It’s been a minute since we’ve pinned you into a corner and forced you to pick sides, hasn’t it? Well, no better time than the present to force you to pick one of two particular vehicles and in this lovely round of our game of “Would You Rather?”, we’re going to go with my Pro Commuter theme. If you don’t know what that is, or think I’m just making things up out of thin air, it works like this: the daily commuter car sucks, doesn’t it? You turn the key, you drive it, you park it and you hope to God it gets stolen so that you can at least move on to a different anonymous cracker box to wheel around in for a bit. Defeats the purpose of loving the automobile in all of its forms, doesn’t it? So why not have a daily that doesn’t blow harder than a hurricane’s landfall winds? We aren’t saying you have to daily drive an IROC-Z to work every day (cue Matthew McConaughey’s “It’d be a lot cooler if you did” like from Dazed and Confused) but you can reasonably find a one-person comfortable car that can provide reasonable mileage, looks, comfort and just enough spice to make the daily drive okay. For this round we have one Japanese solid bet in rear-drive with the most iconic wheels to ever come from the Far East, and one American wild-ass wild card that started humble and wound up with roid rage. Here are the cars, it’s your time to pick.
Option 1: 1987 Shelby Charger GLHS #954/1000
To understand what we mean when we say “humble”, you have to rewind back to 1979, when Chrysler took the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon hatchback and the same basic recipe that last worked when the Dart became the Duster. By turning the frumpy hatchback into a sporty coupe hatch, Chrysler had transformed the look of the car into something more Americans could get behind. In 1981, the Omni 024 nameplate was binned in favor of the Charger 2.2, something that had to irritate purists like an itchy backside. Starting out with a fire-breathing 84 horsepower, it was nothing. No joke here, it was just a car. Then Lee Iacocca stepped in, brought in an old friend from his years back at Ford who smelled like burned rubber and red chili and magic was made. In 1987, Carroll Shelby bought the last 1,000 Dodge Chargers, had them shipped to his factory and wicked them up nicely: 175 horsepower and torque thanks to 2.2 liters of pissed Mopar four-banger and a turbo that had the power to break your wrists with torque steer. If you could handle the launch tactics, you could kick the teeth in on an unsuspecting Mustang or Firebird. Though, after looking inside, we suddenly don’t dispute the 323 horsepower claim on this car. You want some fire on your drive home? Bet this one will light it.
Option 2: 1984 Toyota Celica GT
Toyota’s Celica was, in effect, the company’s answer to the Ford Mustang. The first generation was without question a love letter to the Mustang in both spirit and style. The second generation was a more Americanized form that was designed in California, and the third generation was all Japan, with the car abandoning it’s Americanized tendencies but retaining the charm that endeared it to customers. Smaller four-cylinders, sporty dimensions, and very comfortable interiors made for a great way to kill some miles. The A60 seen here has the Toyota 22R-E fuel-injected 2.2L four that drives the rear wheels, so don’t worry any about the steering wheel whacking your thumbs clear out of the sockets, but don’t expect too much tire-hazing hoon action that the Charger will undoubtedly provide. The Celica earned it’s spot here not only because it’s a low-mile, ideal example with those timeless Supra P-type 2×4 spoke wheels, but because day to day, you will be able to get in, twist the key, put it in drive and just go. It will sip fuel and look good doing it.
So there are your options. Which one do you pick?
Glh without the cage and gauges
Me too – good thing the cage is bolt in; I wouldn’t want to deal with something like that on a daily driver. The Celica may be rear wheel drive, but that 22RE and slushbox isn’t going to be much fun.
I bought a new Omni GLH turbo in 85 and it was my daily for 10 years and 100k miles. Cheap to operate. Never touched the clutch. Was a great car and fun to drive. Went 14.91 at the track too.
Supra. That generation to my eyes is the best looking and rear wheel drive unlike the Mopar product.
Funny thing about tastes & time: I’m old enough to remember a strong dislike among the older good ol’ boys for all things Japanese. Now I guess they’re all in old people homes or dead and the rest of us can like whatever we want without their oppobrium.
The only reason this is even a debate is because the Supra has an automatic in it, and because… well…GLHS. If this was any other Daytona it wouldn’t even be in the running. With that said, I’d still choose the Supra. And I know just what engine and trans I’d swap into it for even better mileage and more power.
Or leave it alone like a smart person. Naaah…
I’ll take the Shelby… but not with those wheels
The Shelby is still sexy today, I would have picked the Shelby.
This was a very real decision for me four years ago. I simultaneously owned both – ’87 GLHS and ’85 Celica GT-S convertible w/5-spd. Which one would I rather commute in? Both are a fun to drive, but only one remains in my garage: A 1987 Shelby GLHS-Charger. Hands down the 2nd most entertaining car to drive that I’ve ever owned. What is even more entertaining? A 1986 Shelby GLHS-Omni.