All brochure images are from the collection of Mark J. McCourt
Dodge had a nice range of performance-oriented, sports-themed cars in its lineup in the early 1990s. There were some 1980s holdouts like the still attractive, turbocharged-within-an-inch-of-its-life Daytona (dating back to 1984) and nippy Shadow (ditto, 1987), as well as the shockingly fleet Spirit R/T. The brand-new Stealth represented Dodge’s take on high-tech, ultra-modern performance, while the equally new, concept-turned-production Viper RT/10 was a purposefully low-tech throwback.
The Stealth R/T Turbo was the more aggressively styled fraternal twin of Mitsubishi’s 3000 GT VR-4, and it competed with notable icons like the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo and (in 1993) twin-turbocharged Mazda RX-7. The 300-hp R/T and VR-4 were tech-crazy, with standard twin turbochargers and intercoolers, all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and a computer-controlled suspension. Driven conservatively, they could reach 60 in 5 seconds and hit 155 MPH—not too shabby.
The Daytona IROC R/T was new in 1992, and would carry into 1993; this car shared the lesser Daytona’s new front and rear styling, and borrowed its 2.2-liter 16-valve, turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder from the Spirit R/T. The R/T’s “Turbo III” engine was Chrysler’s first DOHC, and it sported a Lotus-designed aluminum head and distributor-less ignition, helping it make a spicy 102 horsepower per liter.
Sadly, fewer than 350 of these ultimate-horsepower Daytonas were sold that year.
The Dodge Spirit dated back to 1989, but that conservative sedan didn’t hit its stride until the 1991 debut of the R/T, which was, upon its debut, the quickest mass-production sedan on the market (0-60 in 6.5 seconds, thanks to its exclusive five-speed manual transaxle).
Who needs Bluetooth? Get this: in 1992, you could even get a built-in, hands-free “Visorphone!”
While the model remained available in the Mexican market through 1994, this brochure represented our last chance to buy a Spirit R/T… and few people did, as fewer than 200 were sold.
There were a few “warm” Shadow variants in the late 1980s, but the Shelby-ized models were truly hot. Those had left the lineup by 1992, when the sportiest variants were the convertibles (although this writer has always wondered why the aptly named Plymouth Sundance never got a ragtop variant!), which were sold from 1991 through 1993. This car’s replacement, the Neon, never offered this much open-top shadow, er, sunshine…
The beastly Viper RT/10, which began production in 1992, would more than make up for the Neon’s lack of air, with its old-school assemble-it-yourself top and side curtains. Oh, and 400 horses, too.
Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge.
