I hate to say it but I love these cars. They're ugly as hell and really quirky. They're pretty much the last of the front-engine, rear drive small cars that made it to America. They've got a huge following in the drift community. There are some guys autocrossing and doing SCCA or NASA racing with them too. Since I'm looking to do motorsports stuff with it, it is a good candidate.
Don't think that I dislike the car because I think it is ugly. I LOVE ugly cars. This thing is really ugly in my eyes and I think that's a good thing. It is just damn cool.
The other appeal to it is that the car is very light. In stock form, it weighs in at about 2100 pounds. Strip out the interior and put in some racing seats and these things can weigh as little as 1800 pounds. If I really go crazy and replace the dash with fiberglass, it can get even less weight. Use a light weight battery and add a good roll cage and you've still got a track-ready car that is between 1700 and 1800 pounds.
The motor on these were pretty cool too. It is a high compression, 16 valve motor that revs really high. With minimal mods, they can get up around 150hp at the wheels with 110 lb/ft torque. While that doesn't sound like much compared to the Corrado or GTI, just keep in mind that it is about 1000 pounds lighter than the Corrado and 1400 pounds lighter than the GTI.
The rear suspension is pretty simple. It isn't a fancy multi-link system. It is an old style, live axle with trailing arms. Even with the simple rear end, they still handle pretty well.
I'm seriously tempted by this car. They're getting rare, but you can still find decent examples for between $2000 and 4000.
The one in this auction isn't really to my taste. It is the hatchback that I LOVE, but I really don't like the wing very much. I'd prefer to have one with few or no mods so I could do the work myself. That motor looks like it has been seriously worked, and I like that the guy did the full polyurithane bushing kit. Very cool.
HERE is the listing on Ebay for this car.
Love,
Pete
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