The amount of Shelby-modified Dodge products from the 1980s that continue to pop up for sale reminds me how popular these turbocharged econoboxes once were. When you think about how few Dodge Neon ACRs or SRTs ever come up for grabs, the original Mopar hot hatches seemed to survive at a much higher rate. The seller of these two cars listed here on craigslist is offering a 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger and a 1987 Shelby CSX for the combo price of $8,500 or best offer, and both cars come with a significant assortment of spare parts and upgrades.
The Charger is equipped with a desirable Turbo II engine conversion, along with that appears to be a very clean interior. The interior condition is believable when you note that it has under 70,000 original miles, but it still has plenty of cosmetic needs. The Turbo II upgrade came when Dodge unveiled the GLH-S version of the Charger (may the Mopar gods strike me down if I have that wrong) and upped the ante to 175 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque. The seller notes this car will also come with a brand new gas tank, which suggests there’s plenty of additional work to do to get it running again.
As someone who never quite warmed up to the looks of the Charger, the CSX is much more my speed. The CSX came in two varieties, not unlike the Charger and Omni, but the CSX was labeled the VNT with its unique “Variable Nozzle Turbo” set up. The seller’s car is the standard issue CSX, and it has certainly been in project-car status for some time. The original wheels are missing and the rear bumper has been removed and carefully stored to prevent damage. The seller doesn’t tell us much about the mechanical health of this car, but does note it comes with “..$3,000 in specialized, rare vintage engine and trim parts meticulously saved for these specific cars.”
As you can see, the engine has been mothballed for some time. What’s curious about both of these cars is that a prior owner was clearly planning for big things when it came to putting them back on the road. The assortment of spare parts and the tracking down of components for restoration like the spare gas tank are the trappings of someone who wanted to put these Shelby-built hot rods back on the road. Sadly, they either lost interest or never got the chance, but it looks like a great opportunity for someone with the time to get them running again. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for the find.
CL ad shows “SOLD!!” already.
Carroll Shelby could belch into a paper bag and someone would buy it.
Same could be said for Taylor Swift or Benny Hill..
Or Benny Hinn!!!
Especially if he signed it for them.
The Turbododge community is very close-knit and chances are that word of this ad got disseminated within their ranks just hours (if not seconds) after it was published… Which is why it seems they sell so quickly.
I’ve never forgiven Dodge for allowing the Charger nameplate to appear on these vehicles. God help anyone wishing to restore one of these. They were horrible when new, so I can’t imagine one that’s 40 years old.
They were actually great cars for the days. Unfortunately the turbo 2.2 engines were notorious for head gasket failure. Well engineered otherwise. I have been told that it was, as usual, the bean counters, insisted on soft material for the gaskets as a cost savings. Later turbos and 2.5 turbos had better ones, but the early ones are burned and scored pistons just waiting to happen. A non turbo 2.2 with FI was enough engine for these, esp with a stick. I feel the 2.5 as an option would have been good enough, not the turbo. Despite my blue oval loyalty, I will be the first to admit that despite the stupid head gasket material choice, Chrysler made the best four cylinder engines of the era. Of course, Ford aced the V8 lead status in the day, but that would not have fit this particular car platform.
I see this type of thing so often in Miata sales/community online. So many people buy an older car, have huge ambitious dreams, spend a small fortune on rare parts and replacement pieces and then.. it never gets off the ground.
I often think this is because real engine and body work is much harder than a lot of people think. Buying parts is the easy part of the equation if you have the funds, but putting them to good use and ending up with a solid dream car is much more difficult. So at some point they just give up and sell the whole project away.
WOW! – TWO Shelby’s (sort of) for only $8500?
Unless you had one, don’t throw stones. I had 2. Easily built to a 150 MPH car. Great MPG. Fun little car. Usually drove it before my 2 owner 67 GT350.
Already sold. Hope someone will get these back on the road.
I used to see a few of these in so Cal Pick a Parts in pretty good shape, that was back in the mid 1990’s….