With the immense popularity enjoyed by the Dodge Charger during its early days, things changed quickly not long after, as muscle car desirability began to dwindle. As with most cars, some offerings bearing the Charger moniker are more fondly remembered than others, and I’m guessing the base model fifth-generation examples are unlikely to make very many top-ten lists. However, good things start to happen whenever Carroll Shelby steps in, regardless of what particular vehicle his eyes are on. This 1985 Dodge Shelby Charger here on eBay is no exception, and it’s a low-mileage survivor that’s been in the same family since new. For the period, this is one highly-respectable Mopar, and it’s located in Loganville, Georgia, for those who wish to check the car out in person. The seller has set a buy-it-now price of $14,000, but he may consider less as there’s also the chance to make an offer.
For the most part, the eighties were generally not a time when performance was the main focus of typical auto buyers. However, considering what Carroll had to work with, he succeeded in taking the front-wheel-drive Charger and turning it into something exciting for the time. Shelby added a turbocharger to the inline four-cylinder engine, providing 7 pounds of boost with spurts of up to 9 PSI, with top horsepower ratings approaching the 150 mark. Originally, the Shelby Charger could be had with an automatic, but sales numbers proved that the majority of drivers wanted a stick-shift, and that option was dropped after 1984. The seller says that the motor still runs great, and the 5-speed manual transmission goes through all gears smoothly.
If a car was to wear the Shelby name, it needed to look the part outside as well, so some extra body trim was added in order to proclaim to passersby that this was no ordinary Charger. Shades of red, silver, or blue were all possibilities, with this one wearing the latter color. The lighter accented hood, roof, hatch, and body moldings work great here, as does the side stripe proclaiming the Shelby name behind the doors. The paint here is original, and although it’s said to have a few flaws, the seller assures us his Charger has always been garaged, with the finish still displaying a nice shine.
The interior is both spiffy and sporty, combining good looks with buckets that seem like they would provide great support and hours worth of comfort. Everything inside remains in decent or better condition, with the appearance reflecting how I’d hope a well-cared-for 66k-mile auto with this age would look. $14,000 isn’t exactly a giveaway cost, but this seems like a fun car for the money, and I’d be more than proud to be the next owner here. What are your thoughts on this 1985 Dodge Shelby Charger? Did Carroll meet his objective here?
Nice article, attractive car though ‘four cyl muscle’ feels like an oxymoron! … I think by the eighties buyers and manufacturers were striving to capture performance once again, and we saw a flush of turbocharged cars into the market. This configuration was never what I associate with Shelby but it caught my eye nontheless.
I’ve always liked these. It’s a far cry from a fire breathing 440 big block from 15 years or so earlier. But these were the times. Shelby definitely worked his talent on these and I always thought they made a nice package. The shade of blue and burgundy they used looks beautiful. They both compliment the silver stripes nicely. Remember, in its day, these did very well. They performed respectfully. Its very impressive that one family owned and took care of this one. And sad they have to let it go after all this time. But I hope it stays this nice.
Like the colors, the Turbo, and the 5sp. 😎 👍 🏁
When we went to buy our ’86 Turbo Z we had the choice of a red automatic or a 5 speed solid black car. Liked the red car until we drove it and went back and bought the black one. Red car was really a pig. Nice car here.
Could you get a turbo in a standard Charger? I don’t recall. By the time this was out it wasn’t practical for me having a family and all. The Daytona could come with a turbo (and they did have great seats) but I always like the styling of the standard Charger of this era better. Nicer hood line with 4 headlamps, not so gawdy in my opinion. I remember driving these, bad turbo lag, but sure was fun when it came on, though, best be careful which way your car was positioned when it did. I also recall head gasket troubles, did they ever fix that?
No turbo was available in the standard Charger or the similar Plymouth Turismo.
However, the standard Charger/Turismo from ’84-on were optionally available with the non-turbo 2.2L “High Output” (cammed and raised compression) engine of the early (’83-84) Dodge Shelby Chargers and the base-spec Omni GLH. These were called the “Charger 2.2” and “Turismo 2.2” packages, including a decal/stripe kit calling that out, rocker skirts, and a front air dam.
No. For L-bodies, the 2.2 turbo was in the 1985-87 Shelby Charger and 1985-86 GLH only. It was standard in the former and optional in the latter.
This is a really nice example of these cars. In the latest Mopar Collectors Guide magazine there is an article about one of these tuned to run in the 9’s!! And it is still street driven. So the potential is there if you know what you are doing.
It is hard to imagine Carrol ever expecting to see a 9 from this platform, but it can happen.
And 14K for anything clean with a Shelby nameplate seems like a bargain…
These Turbos were a ton of fun with the 5 speed. The Automatic was a dog!! I remember when these were new and i don’t know why people bought Automatics. And people were told super unleaded fuel only and before turning off. Let it idle for a minute or two. But, people are people a lots of warranty work done on these. These cars when new were expensive and the customer was handle differently from the other customers. Because these were Shelby Turbos. Also Mobil one oil only there were stickers near the radiator support. I happen to drive few of these.(lucky me) Yes you better to holding the steering tight and focus on your driving. But, boy oh boy what fun!!😂 it’s a fair price for this model. I wonder if the grandfather raced this Shelby since the AC was removed. 🤔 Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸