When you drive a beater it pays to have a sense of humor about it. Being the last owner of a vehicle certainly opens up more personalization options than for those who care about petty concerns like re-sale value. The owner of this Geo Metro certainly doesn’t take his ride too seriously. Or perhaps it is a Subaru Metro if we go by the emblem on the trunk lid. I’ll go with the license plate and call it rad.
While that park bench inspired wing is pretty memorable the first thing that jumped out at me is the extended exhaust stack. Likely inspired by the massive exhaust stacks of cartoon like proportions found on some Bosozoku-style tuner vehicles in Japan. I later saw this Metro driving on a cooler afternoon and can confirm this stack is fully functional.
I wonder how the view is out the rear with that big wing and all those the stickers. I also wonder how many products represented by the stickers are actually installed on the vehicle. Likely about the same numbers as on a “tuner” vehicle that takes its self more seriously.
The side view offers us another view of those all important stickers. Black paint makes the cheap looking aftermarket hubcaps slightly less gaudy. I feel we need to take a closer inspection of that front bumper repair.
Is there any body repair that zip ties can’t do? Rather looks like stitches on a fresh cut.
A quick peek inside confirms this likely isn’t a rocket ship of a car. A 70hp 1.3L four cylinder engine isn’t going to be fast especially when hooked to an automatic transmission.
A car with this much going on has the be a theft target right? Well rest easy as it is fitted with a novel anti-theft sticker. You just have to hope your would be thief has a nut allergy I suppose.
While some folks might look down on this little Metro I applaud the owner for building it. He’s taken what would have been anonymous little beater and turned it into something that is a tongue in cheek jab at automotive society that can often take its self too seriously. It certainly brought a smile to my face.
Subaru badging aside, I believe that’s actually a Suzuki Swift. The 1989-1994 Metro wasn’t available as a sedan in the U.S.
Those are Alberta plates, so this car is in Canada. The 1st gen Metro sedan was sold in Canada. It looks to me like the blacked-out shape on the front of the hood is a Geo logo.
You mean Alberta is actually in Canada? Good gracious!
Whoops! Serves me right for not looking more closely at the plates.
Fer goodness sakes’s, trim those cable ties!
Alistair
I agree! I find it remarkable that the craftsman who drilled such neat holes in the fender and bumper then chose not to trim the zip ties after installation.
They add more downforce on the passenger side to balance out the weight of the driver. Very clever.
I needed this today, thanks!! I gotta say this is sweet. For some weird reason, I think those Bosozoku cars are so over-the-top cool. That single exhaust stack is a riot!
Needs orange flames on the front fenders.
…and a giant front air dam made out of plywood, with an external transmission cooler strapped to it.
Don’t forget the parts house Tach sticking out of the hood.
what a POS, the best anti theft device is 3 pedals but theres little chance of this being stolen if the keys were left in it, and I’d love to see that wing at speed assuming it could catch any breeze it would tear right off the boot lid.
…not at any speed this car could attain.
Now that’s my kind of car!
Slushbox or not, I secretly hope this does have the twin-cam 1.3 from the Swift GTi. That was a potent engine in such a light car.
Keep an eye out – I have a GTi coming in the next few days!
“Keep an eye out – I have a GTi coming in the next few days!”
Does that mean you are writing an article on the GTi or that you are acquiring one. I have a 1994 Swift GTi that I’ve had now for 13 years. I only have 80k miles on it but I have seen many with over 175K and still going strong. For a cheap car they were reliable and durable.
Sadly just an article. I would love to own one but decent ones are hard to find.
Have you tried TeamSwift.net? Check their classifieds.
Excellent! Looking forward to it; I’ve got some great memories of my ’89 Swift GTi.
The 1.3L DOHC engine only came in the Swift GT(I) never offered in sedans. At least not in the US.
I had a rental Metro hatchback once, one of the later generation models. Actually liked it, to the amazement of the people at Enterprise. A lot of room inside that thing. Then there was the lack of power. I felt I could floor it without being tagged for “exhibitionist driving” or even violating the speed limit. Brought me back to the days of “conservation of momentum” in my 50hp Renault Le Car. Then there was the car’s profile, with the low sloping hoodline and the high bulbous rear, it looked like a flea.
must be from the movie “Fast and Facetious “..
I gotta give the owner some credit for keeping it classy in the repair department. Body-colored zip ties are far more sophisticated then the more commonly seen duct tape.
I don’t know if it is still the case… but I remember the old yellow and black Alberta plates were amongst the thickest gauge plates in Canada since the 70s. I used to collect Canadian plates at the time, and the Alberta plate put the Ontario “Keep it Beautiful” plate to shame. You could easily flex the Ontario plates, they seemed cheap. Not the Alberta ones. Plus I think the Alberta plates were made of galvanized steel and the full painted surface was reflective. Ontario plates rusted quite easily, with non-reflective paint. The plates almost reflected the wealth of the different economies between Alberta and Ontario. The Alberta plates said quality!
Ironically Ontario was the wealthier province at the time those were made.
I’m not so sure David. I don’t know what they call it today, but everyone in Canada used to talk about the massive (and growing) Heritage Fund Alberta had under Peter Lougheed back then. Ontario was thriving, but Alberta was much better positioned for the future.
There was a ‘car club’ here in town that was comprised solely of this type of ‘whip’. Difference was that they were serious….
I love it, even if your broke and you know your car is a POS… You do your thing, make it your own and drive it proudly. Hats off to the owner, the zipties remind me of a time while in college when half of the bumper on my galant came off and was hanging so I ziptied the thing back on. It lasted as long as I owned it.
The Metro draws attention to itself with the matte paint, and wing. But you don’t want police attention, if you don’t have a safe car. The tread depth looks mighty lean in the fifth pic.