power to rival a Mustang came in such a modest car
Yeah pretty funny a 4-door family sedan was smoking Mustangs and Camaros with a fraction of the displacement.
Lol nope it was about as fast as a 5.0 not faster.
I can't remember the last time I saw a dodge spirit, let alone a an R/T
I had a Lancer with the 2.2t but the automatic unfortunately. I learned to floor it while I was still turning so by the time I was straight again the turbo was ready.