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Home Alone Hot Rod: 1985 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo

This 1985 Dodge Omni GLH is the desirable turbocharged hot hatch that surprised many more imposing performance cars back in the day. The seller has owned it for some time and provides plenty of detail on the tweaks and improvements he’s made, but unfortunately, the GLH has sat idle for the past four years after a no-start situation developed. Lots of good spares are included with the sale, and the Omni is listed here on eBay with an opening bid of $400 and no reserve.

The seller is already my kind of guy, with what looks like a 4WD Mitsubishi Delica on one end of the Omni, and a Cadillac CTS-V on the other. The level of detail provided about improvements made to the turbocharged hot hatch should also inspire confidence, ranging from OEM+ big brake upgrades to increased boost courtesy of a Forward Motion module. The seller notes the no-start condition seems to coincide with the fuel pump going silent upon start-up.

The original interior was (thankfully) swapped out with a minty seat of seats, carpets, and door panels from a Horizon. The seller notes the original color was something akin to “baby poop yellow”, so this is likely a major improvement, even if it hails from the era of bordello-red-everywhere. The seller notes all door hardware, including window regulators, were gone through and that everything works. Some amateur attempts at welding in floor patch panels have been attempted.

Under the hood looks pretty clean, with the familiar “Turbo” valve cover there to greet you and remind the curious that this is not your father’s Omni. The seller notes the timing belt was replaced 10 years/300 miles ago, and that the radiator is newer. An MSD coil has also been installed. The spares package includes a new graphics kit, GLH OEM ground effects, spare wheels, and a complete interior from a Dodge Shelby Charger. Did you catch our little reference in the title? Yep, this is a similar model of car as that driven by the pizza delivery boy who keeps knocking over the statue!

Comments

  1. Avatar Boris

    10 years and 300 miles ago? I find that quite hard to believe, esp with that “special” steering wheel in place.

    Like 3
  2. Avatar hatofpork

    Change the t-belt now!!!

    Like 2
  3. Avatar Superdessucke

    I don’t want to squabble but was red interior available with gold? Ugh. Reminds me of a funeral casket, which I guess given how these things torque steered is somewhat appropriate.

    Like 2
    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      He says in the ad that he replaced the ugly yellow interior with red.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Del

    Great parts car

    Like 1
  5. Avatar Brian Ach

    I feel like this may have been a swap, don’t remember it being available in that color.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar GTiDave

    Color is Gold Dust, I would guess rather rare since most were red, black, and silver.

    Like 1
    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      Must have been rare. My GLH-T was black, and I recall seeing Red and Blue ones, never Gold.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

    Lovely looking car. Given how long it’s been parked where it has, I imagine that lots of things need to be done to get this car back on the road.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

    Assuming that parts are still available, this can still be restored, at least to driveable condition.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar PRA4SNW

    These were fun and fast in stock form. With the mods he put in or planned, it would be insane!

    Like 1

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