Being a former Chrysler employee and lifelong MOPAR nut, the GLH and GLHS are machines I am familiar with. The Motors used were derived from what was called the Turbo II motor (GLHS) which was basically an intercooled version of a Turbo I motor (GLH). These engines were developed from the slant 6 of the '80s, the 2.2l 4 banger. I personally have beat the snot out a couple of cars with that engine (back in high school), and you can't break them.
Carol Shelby helped develop the motors mildly as well as some of the styling. This is before Chrysler started just putting his name on Daytonas that were shite to say the least. I don't remember just how much more powerful they were than the same motor used in other Chryslers at the time, but it was significant. Also of interesting note on the engines, Carol developed a 16v head for the 2.2l (no not the Lotus head used on the 2.5l in the Spirit) but it was never used in production. They used to say that you had to make certain you pointed the things in the direction you wanted to go prior to punching it, as the torque steer was almost uncontrollable. By the same token, they were known to give Corvettes and other worthless machines a run for their money up to about 50 or 60. As is typical with MOPAR stuff, it was realized how much of a power advantage these cars had over other compacts in autocross, and the turbo version was either banned or put into a division that was out of its league. Someone mentioned VW parts on it. The GLH and GLHS were ALL mopar as they were later series after Chrysler had gotten back on their feet, but VW parts were used and Peugeot drivetrains in the very early Horizons and Omnis. My brother actually bought one of the machines that came out after the GLH series- the CSX (Crazy Son of a eXpletive?). THAT was a wild machine. All I remember was him picking me up from basketball practice one night and watching the turbo gauge bouncing around like a hot potato as well as the entire dash shaking violently. He went to an autocross (mistake as he is drag race nut) and was ostracized for white smoking the tires through the entire course. It also is a shame that the build quality of these cars was so poor, as the motor is bullet proof. The ergonomics also always pissed me off that they were so "Taurus"esque. I wouldn't mind having one, but they are impossible to find unbeaten and the good ones will be with homes that know what they're worth. Brice '89 GTI 16v- bought b/c it looked cooler than a GLHS -----Original Message----- From: David E. Ingold [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, January 21, 2000 6:59 PM To: Patrick Schmidt; Matthew Yip Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: OT - GLH and GLHS What were those, a 2.2l turbo or something? I haven't seen one of those in years. Dave. '90 GLi ----- Original Message ----- : Goes Like Hell; it isn't lying. : Some of you around D.C. may have seen a friend of mine's Blue GLH with white viper stripes. He got the car for $300, put another : $500 into injectors and various other bits, and ported the head himself. The first time I rode in it was after all of the work. : I literally almost became ill. The acceleration was so phenomenal; it would make you dizzy from about 10 to 140. Down at the : local spot, Metro, it would embarrass Mustangs, Camaros, you name it. And the funny part is the block looks much like a VW : block, same bolt holes and everything. In fact, I believe Dodge used some VW parts when they were in a pinch in the mid-80's. : Hmmmm, maybe another swap is in order. : : Cheers, : Pat _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org
