1985 'Cuda, 1986 Road Runner.

[BangShift McT]

The two '85 Cudas are essentially Omni GLHS engines, Shelby Charger body pieces on Turismo TC-3 bodies. Reportedly, Carroll Shelby threatened to end the business partnership if they proceeded with the 'Cuda. Both cars are restored and in private hands now.

The Road Runner is based on a Diplomat Coupe. Power was supposed to come from a 200-hp injected 318. The nose looks like a Dodge Daytona's to me.

[Barry Donovan]

shameful memory.

the omni engine is where I learned alot about the four cyl...until the boxer.

1986 had a worlds greatest..and nothing special at 10k brand new.

that paradox is grotesque.

[BangShift McT]

They both show someone in Chrysler had a performance leaning (even if management duct-taped him to a chair and shoved him in a closet somewhere). The 'Cuda...eh. It's an effort, and GLHS/Shelby could move. The Road Runner could easily be done, and reverse engineered. I'd love to see it happen.

[Buckeye]

I miss my CSX (dodge shadow Shelby-ized)

[Brian Lohnes]

Bry...I got this info you sent. Plan on runnig it on the front page later this week. I think it is a neat story!

[dulcich]

Bryan, that stuff might rank as an odd curiosity, but it is just a forgotten footnote in history. The TC3, Charger 2.2, Omni and all that is just gone with no cache, and that's that. Just junked, crushed, and scrapped for the most part a decade ago - virtually none left today. I saw the post on Moparts on the 'cuda', and my thought was that it was a blind alley anyway, and pretty well pointless. As for the RWD M-body RR, you are better off with your Mirada, or even a Dippy cop car for that type of machine, although my favorite is really the J-body Cordoba.
-dulcich

[BangShift McT]

It's two things that intrigue me about them both:

1. The backstory, which for me is a little more than an "odd curiosity". I like to see what could have been.

2. I am a huge fan of reverse-engineering, and with the RR, it's close enough that doing up a clone is relatively feasible, possibly using a highly modified Imperial nose to get it right. Yes, I know it's dreaming, but that's half the fun...hell, isn't that why I like these things? I'd love to do up my own RR, paying the Dayclona people to make the body kits, getting a Quaife sequential behind some screamer small block, having the Alter-K-Tion front end up front and a Dana out back. If I ever get the funds, I promise that project will be ON.

[SpiderGearsMan]

hahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahah
OMG

[Joe Grippo]

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/03/03/four-links-cuda-of-the-eighties-mystery-moving-van-at-the-car-wash-branson-auto-museum/

[ls7gto]

a friend of mine has a GLH body and a 2.5 shelby engine. someday they may meet !

[antmnte]

That article is great ! So Chrysler was going to build their own Monte SS. Too bad it didnt happen.

[BangShift McT]

Exactly. And 200hp in '86 would have let it play, though it should have been more like 250-270 to be top.

[Matt Cramer]

Very interesting what could have been. There's still a bit of a cult following for the turbo Omnis. I've sometimes thought creating something like a Diplomat answer to the Grand National (powered by a turbo slant six, naturally - another thing that seems to have made it to the prototype stage) would be interesting.

[A/Fuel]

I've always had a thing for the turbo Omnis, I was looking at one for sale a while ago.

[mike343sharpstick]

Same here, love 'em. I figure my Neon SRT4 is the great grandfather of the Omni GLHS.
A Monte SS competitor would have been cool!
Those were some dark days in the automotive age, but interestingly a great time to be into performance motorcycles.