[greentrees]

I have always enjoyed "sleeper" vehicles - something that looks like an ordinary car but is very performance oriented.

Back years ago I found an old '91 Nissan SE-R Sentra for $2200. This was 2002, and I had it for a few years. Was in great shape, under 100k. For its time it was pretty speedy - 0-60 in the low 7s, a great suspension and handling. Looked like a boring red Sentra. I thought I was hot stuff till one day I had trouble keeping up with a V6 Malibu. Still it was a great car, I miss it, wish I'd never sold it, though I did need something bigger.

Anyone else have a sleeper story or know of one?

 

[funkymonkey1002]

The volvo V70R, taurus SHO and a few others. Have always loved sleepers, especially sleeper wagons! My future project plan(dream) is to build an LSx powered V70 wagon.

 

[Tuned200]

Anything sr20 powered.

 

[ConnorLug]

My dad's old ford taurus, thing was pretty fast when it needed to be.

 

[BAC5.2]

The volvo V70R, taurus SHO and a few others. Have always loved sleepers, especially sleeper wagons! My future project plan(dream) is to build an LSx powered V70 wagon.

A Volvette? That'd be nice.

Stock Sleepers? The Omni GLH-S.

The Galant VR4 was a good one, as was the Legacy Turbo. Both looked like a car a secretary would drive, and both were pretty neat.

Those days are over, unfortunately.

 

[hal0tw0]

Mazda 323 GTX....AWD turbo pocket rocket for sure!

 

[MudRunner]

My stepmom's Volvo XC-70 hauls donkey in a straight line, with a nearly flat torque curve from 1500-4500RPM (TD-04 turbo like the FXT). Corners like a whale, but it's kinda fun to roll on the throttle at a stoplight and watch some kid in a mustang go "really! ". The inline 5 sounds kinda like a raped cat though.

My mother's 1995 Suburban with a modified SBC (making 450rwtq) is also a hoot. It has a full 3" exhaust that is silenced by a big 3" van muffler. Stock quiet. No exterior mods.

Neither of my or my dad's cars are sleepers. :lol: Heck, mine's slower than most quieter cars out there.

 

[shalootm]

i would always shock people with the pickup and handling of this car
too bad it broke lol but i love my foz even more than the coop

 

[Papa_D]

Get in, Sit down, Shut up and Hang on, lol.

If you ordered the right factory options, you had a car that was quicker in the quarter mile than anything else including all but the fastest Porche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and so on, even those manufactured much later and just looking at it put you to sleep, not to mention the fact that it was uglier than the back side of even the worst looking dog, lol.

Dodge was serious about racing and with their own factory race cars set several records throughout the year including a new Top Stock Eliminator record of 12.03 @ 118.42mph. While the dodge cars where less then pretty, they were extreme performers with the right performance options ordered from dodge.

 

[shalootm]

^^ thats great

 

[TC2000]

2006 Pontiac GTO Coupe - Yahoo! Autos

 

[ArcadeTom]

Stock Sleepers? The Omni GLH-S.

I had an '86 Shelby Charger Turbo back when the GLHS was out. It was one of the few that spanked me. While my Shelby was silver with a factory Electric Blue racing stripe right over the top of the car from nose to tail, that GLHS (Goes Like Hamburger Steak LOL) was very, very unassuming right to the point where the Mustang GT guys were like "really!???"

My stepmom's Volvo XC-70 hauls donkey in a straight line, with a nearly flat torque curve from 1500-4500RPM (TD-04 turbo like the FXT). Corners like a whale, but it's kinda fun to roll on the throttle at a stoplight and watch some kid in a mustang go "really! ". The inline 5 sounds kinda like a raped cat though.

Zach, I'm really not sure if I want to know how or why you would know what a raped cat sounds like. TMI, brother, TMI. :N_poke:

Get in, Sit down, Shut up and Hang on, lol.

If you ordered the right factory options, you had a car that was quicker in the quarter mile than anything else including all but the fastest Porche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and so on, even those manufactured much later and just looking at it put you to sleep, not to mention the fact that it was uglier than the back side of even the worst looking dog, lol.

Dodge was serious about racing and with their own factory race cars set several records throughout the year including a new Top Stock Eliminator record of 12.03 @ 118.42mph. While the dodge cars where less then pretty, they were extreme performers with the right performance options ordered from dodge.

I remember seeing a couple of those back when I was in High School. A couple of guys from southern Illinois owned them and would come to the big All Mopar meet in West Tennesee. Those things would make the ground shake when they played around out there. LOL
My personal favorite "sleeper" was a HS buddy of mine and his mom's old '82-ish Malibu Wagon. Originally came with the 3.8 V-6 I think. He and his dad installed a SB 400 with a built TH-350 trans. They even left the column shift on it. The Corvette rally wheels were the only "tip-off", but even then it looked like mom's old grocery getter up until he started smoking both rears to warm up the tires. :biggrin:

 

[Papa_D]

Nothing beats a station wagon as a sleeper but I don't know of anything faster from the factory than the T-Bolts and Polaras.

The Thunderbolt on the Comet Chassis was Ford's answer to the Dodge and they competed head to head on the strip for the manufacturer's championship but the T-Bolt was a hair slower from the factory in the quarter mile and not nearly as ugly, lol.

Here's some video of the T-Bolt and the Polaris competing head to head at about 2:40 in the video.

 

[greentrees]

I don't know that a supercharged mini or any GTO is a sleeper...but...

The volvo V70R, taurus SHO and a few others. Have always loved sleepers, especially sleeper wagons! My future project plan(dream) is to build an LSx powered V70 wagon.

Yes those Volvos are beasts. I was looking for an 850R or Turbo, found one but they're too expensive and they are riddled with electronic and other problems, decided to stay Japanese.

Stock Sleepers? The Omni GLH-S.

The Galant VR4 was a good one...those days are over, unfortunately.

I remember both of these from the 80s - great sleepers.

Mazda 323 GTX....AWD turbo pocket rocket for sure!

Definintely - those are very rare, I've only seen one in person.

 

[BAC5.2]

2006 Pontiac GTO Coupe - Yahoo! Autos

How is that a sleeper?

 

[jkoppee]

I'll never forget the first time I got passed by a Dodge Omni Turbo. There was a guy in my town that used to drive a black one and if I remember correctly he was running 12's in the 1/4 and it was dead quiet. The first time I saw it I almost laughed because it looked like it had the stock 1/2in exhaust but this thing was damn quick which made it even funnier

Fast Dodge Omnis 1/4 Mile 0-60 Drag Racing - DragTimes.com

 

[Duderotomy]

Just about anything from HPA Motorsports... but more specifically their One-Lap of America car: HPA Motorsports Inc. - One Lap of America 2008

 

[gandapanda]

http://www.turbominivan.com/

 

[Treehugger]

I knew a guy in the late 80's who put a 2.8 V6 in a Chevette. That friggin' thing would move!

 

[Corson27]

I have a 2001 V6 Chevy Malibu which has some nice pickup, especially between 30 to 60+ mph

But the best I remember was my fathers 1983 oldsmobile custom cruiser station wagon with a 307 V8 I remember us beating some kid with his gf off the line in some little sports car, his gf was so embarassed