For the 1980s, Ma Mopar traded out Hemis and 3×2 intakes for four cylinders and turbocharging. Call it a sign of the times, but in the smog-choked automotive world, that’s what got them through it. It didn’t make sense to the beancounters to stuff the 360 into the Diplomat coupe and have a little fun, but it did make sense to make an Omni that packed 175 horsepower out through the front wheels. In an almost predictive move, Chrysler pretty much saw the import tuning crowd coming. Cars like the Daytona, Laser, Charger 2.2 and others offered up light weight, fuel economy, and sporty feel. (We will gloss over “torque steer bad enough to break thumbs”.)

One of the least sporty coupes to come from Chrysler during this time period was the Plymouth Reliant. Yes, the K-car saved Chrysler’s bacon, but it did so because it was simple, light, and no-frills. “Sporty” wasn’t even a stretch, it just wasn’t in the cards. Which made this 1985 Reliant the perfect target for a sucker-maker. The owner had recently been in an accident involving his 1986 Daytona and had experienced the wrong end of Connecticut State Police group-think…since the Daytona was a sporty car, the owner must’ve been driving too fast for conditions, right? Well, what would blend in with traffic better in the late 1990s than a silver Reliant? Who would suspect that a turbocharged mill would be under the hood, or that nitrous would be involved?

This particular car, known on the Internet as “Relentless”, eventually became a 10-second monster, cranking out well north of 400 horsepower at the tires. It’s moment of infamy involved sending a Toyota Supra back to the pits, and it’s been in a kind of hibernation ever since re-shaping a connecting rod into a crescent moon shape. You know, Drag Week does have a strong Turbo Mopar collective. Just saying…