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| Photo credit: Car and Driver |
Small, front wheel drive four-pot high performance cars are some of my favorite vehicles on the road. These “pocket rockets” have the
daily drivability and gas mileage of a basic four cylinder economy car, with a
little bit of something else thrown in the mix. One analogy that often comes to
mind with these pocket rockets is a bowl of grits. Plain grits, without any
seasoning or additions, are inherently quite bland. Basic econobox sedans and
coupes unfortunately fall under the umbrella of these “plain grits”. They get
the job done, but are quite joyless about it. There is no pizzazz, no verve,
and no spirit about the way they get you to point A. Now, these performance
models are the spicy, seasoned grits that require half a gallon of water just
to choke down. With the exception of slightly warmed over “sport” models that
change nothing but the wheels and badges, these feisty powerhouses often take
high performance engines, sport tuned suspensions, and beefy transmissions, and
cram them into the cheap, light shell of an econobox. Cars like the Cobalt SS
Turbo, Shelby Omni GLHS, and the Integra R cement the whole “cheap and
cheerful” mentality for those who want performance AND usability. Often with
huge wings, flashy graphics, and large wheels, I always stop to admire these
tuned terrors.
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Whenever I stumble out of my dorm building on my way to
class, I always cast a sideways glance at the Flame Red Dodge Neon R/T sedan parked front and center in the student priority parking section. With its “2.0
Magnum” and “R/T” badges, 5 speed
tranny, dual exhaust, and large wheels, the R/T Neon seems to play the part of
a hard-line sportscar, but unfortunately falls prey to lackluster performance
figures. Its 150 horsepower engine fails
to divvy up the power necessary to move the 2800 lb. bulk in anything but a
moderately nippy pace. Despite these dreary performance handicaps, the Neon
always catches my attention for a few reasons. One, it is quite uncommon. And
two, it carries the storied R/T badge, which I find a bit ironic.
Back in the 60’s and early
70’s, any Dodge cars wearing the R/T badge were tarmac burners who terrorized
pony cars from stoplight-to-stoplight. The Road/Track designated muscle car
bruisers were known for their big engines, big bodies, and beefy suspensions
set for the drag strip. As Dodge continued to slap the R/T badge on to models
well into the ‘80s and 90’s, the R/T badge began to show up on some less-than
stellar performers. Models like the Durango and Aspen were limp underachievers
that slowly undermined the respect that R/T had built up from the ‘60s, with
R/T eventually finding its way on the Stratus, Journey, and the car in
question, the Neon. Virtually every Dodge vehicle found a sporty sibling with a
shiny R/T badge. In the mid 70’s when the gas crisis struck a V8-obsessed
America, the scramble for small, front wheel drive cars contributed to the
death of the large, heavy, and quite thirsty muscle car formula. The Neon is a
direct descendant of this malaise-era mentality of small engine, low
performance, high mileage economy models. Not content with contributing
to the downfall of the muscle car era, the Neon becomes an unholy abomination
who unsuccessfully attempts to cannibalize the identity of its fallen brethren.
It becomes, in my mind, the complete opposite of what it tries to mimic.
Instead of causing me to recall the epic 426 Coronet, Challenger, or Charger, I
think of bailouts, outdated chassis, and poor quality. The R/T badge is
something to be venerated, not slapped willy nilly on any four wheeled product
that rolls out of Detroit.
This extreme badge dilution
brings a bit of melancholy to my mind. While I am well aware that the “true”
modern performance Dodge vehicles proudly wear the SRT badge, I find the R/T
badge a bit more meaningful. In my mind, it’s something akin to the memory of
an old friend. The badge is a remainder from the “good ‘ol days”, days full of
quarter miles and stoplight burnouts. The Street Racing Technology line doesn’t
do much for me. It’s right there, in the name: Street. While yes, these modern
cars are more powerful than their R/T counterparts, R/T signifies something a
bit wilder, a demon not quite comfortable with life on the street. Road/Track
signifies a duality within the name that holds so much more power than other
competitors. SuperSport (SS), GT, GTO, these names, outside of those in the
know, don’t signify much. Road/Track bluntly outlines what this vehicle was
created to do. R/T cars from yore were delegated to track duty on
weekends, followed by a splash of racing between the lights on the drive home.
In short, Dodge, it’s time to reclaim the crown. Put the Track back into
Road/Track!
