The name Carroll Shelby is legendary in the world of American muscle cars, although as a “gun for hire,” he was willing to weave his brand of magic on almost any vehicle to enhance performance. One of his less appreciated models was the Dodge Omni GLH, which offered respectable performance during a dark era in automotive history. This 1985 Omni GLH is the Turbo version that needs some love. It is a rock-solid classic that could be a perfect first restoration project. The seller listed it here on eBay in Whitestone, New York. They set a BIN of $5,500 with the option to make an offer.
The seller purchased this Omni about a year ago, planning a restoration. As often happens, they ran out of time, and the project stalled before it started. The car would have presented well in its prime, but it needs some TLC. The seller states it received a previous repaint in its original Black, but it requires a repeat performance. The paint has cracked in places and generally looks tired. However, the body is solid and surprisingly straight for a vehicle of this type and age. I was worried about possible rust, but the seller climbed under the car to produce photos confirming this classic is rust-free and almost as clean as it would have been when it rolled off the showroom floor. That doesn’t mean the cosmetic refresh will be entirely straightforward because the front bumper filler is missing. I performed a brief online search with no success, but a new owner with more dedication and determination might strike gold. The original alloy wheels look like they would present well following a polish, and the glass appears good.
One aspect of this Omni requiring little attention is its interior. The seats wear newer covers, while the remaining upholstered surfaces and the carpet look like they would respond positively to a deep clean. There are no cracks in the dash fascia, although there may be one developing in the pad at the gauge cluster corner. The radio is gone, but the interior appears otherwise complete. The wheel is an aftermarket addition, the sports gauge cluster allows the driver to monitor conditions under the hood, and the occupants benefit from factory air conditioning.
The Omni was typical of most hatchbacks from the 1980s, featuring a transverse four-cylinder engine sending its power to the front wheels. For 1985, the entry-level motor was a 1.6-liter unit producing 62hp. From there, capacity and power rose, with the 2.2-liter powerplant churning out up to 110hp. For many buyers, that was enough. However, some craved a genuine hot hatch, and the GLH-T delivered. The “T” in its model designation stood for turbocharged and adding a “hairdryer” pushed engine power to 146hp. The impact was profound because while a regular GLH could cover the ¼-mile in 16.9 seconds, the GLH-T slashed that figure to 15.8 seconds. Similarly, the top speed rose from 112mph to 122mph. The GLH-T was a “manual only” proposition, so if potential buyers were unwilling or unable to cope with a five-speed transmission, this wasn’t their weapon of choice. The seller indicates a previous owner performed some upgrades, including adding an aftermarket intercooler and rebuilding the cylinder head. The car runs and drives but has trouble maintaining turbo boost. The issue could be as simple as a leaking pipe or gasket, although the intercooler may have introduced a variable that confuses the engine management system. If I found this classic in my workshop and had a limited budget, I would reinstate the factory setup to eliminate any variables. Retaining this GLH-T as it left the factory would almost certainly maximize its investment potential, as slim as that might be.
There is potential locked away in this 1985 Dodge Omni GLH-T. It simply needs a new owner willing and able to unlock it. The reality is that even in fully restored form, it won’t be worth a million dollars. Recent sales results suggest that with a cosmetic refresh and its turbo boost issues addressed, it probably won’t command a price far beyond $8,000. However, values have remained flat, meaning it is unlikely to devalue. The BIN figure leaves some room to move on the build before its financial viability becomes questionable. However, it will require a hands-on approach to remain within budget. Would it be a restoration you would consider?
I remember these cars where a hoot to drive new. When the turbo kick in you better be holding the steering wheel tight. It pulled to the right. It was fast and fun to drive. Also it was fun lighting up the the tire .. smoking burn outs. If I remember later they figured out about balance shafts in the front. But if anyone knows about these cars it’s a good buy. I was lucky to be around when these cars hit the dealership. Good luck to the next owner. Merry Christmas ⛄🎄🧑🎄🐻🇺🇸
I believe the balance shafts were in the 2.5s. Great little engine by itself, but I think a few of those were also turboed late in the game.
It will teach you about torque steer. Hang on when the turbo spools up.
We had one too! Everything you said was true it also cornered very well on curvy roads. My only gripe was that Shelby or Chrysler didn’t try to synchronize the blanking shifter! It was like shifting a VW! I didn’t care for that but everything else was great!
I had the Shelby “Charger” version that I bought for $1500.00 from an ad in the paper. (This happened before eBay etc..) It had Shelby stage 3 computer, heads and turbo. It was a screamer and very fast. The thing that kills all of these killed mine. Backing out of the garage the CVs on both sides snapped. Never seen anything like it. I couldn’t afford to fix it so I did the worst thing possible, put it in the paper for sell or trade. I needed up with a 1991 Dodge D Nasty. ( half the badge was broken) it lasted for 3 years
David.. I remember now the CV joints going south. Working in the parts department at Chrysler dealership I think they had a service bulletin on these. The owners where not happy back then. The one you had was a monster of the times. You could blow away almost anything that challenge you at the light. 😄
These would’ve been the ultimate sleeper, if they had only been available in the light metallic blue that 40% of late base model Omnirizons were painted and/or the deep metallic red another 40% were.
Brought a 84 Shelby Charger off the showroom floor, Drove it out and straight into the first open bay at the dealer. Had them put the SUPERCHARGER on it Had to put the 2+2 Hood Scoop on it and cut the hood so it would clear. After breaking the forth 85 MPH speedometer they put in a different cluster from a 81/82 that went to 120. Surprised many of the BIG BOYS with it but the TORQUE STEER Was Crazy.
I never seen a GLH-T. There was a GLH and GLH-S. Carroll Shelby was asked what that moniker meant and he said ” It Goes Like Hell. They added an inter cooler and made the GLH-S and he said “It Goes Like Hell- Somemore”. Funny guy, hell of a tuner.
Not commented yet? IIRC, Shelby said GLH stood for “Goes Like Hell”.
Yes, that is exactly what GLH stood for. They were also faster than any other production vehicle besides the hottest Corvette of the day IIRC.
A collector car in this price range is really incredible considering the fun factor. Hard to find a vehicle that has everything that includes fuel economy that puts a smile on your face and to those that know what it is. It would get loads of respect at a tuner/import meet. A big thumbs up. This will find a buyer.
I’ll just leave this here….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbvnjOdOI_4
Thanks.. That Omni is a monster. I just wish more young people got into these more when it was available. Many of them where trashed or traded in. Merry Christmas 🧑🎄
I never got a chance to drive a GLH, but I drove thousands of miles in base versions as company cars, and thought it was an excellent chassis for the time.
I had a red non turbo GLH at one time back in the day…fun car to drive!
There are no parts to get for these cars anymore
Lovely looking car. Although I was too young to drive a car at the time, I remember cars like the Dodge Omni and the Plymouth Horizon. I’d take either car, as long as it featured all gauges, rather than only the fuel gauge and the rest use warning lights. IMHO, these are way more attractive than anything offered today.
These were called a GLHS and stood for
Goes
Like
Hell
S’more
Re the $ appreciation potential, I wonder how many of these GLH were actually made originally? I had a “std.” (basic) one as a loaner from a small Audi dealer who said he had gotten it at auction at a low price (this was maybe 1990) because the main computer was going/had gone out on it (the computers were a lot more basic then) and it was like $1k-$1.5K to replace them and people didn’t want to pay up, so, it had maybe 50k miles, good condition except for the computer, which he changed out at dealer price – the computers are probably much cheaper now – they mostly controlled engine function, etc. – Oh yeah, it was also the 4 door, so a total Grandma-lookin’ buggy, but hot! (I know, sounds weird), but it was very happy running the Hollywood Canyon roads between SFV and WLA – so anyway, back to supply/demand, I wonder how rare this badge version is? Also, are those seat cover re-dos factory spec? What the author said about pulling the inter-cooler, I’m hoping he meant do that to get back to baseline to trouble-shoot the “ghost in the turbo” because it seems to me that the i.c. will add longevity to the drivetrain and a much higher quality-level of experience, AND, if the top-end value is, like $8k, you could take your time and upgrade the brakes, lights, etc., but in a low-key way so that people don’t see Vin Diesel in the background, and if you really want to put a ‘wink in your walk’ find a four door to do it to – it’s a bit longer, so perhaps more balance/larger footprint for longer distances, more resistance to torque-steer, etc., and more room for groceries, maybe tow a bigger yacht, that sort of thing. Mo-Par Go Far!
I bought an ’86 GLH-T new – what a blast! Would eat IROC Z’s at the stoplight, so they did have decent power straight from the factory.
Torque Steer – plenty!
Here’s a picture from back in the day.
I remember a few folks racing these when they were new. They were quick no doubt, but the engines never lasted. There was something wrong in the design that they would starve for oil and break. But the original Omni was developed by VW hence the similarities to the Rabbit. Except for that engine.
Indeed, my parents’ Plymouth 024 Miser (a different chassis, I think, but the same base drivetrain) had a VW-Audi stamping on the engine block. And while I liked the boxy Omnis, I loathed that Miser, with four widely-spaced looooong gears shifted by the worst linkage ever.