The 1st gen neon wouldn't have been turboed anyway. It is an economy car, not a sport compact car.

SRT-4 came out in 2003.

 

yes i know it came out in 2003 but Chrysler gave the go ahead to the srt group (known as PVO at the time and later SRT) to build a turbo neon in 1999, it was always based off the second generation style. The first concept srt came out in 1999.

 

SRT-4 isnt a neon according to Chyrsler

 

Yes you are correct!, the wonder of marketing!.

Thats how the SVE team (aka SRT,PVO) could sell the Neon concept to corporate, They wanted a totally new car,but everyone including the design team knew it was a Neon and based heavily off the 2nd generation Neon.

The concept SRT-4 came out in 2000 and denied by the big wigs till the marketing teamsold them on it for production in2003.

http://www.allpar.com/neon/neon-srt-4.html

 

They were trying to get away from the "Hi" neon campaign.

 

You say the car is not powerful, and then confirm why it is . Interesting. It seems consistent with Dodge cars that the performance models are heavier than base models. My theory is that the extra weight makes for more manageable stability at high speeds. A lighter car with high hp numbers makes for a dangerous combo for an inexperienced driver. We recall the large amount of web photos of wrecked srt4, evo, and sti in the first six months of the being on the road. Image those cars 500+ lbs lighter. I do not think so.

The srt4 was next to last in rated hp, just ahead of the 06 cobalt ss. The 08 cobalt ss makes 260 hp 260tq after switching to a turbo (are you paying attention supercharger fans), and the caliber srt4 is taking the torch making 286hp 260tq in a heavier car. The srt4 is a great bargin, and I can get a 2.4L engine at the yard (excluding the turbo parts and mtx) for about $1750. 2.4L engines are a dime a dozen here.

I love the "Hi" commercials.

 

No, what I said was that the motor isnt that powerful when you consider the fact its in a light car.... Place that same said motor in say a Stratus coupe or something that weighs an additional 400-600lbs and you'll find that the almight SRT-4 is just an average run of the mill turbo'd sedan.

The SRT-4 is indeed capable of insane power and when you consider what its capable of inside the Neon chassis, its a powerhouse. As for the images of those wrecked cars, almost all of them were driven by inexperienced people who in my opinion, had no business owning a car with kind of power.... It's like tossing the keys to a 500hp Charger to a 15 yr old.....

I mean, I could throw a 3.8L V6 Supercharged from a GTP into a Cavalier/Cobalt and it would be really nasty.... as the 3.8L V6's are very moddable and just as capable as the SRT-4 motors....

 

HP ratings mean jack when you weigh an average of 400lbs less then even your next competitor......it's like comparing a Corvette to the new Challenger...... Both can have around 400-450hp, but the Corvette wins simply by weighing alot less...

 

dont get me wrong, the srt-4 is probably one of the best things that could have happened to the neon. but when u consider its main competition (evo, sti) the only thing it really stands a chance against (without further mod) is the cobalt. having stuffed such a gem of an engine into an unsuspecting compact was a wonderful move, but dodge/chrysler/plymouth didnt really think it thru when they started the marketing. and to top it all off we now have all of these incompetant/arrogant/ignorant/image conscious a**holes ruining the name of every self respecting neon enthusiast on the road
long live the 1st gen!!!

 

offtopic

since you can use stock srt4 internals in a 2.4 for a neon, i would assume that u could get the 2.4 block fomr a caliber srt4(which is made of alumiun, not cast iron, weightin 50lbs less) and go high compression adn have a 1st gen with 12;1 compression with 50 lbs lighter engine, correct?
that would be kick ****