1998 Sinistra Serenade STGE 2.0L
While almost certainly not a car that ever made it onto bedroom walls as a poster, the Sinistra Serenade was an important car in the general lineup. A relatively comfortable midsize with options to go semi-luxury, or stripped back to an economy-car worthy penalty box for fuel efficiency, the Serenade ran from 1995 to 2002 with only a few visual updates along the way. (Link contains lore from an older version of the game.)
While there were many engine options, there were a few notable stand-outs. The 1998 GE and STGE trims (General Equipment and Streamlined, General Equipment respectively) both came standard with the 155 horsepower 2-liter boxer 4, with an optional 3-liter boxer 6. A lower trim (the ST 2.0, Standard Trim, or the “base model”) offered a detuned 2 liter boxer 4 set up for higher fuel efficiency. The GT 2.0TT trim packed a pair of turbochargers onto the engine, boosting the 2-liter boxer 4 engine up to 200+ horsepower, and was easily recognizable by the ram air scoops above the grille.
However, for the people looking for a cheap car on a tight budget, Sinistra offered one trim that was lower than the base model. The LC 2.0 (Low Cost) offered the 2.0L I3 as a cheaper engine option, with no SinCam (VVL+VVT on SOHC-4) technology. The LC 2.0 only lasted for the 1995 model year, and remains to this day one of the rarest engines made by Sinistra.
As an attempt to improve fuel efficiency in the tail end of the 90’s to avoid getting swept up with another gas-guzzler tax, Sinistra outfitted a large number of their cars with the aerodynamic wheel skirts on the rear axle, as well as a smooth metal belly pan covering the underside of the passenger compartment. These models all ended up with the “ST” prefix to their usual trim name. As a result, some of the 1998 Serenades, most of the 1999 Serenades, and all of the 2000 to 2002 Serenades have the wheel skirts and the undertray to combat ever tightening fleet fuel regulations. Rare examples, such as the STGT 2.0TT trim, are known to exist, though finding one with the original factory equipped wheel skirts can be almost impossible.
By the end of the Serenade’s run, however, it was just another 90’s midsize clinging to life for far too long. These once-common family cars became the teenager’s first car to drive, got handed down and sold on, passed around for a while. Except, there was always a dirty little secret about the Sinistra Boxer engines. Like all Sinistra S-Series engines (S, meaning Small, as opposed to the much larger L-Series), it shared a common bore/stroke with other Sinistra cars. An aftermarket already existed for other more interesting Sinistra cars, and the Serenade got the pick of the parts bin. With the low center of gravity caused by the boxer engine, the FWD transaxle making it easy to drive, and parts available to turn it from a sedate family sedan into a downright evil sleeper, the Serenade enjoyed a brief return to the spotlight, especially after being featured in a few tuner movies. While it was never the fastest, people who tuned them claimed them to be good ‘momentum cars,’ where as long as you kept them going, they would be fast.
This particular 1998 Serenade is equipped with the 2.0 liter Boxer 4, connected to a standard 5 speed manual transaxle. Even though it can’t physically reach 155 miles per hour under its own power when stock, there is a factory speed limiter set for that speed, which was a common annoyance for tuners. 1998 was the first model year offering metallic paints, and the “Midnight Moonlight” blue seen in this example was a one-year paint for the Serenade. Like all Sinistras from 1951 onward, it is FWD.
Specifications:
Galvanized Steel unibody with steel / aluminum panels (Partial Alu)
MacPherson Strut front suspension
Solid axle coil rear suspension
2.0 liter Aluminum block / Aluminum head Boxer-4 SOHC-4, SinCam Equipped (VVL+VVT), with EcoFire Advanced Intake (Single Variable, Multi Point EFI)
155 hp @ 6,700 RPM
130 lb-ft @ 5,700 RPM
7,100 RPM redline
Sinistra Primary Transaxle 5MT (5 speed manual, Viscous LSD, L-FWD)
9.5 seconds from 0 to 60 MPH
1/4 mile in 17.23 seconds
147 MPH top speed. (Speedometer goes to 140 MPH, so you can run it off the end of the scale, if you’ve got enough road.)