(first posted 2/5/2014) The Fiat 500 Abarth and the MINI Cooper S have brought some welcome relief for those long pining for a little pocket rocket. It had been a pretty long wait since there was something comparable on the market. The last time around, it was from Japan, even if it did have a bowtie on the hood.
In the early 80s, GM was scrambling to meet the demand for a super-efficient car small car. The solution was found in Japan, with GM’s partly-owned Suzuki. Their newly developed SA310/Cultus—renamed the Swift in its second generation—was tapped to be GM’s high mileage/CAFE queen. In the summer 1984, the little hatch found its way to the US, slotted in below the Chevette (and with substantially higher mileage). In its second generation here, the Sprint also rated a name change, to Geo Metro (CC here). And rightfully, I would be showing you one of the normally-aspirated Sprints in my collection (there’s quite a few of these around here still). But then, I came across this rather rare Turbo Sprint. Can you blame me? Who could resist this ultimate of pocket-rockets?
With its well-marked mail-slot air intake, its body kit and aero-style wheel covers, I spotted the Turbo Sprint from quite a ways off. Strictly speaking, the turbo version of the Sprint was not the initial and primary mileage standard bearer. That would have been the basic Sprint, which carried an 36/43 EPA (adjusted) sticker, or the ER version, with a 44/51 rating. That was 58 mpg, under the old EPA formula, if I remember correctly.
Available only in 1987 and 1988 in the US, the Turbo Sprint added fuel injection, a turbo and, and as was so prominently announced, an intercooler. All those goodies added up to 73 horsepower from the little 993 cc three-pot pressure cooker. Given that the Sprint weighed about 1600 pounds, the power-to-weight ratio was decidedly in the fun zone. If anyone cares, dragtimes.com has a listing for a stock ’87 Turbo Sprint for the quarter mile: 16.170 @ 87.00 MPH. Not bad for a car that can top 40 mpg.
Drag racing was not exactly the Turbo Sprint’s calling in life. But it was about the cheapest way to have genuine fun in 1987. And without the reliability hassles of similar cars, like the original Mini Cooper. The Sprint, including the Turbo, was/is a reliable and tough little piece of work. This one has been in its current owner’s hands for fourteen years, has 144k miles on the clock, and shows no signs of slowing down.
The Sprint was quite a little bombshell when it arrived in the summer of 1984. It was the smallest car sold here for some time, undercutting even the first generation Civic by a hair. And it was the first car to be sold here with a three-cylinder engine since the Saab two stroke. I remember a business associate in LA who drove a W126 Mercedes 500SEL, but bought one of the first Sprints (to supplant, not replace the big Benz) because…well, it’s not easy to say exactly anymore; why did he do that? It was new and cool, and the second energy crisis was still a very recent memory.
Just like the Civic, an extended wheelbase four-door Sprint appeared a few years later. This blue example that I shot in a Park and Ride lot is in shockingly pristine condition, and has the aura of a one-owner car. Someone else loves their Sprint, still. These four-doors really were remarkably roomy considering their tiny exteriors. They were the polar opposite of what had been Detroit’s approach to small cars in the seventies, like the Vega and Pinto. Their emphasis on cuteness and stylishness gave them pathetically cramped interiors, given their exterior dimensions. Getting into the back seat of a four door Sprint is like climbing into a limo compared to a Pinto.
The Sprint is the closest thing we ever got to a genuine Japanese kei-car, with the exception of the Honda N600 and Subaru 360. The little Suzuki is a class larger than a kei, especially in width and engine capacity. But the Turbo Sprint also follows the kei-tradition of turbocharging the little buggers. Like everything else, our cars have gotten bigger, (generally) better and safer. Although the Fiat 500 is almost exactly the same length as the Sprint, it’s taller and weighs 600 lbs more. Not bad, all things considered, although I suspect the Sprint’s rear seat is bigger.
Just for good measure, let me add that the owner of this little red scooter is a middle-aged woman, who loves it and the attention it garners. And I suspect she’ll pick up a red Abarth when it comes time to give this one up. But even a red Abarth won’t likely be quite the conversation starter as her Turbo Sprint. After all, I knocked on her front door to ask her about it.
Having owned a ’95 Metro (every option except the automatic) and driven a ex-co-worker’s ’87 Sprint Turbo, the rebadged Suzuki’s were really wonderful and underrated cars. They were prime examples of what Internet car-site bloggers consider the supposedly oft-desired “simple and honest cheap car”.
Of course, once the car comes out, then its immediately slammed for being a “cheap penalty box” by self-same bloggers. Showing that they truly want all the extras. They just don’t want to pay for them.
Definitely one of Chevrolet’s smarter moves. Now, I wish you could get a current Spark equipped with the same kind of drivetrain.
You can, in CA/OR: Spark EV. 400 lb ft torque, 0-60 7.5 sec. GM’s first pure EV since “Who Killed the Electric Car”.
I assume they’re handing over titles this time, no more of the lease-only nonsense?
This era’s styling is so purposeful. There was a time when cars were roomy, had great visibility and remained on the road for hundreds of thousands of miles. When I see today’s swoopy tall sub-compacts, they may look sporty, but they don’t look like a vehicle you buy to shuttle around town.
I stayed away from the three-cylinder cars made by Suzuki and sold as Chevrolets. At that time, I had been burned so badly by other Chevrolet vehicles such as the Cavalier, Citation, Celebrity and Suburban – I had absolutely no faith in what they would bring over from Asia with only three-cylinders in it. I believed that if GM couldn’t build a car in America, it probably couldn’t figure out how to import either. And don’t get me started about Daewoo, which proved my point repeatedly.
Except that those failed Daewoo’s were done as an independent company. And GM’s takeover was instrumental in dragging them up to competency. Yes, I know about the Aveo – the Internet’s favorite whipping boy. Have you ever driven one? I have. They’re completely unexciting, and are outclassed by most of the competition, but are quiet, competent cars. Perfect transportation for people who don’t care about cars and just want something cheap and tiny. Especially cheap.
Try driving a Spark or Sonic. Oh yeah, they aren’t Daewoo’s. They’re Chevrolet’s.
I’ve always felt that the insistence of using “Daewoo” at this late date is indicative of someone who has such a bone against Chevrolet for past sins that they unable or unwilling to give them any kind of credit no matter how good current or recent product has been.
C’mon. Even Radio Shack is trying to forget the 80’s.
So – how is Daewoo’s stock doing?
I don’t think Daewoo has any stock anymore, last time I checked GM bought all of it, it was GM-Daewoo for a while, last name change just made it GM Korea, eliminating the Daewoo nameplate.
I had an Aveo, Syke, and the car was total piece of crap. There is ZERO quality control on that thing and the GM dealer didn’t give a damn about fixing it. I gave GM a chance and they blew it.
Never again GM for me.
My feelings on GM as well.
The fun thing is that the Aveo was also sold as a Suzuki in Canada. I think it was sold as the Swift+. ?
Suzuki Swift are badged Chevrolet Cruz for JDM sales
The Suzukis were sold in Hawaii and Guam a year before coming to the Mainland U.S. as the Chevy Sprint beginning in ’83; the were badged “SA 310” and were quite popular (sold through Servco Pacific in the Aloha State and Atkins-Kroll in Guam). They had different colors from the U.S. spec Chevy Sprint and a plaid cloth pattern insert in the seats.
Suzukis of this model were also sold in Puerto Rico before mainland USA. They were sold here as Suzukis, Chevrolets, and Pontiacs. We also got the Suzuki Samurai predecessors since the late 70s. The LJ80. SJ410, SJ413 and Samurai. In fact there is an owner manual at my in laws house from a 1984 SJ410. There is note inside saying that the vehicle conforms to all of the Federal goverment requirements applicable to the date of manufacture but that the vehicle cannot be used in mainland USA, only Puerto Rico and Hawaii, because of parts availability. Suzuki also decided to continue selling cars here until may of this year to liquidate all the 2013 model year leftovers because sales have always been strong here. They only got out of here, because they couldn’t justify to federalize their cars for such a small market.
I didn’t know Puerto Rico and Hawaii got them before the U.S.
I wonder why? Was it cause they were smaller markets?
Suzuki’s have always been liked in Puerto Rico. Samurais are still a fairly common sight. They get customized for different things too.
Shame Suzuki had to pull out of the market. I thought they wouldn’t in Puerto Rico since they seemed to sell well but I guess pulling out of the US didn’t leave many choices.
The Kizashi was very nice looking and I’ve driven an SX4 and it too was nice. The Grand Vitaras were always a hit too.
I remember my family renting one of these in Hawaii in December of 1991; it was branded as a Suzuki Forsa. That thing must have been pretty old at that time (this was from a used-car rental outfit), and was pretty beat up; seat covers were ripped, the hood would unlatch itself at random intervals, etc. It still was a tough and competent little car though; we crammed in all four of us plus our hiking gear, and the thing carried us all over Maui, up and down the hills, with nary a complaint. I did lots of the driving (with a “provisional” Texas license), and was suprised at what a well-mannered little car it was.
@ Leo. According to a press release I read, Suzuki had to stop selling cars here in Puerto Rico after MY2013 because since PR use the USA standards, they couldn’t justify the expense of making their car complaint to those standards for the 4000 more or less cars that they were selling here yearly. So you are right, pulling out from the USA didn’t leave Suzuki too many choices here. I assume that Suzuki decided to enter the the USA market first in PR, Hawaii and the other territories because they are smaller markets and it was easier for them to gauge interest in their products before going to the mainland.
Suzuki has always had a good reputation here especially the Forzas and Swifts, for their relatively good reliability, excellent fuel economy and cheap price. But our market is very different from the mainland market.
Out of curiosity, what made you buy a Daewoo/Chevrolet Aveo? They didn’t get particularly good reviews even when they were new. I remember a Car and Driver review where the only pro they listed was, better than walking.
You had issues buying a car that said “Chevrolet” on it, even if it was supposedly an authentic example of what the import manufacturers could do (and the domestics seemingly could not). Your neigbor was a buy-American type who was perfectly willing to buy a Chevrolet, but was downright offended that GM was slapping that badge on foreign cars. For the 1989 model year, GM tried to make both of you happy, by putting a badge that said “Geo” on the car instead.
Um – no.
I had issues with cars that said “Chevrolet” on them, and turned out to be pieces of crap. I also knew there was a difference between a Suzuki and other imports. It wasn’t a stretch to be concerned that the car company that couldn’t build a car, but willing to sell you one, be also willing to sell you an imported car that wasn’t built well either.
If you wish to claim that my fears were unfounded, you may be correct – but one of the reasons this car isn’t commonly found is because millions of others took a similar point of view. If you wish to paint all of us as utter imbeciles, go ahead if it makes you feel smarter for some odd reason.
Or would this be the first time you have heard of the Market shying away from a brand due to the problems they’ve previously experienced with it?
Cool find! I don’t remember seeing too many of these in my lifetime. It’s interesting how today subcompacts seem like an entirely different class of car than they did 25 years ago. As you mentioned, they certainly are heavier, but because of their higher seating positions, they’re so much taller and rather awkwardly proportioned. This ’87 Swift looks well-proportioned and more appealing.
Well, they are a class larger, sometimes two. The U.S.-market Fiesta sedan, nominally a B-segment car, is not only as big as some C-segment sedans of the ’80s, but a little larger in some dimensions than a Mk2 Ford Cortina.
Former A-segment models have evolved into today’s B-segment. That meant a fresh A-segment in the past years. A few of them:
A-segment: Volkswagen Up!, Toyota Aygo, Ford Ka.
B-segment: Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta.
BTW, Ford did have hot-hatch Fiesta models way before the ST, the XR2 and XR2i. Current Fiesta ST competitors are the Peugeot 208 GTI, the Renault Clio RS (both 200 hp) and the Opel Corsa OPC
(210 hp).
And Ford was comparatively late to the hot hatch party; the Renault 5 Alpine/Gordini preceded the Fiesta XR2 by several years and was likely a big influence on Ford’s decision to launch the XR2. There was also a Fiat 127 Sport and the Peugeot 104S/104ZS, although those sort of stretch the definition of hot hatch (they were only “warm” even by late ’70s standards).
The French have always been the True Masters of portable hot hatches, and portable hot sedans before that. Since many decades.
Renault, Peugeot, Simca and Citroën all have or had them. It all started about 50 years ago.
I remember a few Sprints being around back in the ’80s, but I can’t remember the last time I saw one here in Massachusetts, turbo or otherwise.
At the time, this car wasn’t really considered a mainstream “subcompact” (that’s what the Chevette and Spectrum were), but as part of a new class of “minicompact”, a size smaller than the smallest cars sold in the U.S. had traditionally been. Others included the Subaru Justy and Ford Festiva.
This is one of my favorite hot hatches. Just looks like a fun car overall. There’s one that’s been sitting for 5+ years near me, and my friend has left a couple notes looking to buy it, but never got a reply.
A female friend of mine had three of these 20 years ago. Really loved them. I didn’t get the attraction then, but I’ve mellowed some in my middle age.
Three of these? Did the first two blow up?
This is such a blast from the past! I still have the brochure for this car that I picked up when I was a kid. The Chevy dealer was right down the street, so I was there quite a bit. The Turbo just looks like fun.
This feels like “Curbside Cult Classic” (CCC) like those movies that no one saw while they were in the theaters but doesn’t mind watching on VCR, DVD, Blu-Ray, satellite, etc. and then once they see it they get a kick out of it.
Could this be the “Rocky Horror Picture Show”/”Clue”/”Murder By Death” of cars?
Wow, I thought I was the only person who had seen Murder by Death…..
These were already here by 1983-84? I guess in California, they didn’t get to FL until 85 from what I recall, I remember the first one I saw was driven by a girl, she worked at a school. It was bright blue. I recall the little black square on the hood was the hood release.
I would take a clean Turbo Sprint if one showed up for cheap.
I was under the impression that these were introduced in the U.S. for the 1985 model year. In one place in Paul’s article, he says the summer of 1983, and in another, the summer of 1984. Maybe the former is a typo, and the latter means summer of ’84 as an ’85 model?
Wikipedia indicates that these were introduced in the U.S. as 1985 models, but were sold only in the Western U.S. at first, and weren’t available nationwide until 1986.
According to Wikipedia, the Suzuki-badged version of this generation was sold in Canada and in some U.S. states/possessions in the Pacific — Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands — but not widely in the mainland U.S. It was called the Forza in those markets. I don’t think Suzuki was selling its own passenger cars in the U.S. at all during this period. The Wikipedia article claims that Suzuki did bring small numbers of these cars into the mainland U.S. as a market test, however, or at least made preparations to do so; a “Suzuki SA310” appears in 1985 EPA listings, and a “Suzuki Forza” (and “Suzuki Forza Turbo”) in 1987 EPA listings.
That was a typo; 1985 appears to be the first year for the Chevy Sprint. I was not aware (at the time) of any effort by Suzuki to also sell this in the US; I understood that they didn’t begin any serious attempts to sell under their own brand until 1989.
“According to Wikipedia, the Suzuki-badged version of this generation was sold in Canada and in some U.S. states/possessions in the Pacific — Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands — but not widely in the mainland U.S.”
According to a separate sub-thread further up the page, it was also sold in Puerto Rico.
Looks familiar,I’m sure the Suzuki version was sold in thee UK
I swear I can see the mounts for a carburetor on top of the engine! This sure is a swell car and what a neat sight to look at. Is that the base of a hood ornament? Thank you for all the info. I wonder if I will see one in Portland some day?
The Toyota Camry Estate in the background is a nice sight and probably a slush box since only Honda seems to have sold their mid-1990s wagons with a stick shift. The Venza is rather ugly and not a good replacement for the Camry wagon, but luckily for me I hardly ever see one.
“Is that the base of a hood ornament?”
That was the secondary hood release. Use the inside cable to pop the hood. Press down on the center of that hood ornament to release the hood.
Thanks for posting this, Paul. This is definitely my kind of car.
Sweet find.
That interior is in great shape. Even the seats, unless those are covers.
I don’t recall seeing one of these Turbo versions. I also don’t remember ever seeing one called Cultus.
I only saw the Suzuki’s as Swifts.
Wonder how this Turbo Sprint would compare to a Golf or Civic of the same vintage and other hot hatches of that period.
Cultus was the name in Japan if I am not mistaken. The Suzuki version was called the SA310 for the first year (85?) and then the name changed to Forza. The second generation was then renamed to Suzuki Swift. Also if I remember correctly the 310 part in the SA310 name means 3 cylinders, 1.0 liters. There was also a Pontiac version called the Firefly.
A lot of home-market JDM model names didn’t really make it outside Japan. (My favorite is the contemporary Suzuki mini-truck, the Mighty Boy.) But yes, this was called Suzuki Cultus in Japan in 1987.
Cultus is a fun name; lends itself well to chanting.
After the ’70s, “Cult”us probably wasn’t the most positive association.
We got the Mighty Boy ute in Oz, you still see the occasional one about!
In Australia it was called the Swift from the start. I own an ’84 that’s been in the family from new. It’s badged “Suzuki Swift” on the tailgate, but the owner’s manual calls it an SA310.
When referring to a new breed of hot hatches don’t forget about Fiesta and Focus ST 🙂
Dont forget the Citroen Xsara which can leave them all behind in the twisties, NZ & OZ got these litle suckers in Suzuki and Holden flavours though Holden didnt get the turbo model that was Suzuki only here and in standard production racing could easily outpace the 6 cylinder offerings from GM and Ford not the V8s though, Havent seen one for a while though Barinas and Swifts yep but not turbo models.
How do you pronounce Xsara?
Click on the small blue arrow. It’s a French guy, he knows how it’s done I guess:
http://nl.forvo.com/word/xsara/#fr
I got it wrong, I always say Ksaara. But I don’t know how that sounds in English.
Zara is how most pronounce it.
XX Top
Just as the Chevrolet Spark today was a Chevrolet Sprint 30 years ago, the Chevrolet Spectrum and Chevette is today’s Chevrolet Sonic and Aveo.
why so many lugs?
4 lug wheels those are wheel trims in white.
Man, I had forgotten all about these. I was taking a kid back to college last week and saw one of the first generation Sprint 2 doors, first one seen in a long time. But I had forgotten all about this turbo. It is great to see someone taking such good care of it.
I looked up the specs out of curiosity and was surprised to see that the JDM Cultus three-door was actually available in two different sporty versions in 1987: the 1000 Si Turbo, which was mechanically about the same as this car, and the 1300GTi, sold elsewhere as the Suzuki Swift GTi. It would be interesting to see a head-to-head road test between the two; the Turbo had a somewhat lower power-to-weight ratio, but more torque and less weight, so I wouldn’t bet on it being slower in a straight line. Suzuki somehow managed to finesse it so the 1000 Si Turbo had the same official fuel consumption figures as the normally aspirated fuel-injected tripled, which I assume was the point; the 1300GTi was something like 25% thirstier on the 10-mode cycle.
GTI was acvailable in OZ/NZ
I once drove a Suzuki Swift as it was called in Europe (a 2nd generation example, built from 1988 onwards). Granted, it was a rental car (when I was on holidays in Greece sometime in the late 90s) and subsequently not in optimal shape, but even taking this into consideration, I was thouroughly unimpressed with the car. About 5 years before that, the Suzuki Swift had been one of the cars my father was looking at when shopping for a new car. In the end, he went for Škoda Favorit which was much cheaper than the Swift and, as I later found out on that Greek holiday, Czech engineers and workers did a decidedly better job at designing and manufacturing the Favorit than those responsible for the Swift..
I like the intercooler scoop. To take the mail slot analogy further, it would be funny to see a “no junk mail” sticker instead of “intercooler”!
You mentioned weight, a new Mini would be closer to 900lb heavier than this!
Memory told me that Suzuki only sold the 3 door version in Australia, with the 5 door version being reserved for Holden Barina, however in the first couple of years before the Holden version came out there was a 5 door Swift, with both 3- and 4-cyl power, including the GTi but not the 3-cyl turbo.
I remember these. A buddy in high school had one just like it only it was white. As I remember, it could scoot. And turbo’d hatches were a rare sight in small town West TN, back in the early 90s. Looks like this would make a good autocross car…except Ill bet parts are tough to come by…
I don’t like the way it looks. White plastic wheel covers on a “Turbo Sprint” ? Then the body-kit, is it original ? It looks like a mail order aftermarket package that, with enough imagination and handiness, would fit on all 1975-1995 small cars from all over the globe.
This is what I mean. Same era, same size and 100% General Motors: Opel Corsa GSi.
A firm one-piece-sculpture.
About six years ago , I was cruising in my warmed up 1988 Volkswagen Fox and came across one of these .We decided to race , being that he had massaged his motor slightly with a bigger turbo and intercooler . I beat him in the hole shot , but he had one more gear than I did and edged past me . After the race , we compared long travel rally our mods , he had souped the little three banger for straight line performance , I had focused on a custom rally suspension .
That day has forever been known as ” The Battle of The Gimpy Cars ! ”
After reading this and seeing the power to weight ratio , I am not surprised that he beat me !
I had a 1985 blue suzuki forsa 2 door manual as my second car, the first manual car of a long list of manual. I loved that car! I went back to this size of car recently (2015 kia rio, manual) because of the fond memory i have of it. I was surronded by that car, we had 3 in the familly: mother’s red 1987 4 door auto sprint, brother 1987 2 door gold auto sprint, my best 2 friends drove manual forsa’s too. The simplicity and honesty of this simple, no frills, economical car while they remeined fun to drive (at least in manual!) was something special. At this time i’m thinking of finding a convertible of these as my summer toy, might not be a miata, but i could wrench it by myself, as they where quite basic…might have problem finding these 13 inches donuts….. 🙂 Thanks for the memory!
I saw one of these about six months ago. Had forgotten all about the turbo model, and hadn’t seen a Sprint of any kind for ages, but there it was, in its faded red glory. Still a neat little car, and while it wasn’t in the best of shape, it was still on the road. And it was quicker than my car, though that’s not hard to do.
Sadly, the Fiat 500 Abarth, like all 500s, was discontinued as of 2020.
I meant just the 500, 500e and Abarth. They’re still offering the 500X and 500L here.
Back in 1985, I was selling cars at a Lincoln/Mercury dealership outside of Toronto. For some reason, that I never learned, one of these showed up on the lot for a few days. The vehicle was some sort of test lab and had all sorts of recording apparatus on the passenger floor. We took that sucker out to Highway 400 to record some top end runs free of charge for them. Car was pretty peppy for its size!
The CC Effect again! I just found the Motor Week video testing this and the high performance version of the Chevy Spectrum (Isuzu Gemini), and I saw one of these on the road the other day, one of the very few still in existence. Here, it was the Suzuki Forsa GTI. We didn’t get the turbo engine, but the 1300 GTi which put out some 100 BHP and it was a very popular car with the boy racers in the late ’80s/early ’90s along with the Daihatsu Charade Turbo. I very nearly bought one of these GTis in 1997, but it would have required a lot of work to put it right.
Here’s a base model ’84, still in the family. Very quick off the mark, and a ball of fun to drive around town. Out in the country, not so much. My daughter reckons she had it up to 130 km/h when she was running late for an exam. Don’t know that I would have been game myself, it got awfully light and floaty by 100.
A schoolmate of mine had one of these Turbo Sprints in high school. I can tell you it did not get him much respect but rather much teasing and the sneered nickname of ‘Turbo’. Still makes me chuckle today.
I had a geo metro once upon a time. It was the extra high MPG version, whatever they called it. One day while in grad school me and 3 other grad students had to travel to the next town over to run some tests on a bridge girder. The usual transport vehicle was unavailable. So me and 3 other guys plus a half dozen computers piled into my metro. They got in first and I handed them the computers and monitors which they held piled high on their laps. I was the only one who could see out the windows. The car suspension was completely bottomed out and could barely move but we made it there and back.
Metro! I had one, also.
MotorWeek just posted their review of it and the Isuzu-based Spectrum Turbo (which was offered only as a 4-door sedan!)
Is anyone selling.?
I have a tarp(barn) find. Parked under a tarp for over 25 years. Original owner of a 1988 suzuki turbo forsa, 86,000 km, was running when parked. Rare black and silver model in BC, Canada. Thinking about restoring for 25 years.