@@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!
@@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
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.
@@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
@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...
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.
@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.
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.
@@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.
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
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 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.
@@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.
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!
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!
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
@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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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 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.
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"😄
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.
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 😉
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.
CSX, Omni GLHS, R/T all fun, those VR-4 Galants where AWD and a blast to drive and can get pretty nasty with minimal upgrades. Miss this era of 4 banger turbo cars, so many great ones, will say Mitsubishi/DSM probably had the best line up.
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.
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
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.
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?
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.
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 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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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
@@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.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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
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
I grew up in the early 00's seeing these K cars everywhere. Besides the occasional (and brilliant) Chrysler Vans of the era, these cars are basically extinct now, around me at least.
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!
What a little beast. It was a like a taste of what was to come with dodge in the next decades. I just absolutely love the simplicity of cars of this time. No extra weight nonsense. This thing is about as quick, or quicker than my car with 86 more horsepower and 20 years newer.
@@allenbutcher7153 It's the problem with car designs these days. They try too hard to make a car look good, while going around a myriad of safety regulations. I kind of understand old car people and why they loved cars of their era so much. We are now those old people XD
I had one of these as a rental car once.. I was pretty impressed. It was'nt an RT but the car was very well appointed and drove very well and the stereo was very good. Those velour seats were very comfortable and the car was nice enough not to be embarrassing to drive around. I would have bought one easily..
@@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary that's why you were impressed with driving a Dodge, there's a certain class of people that would be impressed with that, and those same people call others fools in an effort to make themselves feel better about being on welfare.
This was a fast car considering the stock spirit 4cyl took 13.5 seconds to go 0-60. My grandma had one and my mom had a Plymouth Acclaim, both 2.5 4cyl.
My mom had a 92 Acclaim with that 2.5L 4cyl and 3-spd automatic. It was a popular powertrain combo in that car. Incredibly slow, by today's standards, but very simple and dependable.
@@jaxandmore440 Yeah, they were simple and fairly reliable cars! My mom's needed a head gasket and had several issues, but it was a decent car, and the one my grandma had was the one I liked. It ran much smoother and would run on I believe it was Menthol fuel? That was a good car until my sister's boyfriend got it and ruined it.
@@joshpeterson7241 Yeah the head gasket failing was a common problem with the 2.5L. Happened to my Mom's as well around 160k miles. I think you meant your grandma's ran on Ethanol. Menthol is what they put in cigarettes. Some of the later Acclaim/Spirits were offered as Flex Fuel vehicles and could run on E85 fuel.
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The car I drove in highschool
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!
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
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.
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...
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.
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
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
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.
Which one of you chuckleheads has my NWA cassette?!?😎
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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!
I remember these and the Iroc R/T like it were yesterday.. Love them, miss them. They are SO rare nowadays.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
They had such fantastic cars back then. Better days all around
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 😂
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.
I wish I could go back to 1992 and buy one of these new, then bring it back to the present with me.
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 !
Shamus Shifter-Wrecker is at it again.
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 😉
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.
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.
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
CSX, Omni GLHS, R/T all fun, those VR-4 Galants where AWD and a blast to drive and can get pretty nasty with minimal upgrades.
Miss this era of 4 banger turbo cars, so many great ones, will say Mitsubishi/DSM probably had the best line up.
Loving the OJ gloves lol.
The test driver manhandled the Spirit like he had an axe to grind with Lee Iacocca.
YESSSSS!!!!! THANK YOU for posting this video with synched audio/video!
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.
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
Wish clean examples were easier to find. One of the greatest sleepers of its time...even taking a shot at the almighty SHO.
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.
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.
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
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
I had a white 91 Spirit R/T it ran 14.55 1/4mile @ 96mph.
I totally want one now
*”IF YOU CAN FIND A BETTER CAR, BUY IT”*
This would be amazing with some minor modernized components. Like, "how did that 30 year old K car blow my doors off?!" amazing.
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.
Keep these retro dodge reviews coming!
Cummins D250 this Sunday
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.
I hear those early 90's Mitsu 3.0's are pretty reliable. Even though it says Chrysler on the heads.
@@U.S.S.SOUTHSIDE8369 The Chrysler engines are more reliable than the Mitsubishi engines though.
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!
3:25 Heyyyyy! We have a winner here! It has voltmeter and oil pressure gauges!
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.
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 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 ....
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.
you can't go wrong with the good old Dodge Spirit.
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.
The Plymouth Duster was the performance machine of my dreams as 12 year old.
I was only a teenager but I remember this car driving very smooth. And was surprised how quick it was back then.
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.
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.
Back during my childhood, our neighbor's mother owned one of these and we always laughed at it. We had no idea. 😂
I had the v6 duster 5MT version. The car was lightening on wheels and a blast to drive.
Wish I'd known about these back in the Day. I would've picked one up.
The value of Spirit RT are now skyrocketing
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.
We used to have a Plymouth Acclaim. Miss that car. This one resembles it.
Yeah with the V6
I just found out about this car from a facebook post. I can’t believe I never heard about this R/T
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?
6.4 seconds to 60 and a quarter mile at 15 seconds.....Wow that is fast matching many a hot hatch today!
I grew up in the early 00's seeing these K cars everywhere. Besides the occasional (and brilliant) Chrysler Vans of the era, these cars are basically extinct now, around me at least.
What a delight! That would have been a fun car brand-new.
Lol I bet you can’t find these around anymore. Definitely a sleeper car status
I bet this thing was a blast to drive back then
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 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..
Haaaaaa, this little box was kicking ass in ‘91 !
Like the Driving Gloves 😮!
What a little beast. It was a like a taste of what was to come with dodge in the next decades. I just absolutely love the simplicity of cars of this time. No extra weight nonsense. This thing is about as quick, or quicker than my car with 86 more horsepower and 20 years newer.
Almost all of the extra weight in cars today comes from government mandated safety features, and design standards for crash-worthiness.
@@allenbutcher7153 which allows you to walk away from a frontal or side collision instead of being taken to the morgue in most vehicles of this era.
@@allenbutcher7153 It's the problem with car designs these days. They try too hard to make a car look good, while going around a myriad of safety regulations. I kind of understand old car people and why they loved cars of their era so much. We are now those old people XD
@@oldtwinsna8347 Yeah, people are too dumb to drive defensively, the car has to be able to withstand the inevitable catastrophic crash.
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.
I always felt like this car was the counter to the Ford SHO.
These were used as high way patrol cars in Mexico back in the early 1990s.
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🤷♂️
Wish we had color matched wheels nowadays....it is a trend that really needs to come back, have always been a fan.
I love the look of these
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.
I had one of these as a rental car once.. I was pretty impressed. It was'nt an RT but the car was very well appointed and drove very well and the stereo was very good. Those velour seats were very comfortable and the car was nice enough not to be embarrassing to drive around. I would have bought one easily..
No, these were very embarrassing to drive around. It would be like driving a Kia today.
@@rodmunch69 What do you mean "No"?!! I was in my twenty's and a young, good looking guy and I liked that car.. You don't get a vote on my opinion..
@@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary I already did, and it was a thumbs down.
@@rodmunch69 Nuff of your foolishness..
@@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary that's why you were impressed with driving a Dodge, there's a certain class of people that would be impressed with that, and those same people call others fools in an effort to make themselves feel better about being on welfare.
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.
dam this car is faster than my 2013 subaru brz.. i'd love to daily.
Those had great styling, still looks great haven't seen one in forever
FAKE NEWS
The One in White looks really Nice
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.
These things left behind a lot of smoked mullet heads in their 70’s and 80’s vintage Camaros and Fireturds
Seeing something like that would want to make me put on my driving gloves too! lol
This was a fast car considering the stock spirit 4cyl took 13.5 seconds to go 0-60. My grandma had one and my mom had a Plymouth Acclaim, both 2.5 4cyl.
My mom had a 92 Acclaim with that 2.5L 4cyl and 3-spd automatic. It was a popular powertrain combo in that car. Incredibly slow, by today's standards, but very simple and dependable.
@@jaxandmore440 Yeah, they were simple and fairly reliable cars! My mom's needed a head gasket and had several issues, but it was a decent car, and the one my grandma had was the one I liked. It ran much smoother and would run on I believe it was Menthol fuel? That was a good car until my sister's boyfriend got it and ruined it.
@@joshpeterson7241 Yeah the head gasket failing was a common problem with the 2.5L. Happened to my Mom's as well around 160k miles. I think you meant your grandma's ran on Ethanol. Menthol is what they put in cigarettes. Some of the later Acclaim/Spirits were offered as Flex Fuel vehicles and could run on E85 fuel.
@@jaxandmore440 I looked it up and it was methanol, not Ethanol or menthol.
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.