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The Chevrolet Sprint was designed and developed by Suzuki as a cheap and cheerful supermini and assembled by a number of GM’s franchises. This one, however, wants to scare you to death.
Originally named the Cultus, this little car was marketed worldwide as the Suzuki Swift – although it had many names. The first generation model was assembled in Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya (just to name a few), and it was powered by with either a carbureted 1.0-liter inline-three cylinder or a fuel injected 1.0-liter inline 3-cylinder turbocharged engine. There was a GTI model in some markets, with 100 hp and 112Nm (83 ft-lb) on tap, but that was the model’s zenith.
So, why would you buy this blue one on eBay for $44,995? Well, because it’s not a regular model, but a highly modified custom-built Sprint, with a 402 ci (6.6-litre) all aluminum V8 lurking somewhere under the hood – which makes it the ultimate sleeper.
Granted, the chunky rear wheels are the dead giveaway, but you’ll most likely hear it from afar anyway. That’s because the engine is a custom, twin turbo 402 ci dry-sump small-block built by Duttweiler Performance, Ventura CA, and uses the best components in order to develop 954 hp on pump gas – which is great since the car is street legal.
Professionally reconstructed from the ground up in 2007 by Fatman Fabrications, the entire rig is built on top of a custom square-tube street rod frame that incorporates the unitized body; it also has Macpherson strut front suspension and Nissan truck brakes, while the rear differential is a narrowed Ford 9” with Detroit Truetrac and 2:50:1 gearing.
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