When we bought Dorothy (yes the car has a name), we were looking for a used four door with a 5 speed. Little did we know that she was a unicorn; something that is talked about on occasion but none have seen. We are her third owner and she has been in this area since she was new. In fact the Dodge dealership where we bought her is the same location from which she was originally sold. At the local car gatherings, most disregard the ground effects that Dodge installed and think ‘This is just a Spirit’. But when they see the 5 speed and look under the hood, the question comes, “Is this a Spirit?” We gladly answer: No, it is a Spirit R/T. So I tell them the tale of Dodge closing out that body style with a squeal….tire squeal that is. The production ran from 1991 to 1992 with a total number of units less than 1,400. Who knows how many are still around. I have never seen another and I have only met 1 or 2 folks that have. You could order white with snow flake wheels. You could order red with snow flake wheels and in 1992 you could order silver with (you guessed it) snow flake wheels. The silver ones can be compared to a unicorn sitting on a rainbow, or so I have been told. In my opinion, Chrysler took everything that they had learned from the Carroll Shelby days (1980’s) and said “let dad have some fun while saving gas”. So when you look under the hood you see a 2.2L bottom end by Dodge. Then you see a dual overhead cam that operates 16 valves in a HEMI configuration. When you add a multi port fuel injection system force fed by a Garett AiResearch turbo charger run through an intercooler, boys and girls, daddy has a sleeper! By the way, everything above the bottom end was designed by Lotus of England; not too shabby. Did I mention the 3 inch exhaust?! This is attached to a 5 speed German Getrig transmission, which makes her a very fun car. The front suspension was made especially for this car, rather than use the basic Spirit suspension. It has aluminum “A” arms with a 1.13 inch sway-bar. She turns and sticks well to the road. She is not a show car but very nice. She has a clean CARFAX. At some time she was repainted (base coat/clear coat). It is a good paint job, but an older one with nicks and scratches. The L/H corner of the rear plastic bumper has been popped. Everything on the car works. These are the service items we have done beyond the normal: transmission rebuilt (chipped reverse gear), air conditioner hoses replaced, air conditioner replaced, thermostat replaced, water pump replaced, drive shafts rebuilt and replaced, transmission shock strut replaced with a bobble strut (Forward Motion, Inc.), timing belt with timing belt routing modification (designed and manufactured by Forward Motion, Inc. [GOOD people]), headliner replaced, & trip odometer repaired. While replacing the radio system (I still have the original radio) I noticed the driver’s door had been replaced, for which there is no record providing a reason. Things you will notice about Dorothy: She is very clean, inside, outside and under. Things she would like to have done: an oil pan seal (because it drips some) and a muffler will be needed soon. I have the muffler, but have not yet had it installed (I like the little rumble!). You may ask, ‘since she is so special why sell the car?’ Simply, we need the garage space. Our desire for Dorothy is to find a home that will appreciate what she is and enjoy her. There was a surprising amount written about the Spirit R/T that you can find online. A couple of things that may interest you are the 1992 Dodge Shadow/Spirit/Caravan Motor Trend commercial on YouTube and videos of a street racer (also on YouTube) called Whitey (for the BAD paint job). Just search for - 91 Spirit R/T, Whitey. Don’t do this to my car!
