Some enthusiasts find pleasure in showing off their ride at cars and coffee on Saturdays, or taking it to an auto show for their chance at some trophies and fame. Others like hitting the track on weekends for a bit of performance-pushing power, or prefer snaking their way down a canyon like petrol-powered bobsledders. And then there are the guys who find that the greatest pleasure comes from breaking a car down to its bare bones, and then rebuilding it from the ground up. This is where some of the greatest innovations in automotive history began and where many concepts are born, far from the engineering laboratories of the world’s biggest automakers. Every day, in garages and shops across the country, friends and family members meet-up to have a few beers and turn some wrenches on their project cars.
A project car is typically considered as a vehicle that is purchased inexpensively and needs a bit of love in one form or another. As the auto industry has evolved, so have the DIY guys and aftermarket shops, and nowadays there are entire industries dedicated solely to producing third-party components and accessories.
3. The DSM (1989-1999) During an odd turn of events in the late 1980s, Mitsubishi and the Chrysler Group joined forces to make a bevy of turbocharged performance cars. This unusual union was known as Diamond Star Motors (DSM), and popular vehicles included the Mitsubishi Eclipse, the Eagle Talon, and the Plymouth Laser. All of these cars were essentially the same thing, they just had slightly different styling cues and badges. What makes these cars so special is that certain models were offered with a manual gearbox, all-wheel drive, and a turbo. And while finding one in good working order may be as rare, engine swaps are relatively inexpensive, and many gearheads can rebuild the car’s 4G63 engine for pennies on the dollar.
Source :
Sam Becker /Autos Cheat Sheet
