After feasting on that corn-fed beast of a Mark IV, some of us might be feeling a bit of indigestion. How about a little dose of the pink stuff, specifically this Chevy Sprint, as an antidote? The Sprint (AKA Suzuki Cultus/Forsa, Pontiac Firefly and Holden Barina outside the U.S.) was quite the pioneering little car, the first three-cylinder supermini to be sold in the Land of Lincoln.
Its 993 cc three-pot made all of 48 hp, but with a weight of 1,488 lbs, the Sprint wasn’t named all that ironically. Its 0-60 time of 14.5 seconds was only two seconds slower than that of the Mark IV, which had 7.5 times the displacement. Different strokes…
Obviously, fuel mileage was on a different order of magnitude: the ’85 Sprint was rated at 39/47 mpg in today’s EPA numbers. Back when EPA ratings were wildly optimistic, Sprint ads claimed 47/53 mpg.
This particular Sprint (and there are several around still) called out to me with its pink theme. Even the ubiquitous OREGON sticker is pink–never seen that before. And it’s a MOM, too boot.
Someone’s mom really likes pink. I think the exterior actually is just well-faded red, at least judging by the paint on the door interior. And with what will mom replace it when the time comes? Which it surely will, no matter how rugged these little Suzukis may be. A pink Fiat 500, perhaps?
That would be as or more roomy than the Ford barge and a hell of a lot further on a buck.
I’m not so sure about the earlier estimate to be that overly optimistic in the real world, with the condition that most places had pure unadulterated gasoline and the lower speed limit on hwys at the time. I knew a number of people who achieved in the low 50’s on pure hwy trips and got around 50 in mixed driving.
The dirty little secret some people wouldn’t want you to know about is that at the time the various permutations of that little 3 holer managed a very high specific output for a naturally aspirated engine available in the US at the time. 48 hp/L compared to a 5.0 Mustang putting out ~43hp/L or Corvette’s 40 hp/L, not too shabby and it was a very durable engine too. It’s compact all aluminum construction also likely gave it one of the best HP per lb of engine too.
Never drove one but SIL did. I know that my trailer and 77 Impala could sure tote one at highway speed. He kept breaking his throttle or clutch I can’t remember which now. I think both were cables. He would get stranded. I would pick him up. He would fix it and then in a while we would repeat.
I think he could have re-engineered that and done away with the problem. Get a bigger hammer.
My grandfather had one of these briefly as his last car, replacing a Renault 12. They were pretty popular in Colombia when they were introduced there.
After feasting on that corn-fed beast of a Mark IV, some of us might be feeling a bit of indigestion…Like Syke.
A friend had one of these. He showed me how he could steer with his knees and roll a joint at the same time while putting down the highway. Fun little car.
There’s still a few of these cars up here in the Seattle area, too. They all seem to be either red or blue, with faded paint. Always with the badly faded paint! Econoboxes don’t always get the love and attention that they deserve. No garage to sleep in, no regular washing and waxing. A dog’s life!
An acquaintance of mine sold cars at one point, and he had this to say about three-cylinder Sprints and Geo Metros: “They’re okay…just make sure that one of the three pedals is pressed completely to the floor at all times!”
Always got a chuckle out of that.
+1!
Parts for the critters sold well back in the late 1980s.
Seems like many of the folks driving them were younger gals… later teens up to the 20s.
This history brought to thee by and Old Coot growing older as the universe expands.
Wasn’t the best selling car in India still basically this car? Only with slightly updated styling…
The Maruti? Probably similar mechanicals.
I remember the red-faded-to-pink early Datsuns, Toyotas, and Chevrolet Sprints of the 1970’s and 1980’s. My red ’72 Celica had started in that direction when I sold it. Ford used to use that same red paint on pickups in the 1950’s and before – I always seemed to see old pinkish-looking faded Ford pickups, and actually owned a 1950 in that color.
One of my closest friends had one of these, bought new in ’86. We managed to survive a road trip in it from Boston to Fort Lauderdale back in ’91 to visit my parents, with a side trip to Key West. Slow and noisy, but really good gas mileage. She recently got a Honda Fit, so small still works for her.
A Fit is gigantic compared to this car. They were really tiny.
I would love to find a Turbo Sprint for a toy (or a Swift GTI).
Penalty box? For sure. Street legal Go Cart? Heck yes!
Interesting feature, the little black square in the center of the hood is the secondary latch, its a little button to open the hood.
I think the Daihatsu Charade was the first modern 3-cylinder, and it sold very well in Europe. These days everybody’s doing it, even fomoco, but back then it was WTF!
I’ve always loved little cars and these early Sprints were really good cars for the money. My sister got a new one in 1985 for the advertised $5985 and it didn’t even have a radio.
This car was made in Japan by Suzuki and it was as tough as nails. Rough, crude, noisy and gutless, yes. Cheap to run, well engineered and reliable were the really good points of these cars. I can remember seeing 50 mpg (Imperial) on my sister’s car.
Her car was the ultimate hippy/granola wagon for years and I think it finally gave up the ghost at like 21 years. Sheer exhaustion.
All the Suzuki cars sold by GM were really popular in Canada. The later ones, after I think 1987, were made at the CAMI plant in Ontario, and this cheaper to buy when the Canuistano Peso was weak. There were loads of them around, the five door being the most common on of the later cars. Imagine a Sprint five door, one litre automatic! Most had the 1.3 litre four banger.
Great cars and it is a shame simple little cars really don’t exist on the market anymore.
I’m willing to bet that the new Chevy Spark is about the same size as this old Sprint. People complain that some new cars’ sizes more common overseas are too small, as if ‘America has never seen any before’.
It was my first car. I bought for $250, 1992 and sold it back to the original owner in 1996 for $750. Good little investment. Make it go over 70 mph and the air would lift it off the road. Awww.. someone needs to replicate it.