Your ultimate sleeper?

[eljefino]

The issue with a RWD car with room for a V8 is the room for traditional hot rodding. IMO it already has sporty potential.

A real sleeper would need more fabrication (engine mounts, custom turbos etc) than writing a check to summit racing. Go cruising in a nicely painted six cylinder Lemans and everyone will assume you have a 500hp GTO.

So the turbo dodges from the 80s are among the best sleepers, still new enough they're assumed to be old beaters, and with enough slow cousins to lower an onlooker's average expectation of speed.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: swalve
I too always thought a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis with some hot Mustang powertrain would be an awesome vehicle.


It was called the Mercury Marauder.

 

[VK56VD]

My old 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE family sedan with a factory 5-speed manual. Off the line it had traction problems being a FWD but once it got going, it was fairly quicker than most cars on the road that weren't dedicated sports cars. I believe it did 0-60 mph in 5.9 & the quarter in 14.4 @ 100mph
I believe C&D called it the fastest FWD sedan under $40k.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: opus1
I may be biased, but I'd say my Cobalt SS. Since it's a sedan and has a very low-profile spoiler on the back, it really doesn't scream its capabilities to anyone.

As the kid riding my behind in ricer found out one day. I was coming up an on-ramp and he was riding my tail like there was no tomorrow. Once the ramp straightened out and I saw that there was no traffic, I punched it and was over the Indiana-Illinois border before he was even off of the ramp.


Even a new turbo SS coupe sans the wingie.

I would take one, make it IRS/AWD with a sweet Quaife, or X-Trac sequential gearbox/AWD system, lighten it as much as possible, build the bottom end and add bigger turbo/intercooler, and tune up to 500+ AWHP.
Then I would go out Nippon "rally car" (STI, Evo) hunting!

 

[jazeo]

I guess a sleeper means different things to different people, however to me any car that wasn't available with a hi-po package like the link below. It can be done with any car from any year and should have as many go fast goodies hidden from view as possible. The one below as a rat motor, but it could have easily been done with a poncho engine with similar results ....


http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0711_1963_pontiac_tempest_lemans/index.html

 

[Scott_Tucker]

I've always wanted to take a 70's Buick or something else large. I would smash in into a dumpster and then make molds of the dents and make fiberglass body panels from the molds (or other suitable material) to lighten the car as much as possible. I'd take an old air conditioning compressor and make something so via a switch I could make it sound like it had rod knock. Also oil injectors into the exhaust would be good to make it look like it was smoking. Then I would take a 455 and bore it and stroke it to make it have as much displacement as possible. I think 800 horsepower would be realistic. I would use the tricks for 'weathering' I learned when I built model railroads as a kid and make the fiberglass look as rusty and beat up as possible. Then I'd take it to the drag strip and run 10's and blow everyone away with my POS Buick.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: jazeo
I guess a sleeper means different things to different people, however to me any car that wasn't available with a hi-po package like the link below. It can be done with any car from any year and should have as many go fast goodies hidden from view as possible. The one below as a rat motor, but it could have easily been done with a poncho engine with similar results ....


http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0711_1963_pontiac_tempest_lemans/index.html


That was cool, I remember reading about that monster.

I really had a connection to that model since my mom had a ragtop (red with a black top) version of it in '63, albeit with the anemic Iron Duke I4, and an auto gearbox.

 

[super20dan]

my sleeper is my 81 cressida station wagon but my brother has a real monster 2003 infinity m35

 

[Virtuoso]

Either of my old Taurus SHO's.. especially the five-speed.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
How about the '89 turbo minivan? Here's a link: Turbovan


that is funny as [censored]!!

 

[L_Sludger]

A stock-appearing Lexus LS400 with forced induction under the hood.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss
My old 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE family sedan with a factory 5-speed manual. Off the line it had traction problems being a FWD but once it got going, it was fairly quicker than most cars on the road that weren't dedicated sports cars. I believe it did 0-60 mph in 5.9 & the quarter in 14.4 @ 100mph
I believe C&D called it the fastest FWD sedan under $40k.


My mom's 2010 Altima V6 is pretty darn fast as well. It's definitely a sleeper and most people are surprised as to how fast it is.

 

[Drew2000]

1970 Ford Torino woody wagon with 429SCJ Drag Pack option.

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
My old 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE family sedan with a factory 5-speed manual. Off the line it had traction problems being a FWD but once it got going, it was fairly quicker than most cars on the road that weren't dedicated sports cars. I believe it did 0-60 mph in 5.9 & the quarter in 14.4 @ 100mph
I believe C&D called it the fastest FWD sedan under $40k.


My mom's 2010 Altima V6 is pretty darn fast as well. It's definitely a sleeper and most people are surprised as to how fast it is.


Mine was still faster

~

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
My old 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE family sedan with a factory 5-speed manual. Off the line it had traction problems being a FWD but once it got going, it was fairly quicker than most cars on the road that weren't dedicated sports cars. I believe it did 0-60 mph in 5.9 & the quarter in 14.4 @ 100mph
I believe C&D called it the fastest FWD sedan under $40k.


My mom's 2010 Altima V6 is pretty darn fast as well. It's definitely a sleeper and most people are surprised as to how fast it is.


Mine was still faster

~

Yeah, but yours ate front tires if you weren't careful. Mine won't.

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
My old 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE family sedan with a factory 5-speed manual. Off the line it had traction problems being a FWD but once it got going, it was fairly quicker than most cars on the road that weren't dedicated sports cars. I believe it did 0-60 mph in 5.9 & the quarter in 14.4 @ 100mph
I believe C&D called it the fastest FWD sedan under $40k.


My mom's 2010 Altima V6 is pretty darn fast as well. It's definitely a sleeper and most people are surprised as to how fast it is.


Mine was still faster

~

Yeah, but yours ate front tires if you weren't careful. Mine won't.


Mike,

I sold the car with 42.5k miles on it with all four original tires. Lets see how long yours last.

 

[rjundi]

Owning a sleeper (wife's Legacy turbo wagon with 5 speed manual) I really could care less about owning one. It has decent performance (0-60 5.2 sec) with clutch drop but still is a station wagon. She bought because she wanted a manual transmission station wagon and thought the non-turbo Legacy was underpowered.

An Audi A5 or BMW coupe even if it had less power is more appealing to me.

 

[deeter16317]

Originally Posted By: hardcore302
What would your ultimate sleeper car be?
The rules are: Your engine has to be from the same manufacturer as the car. Anything else can come from another manufacturer..

I would have an old Crown Vic LTD (think: Men in Black) with a 03/04 Cobra motor (w/ Kenne Bell s/c), Ford 9 inch, and a Viper spec 6 speed Tremec. Stock suspension and Walker Quietflows.. lol.

Your turn!



Subaru Forestor XT (the "T" indicates turbocharged)...nobody ever expects a small SUV-ish car to walk away from them like that thing does. Even in stock form they are pretty fun...

The only thing that makes them stand out from another Forestor is the "XT" badge on the gate and the functional scoop on the hood...but nobody pays attention to either one since subaru used them as accent pieces on the majority of their cars.

 

[Dualie]

take a ford escape shell, gut the little PIG, from the drivers seat back, cage it stuff a new cyote motor in it and a 5spd and a solid rear axle with four link rear suspension. Or a mustang cobra IRS to keep the semi stock look.

Muffle the [censored] out of it so its quiet and just sandbag everywhere till i got a big fish on the hook and stand on it.

It would be top heavy as [censored] but if you could get it pointed strait it would be a demon.

Maybe even paint it sea foam green and get hybrid badges for it.

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
When my HHR has been used up as a daily driver, I dream of shoe horning a SBC into it and converting it to RWD somehow. An impossibility I'm sure. But it would make a neat sleeper.


It has been done.
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f39/56-500-hhr-ls6-sale-87242/
At any rate I have owned a couple of 12 second Turbo Dodges. they make for awesome sleepers. Right now my Regal GS ticks off 13.90's, that suprises alot of folks.