Hatch Heaven

The totally redesigned 1989 Dodge Colt GT Turbo was named by Car & Driver magazine as one of the top 10 best cars of the year. Performance enhancements included a turbocharged 16-valve< DOHC 1.6 liter engine, power rack and pinion steering, power 4-wheel disc brakes, taut sports suspension, performance radials, a super slippery new profile and more spunk than a lot of high ticket turbos. Enhancements were also made inside. The Colt GT ample elbow room, comfortable sports bucket seats, a telescopic tilt steering wheel, an ergonomically advanced interior, and impressive dash graphics and instrumentation. It came with a 3-year Bumper-to-Bumper warranty.

The 1980 Dodge Colt Custom is practically identical to the Plymouth Champ (other than a handful of badges and a few details) It is the perfect example of badge engineering, and in fact, I’ve used the same text as the Champ post (as they did in the original manufacturer advertising – it was basically a “Hatchback Package” that included Rallye suspension components that put handling toughness into this economical performer. There is simply nothing else to say.

The 102 HP 1984 Dodge Colt Turbo was imported for Dodge and Plymouth by Mitsubishi and with its 1.6 liter, turbocharged, electronically controlled injected 4 cylinder engine, went from 0 to 50 in 5.78 seconds rolling on Michelin XVS 165/70 HR 13’s, with non-linear high-control springs, solid front and rear stabilizer bars (.79″ upfront and .57″ in the back), heavy duty transmission and clutch and front gas-filled shocks. Front air dam, rear spoiler, tachometer, halogen headlamps and a sport braking system were all standard. A few other details include a Turbo Boost of 7.5 lbs, psi, the 102 bhp was reached at 5500 rpm, its power to weight ratio was 19.77 lbs per hp, Torque of 122 lbs-ft @ 3,000 rpm and 4×2 Twin Stick transmission.

1984 was the first year for the Carroll Shelby-modified Dodge Omni GLH five-door hatchback and was the ultimate Omni. The original name, “Coyote”, was rejected, and Shelby’s choice, the initials GLH, which stood for “Goes Like Hell”, were taken instead. (image source: John Lloyd text source: Wikipedia)

The 1988 front-wheel drive Dodge Omni (introduced in 1978) is almost a poster child car for the 1980s, complete with velour seats and steel wheels. It was similar to the Plymouth Horizon and was one of the cars that brought Chrysler back to profitability. Its 2.2 liter four cylinder engine developed 94 HP. (image source: Donoho Auto)

The 1986 Dodge Colt hatchback had an MSRP of $5431 and achieved 41 MPG on the highway and 36 MPG in the city. The Colt was imported for Dodge and Plymouth and was built by Mitsubishi in Japan.

1988 Dodge Colt GT Turbo had a turbocharged 16-valve, DOHC 1.6 liter powerplant, power rack and pinion steering, power 4-wheel disc brakes, taut sports suspension, performance radials, a super slippery profile and a lot of spunk. Inside the Colt GT Turbo had ample elbow room, comfortable sport buckets, a telescoping tilt steering wheel, an ergonomically advanced interior and impressive dash graphics and instrumentation.

The 1983 front wheel drive Dodge Colt GTS offered 35MPG city and 45MPG highway and was imported for Dodge (and Plymouth). With matte black accents all around, rakish spoiler, side glass louvers, wide tires, GTS badges and racing stripes, this Colt looked the part of the fun machine that it was. Under the hood its engine had an extra air intake valve in each cylinder teamed up with Colt’s exclusive Twin-Stick power train which gave you a bit more power in every gear.