Who here likes the sort of cars that at a quick glance look like ordinary family cars but once you pop the hood you see they can go like a rocket? I know I do! Tell us about your sleepers!
Some of you no doubt have much more awesome machines than mine, but here’s what I have:
Opel Astra 2.2L, everyone thinks it’s a 1.6L and a lot of people I’ve met don’t even know you can get an Astra with a 2.2L engine. 148 horsepower still doesn’t sound all that much but for a small cheap european car from 2001 you expect something like 90 hp and a 0-100 time of maybe 12 instead of 8.8 seconds.
And the Volvo 850 T5 I just bought. It’s a boxy black estate. You could easily imagine a taxi sign on the roof (until you hear the engine). To an outsider it looks like it probably has between 100 and 140 horsepower. When we were moving it to my cousin’s carage we had to drive really slowly due to a busted CV joint and all the angry drivers behind us probably thought “what’s this piece of junk” but once that joint is changed it can put all of its 230 horsepower to use. Pictures to follow when I get the chance.
Do any of you have a REAL monster? An ugly rust bucket or a cute soccer mom’s car with like 700 horsepower? Tell me, I love that kind of stuff!
I once made the mistake of mistaking a 2.2l astra for a 1.6… When I drove it. Got on the freeway and put the boot into it and hello, that was faster than I expected!
Looks like just another harmless Toyota 5-door hatchback, but it was sold with an optional 3.5L V6 that put out over 200kW through the front wheels via paddle-shift 6-speed transmission… but only in Japan.
Looks like just another harmless Toyota 5-door hatchback, but it was sold with an optional 3.5L V6 that put out over 200kW through the front wheels via paddle-shift 6-speed transmission… but only in Japan.[/quote]
They’re quite common here. I like the idea of them a lot, but I hear they “Handle like a greyhound trying to run on a polished floor”
New Zealand is some sort of anomaly as far as Japanese car brands are concerned due to the sheer proportion of Japanese imports in the country; you can get parts for most JDM models through dealers quite easily despite many never having been sold in New Zealand.
We even get the 86RC, which is sold only in Japan… and here.
May as well be a province of Japan as far as rare JDM models are concerned.
[quote=“accent”]Who here likes the sort of cars that at a quick glance look like ordinary family cars but once you pop the hood you see they can go like a rocket? I know I do! Tell us about your sleepers!
Some of you no doubt have much more awesome machines than mine, but here’s what I have:
Opel Astra 2.2L, everyone thinks it’s a 1.6L and a lot of people I’ve met don’t even know you can get an Astra with a 2.2L engine. 148 horsepower still doesn’t sound all that much but for a small cheap european car from 2001 you expect something like 90 hp and a 0-100 time of maybe 12 instead of 8.8 seconds.[/quote]
148Hp is actually very decent to good for such a type of car. Indeed most cars of the cheaper sedan class come with something around 110-120 Hp nowadays, and there are many hatchbacks with very eco friendly engines of around 80-90Hp.
However, I was wondering: did you remove the front badge of the car? Never understand why people do that. Personally, I find a grill without a badge quite ugly, but that is my opinion of course.
[quote=“Tycondero”]
However, I was wondering: did you remove the front badge of the car? Never understand why people do that. Personally, I find a grill without a badge quite ugly, but that is my opinion of course.[/quote]
Previous owner did that. I don’t generally like it either, but I think sometimes it’s ok. On this one I think it’s not too bad.
I have been extremely tempted to import one of these, both before I got the Prius and even still now. We also have an Auris, which is the same car albeit a 1.6. The V6 is about 60kg heavier than this engine, but the Auris here did come with the 2.2 diesel as well, which is a fairly beefy unit. it doesn’t drive too badly in diesel trim, so I imagine it’s probably not toooo bad.
Also, we just don’t get cars like that here. It would be a great sleeper here.
Wow… I’d never heard of the blade, does the TRD supercharger fit in that engine bay? I know you guys got the superchargered 3.5 aurion down there, I love the idea of a 300+HP camry.
My Volvo 850 T5 has been a long project to get to a usable state (because I’m an unemployed rat who doesn’t own equipment nor the skills to do these things properly and have to rely on my awesome cousin with it), but today I finally got to properly drive it myself. Though I got a bit too large wheels for it, it seems. 225/50 17’’ and they hit the wheel well when turning sharply or driving over any bumps. Otherwise now it works fine. My first turbo car so it’s probably a good thing it’s front wheel drive, so I don’t kill myself with it. Pretty damn sharp torque curve too.
I almost picked up a 850 t5-R a few years back, that thing was a speeding ticket waiting to happen but god it was fun. If I didn’t commute 60 miles a day I would have jumped at it, even if it needed some TLC. But premium gas, 25 mpg, and a hefty price tag for repairs killed that dream.
My dad wanted to test drive the T5. He was driving in a normal middle-aged man’s way and commented that “this doesn’t seem to have THAT much power” Of course fifth gear at 80 km/h on that thing will feel like an ordinary car. So I told him to stop, put it in first and then accelerate using all the rev range properly. The smile on my dad’s face was quite wide when the huffing and puffing started under the hood. Clearly he, too, had no prior first hand experience with turbos (other than turbo diesel vans)
Of course fifth gear at 80 km/h on that thing will feel like an ordinary car. So I told him to stop, put it in first and then accelerate using all the rev range properly. The smile on my dad’s face was quite wide when the huffing and puffing started under the hood. Clearly he, too, had no prior first hand experience with turbos (other than turbo diesel vans) 
