Plymouth Emblem Wilit: The Man, The Myth, His Neon

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What is a Neon ACR?
1998 Plymouth Neon ACR
· 2.0 Litre DOHC
· 5 Speed "Perf. Manual"
· 4 Wheel Disc Brakes
· Koni SA Struts
· 22mm Front Sway Bar
· 19mm Rear Sway Bar
· 130 mph Speed Limiter
· Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
· 16:1 Steering Rack
· Heavy Duty Hubs

Factory Options
· Air Conditioning
· Rear Defrost
· Premium Sound System
· Flame Red Paint

Modifications
· Cold Air Intake
· 55mm Throttle Body
· Pacesetter Header
· Pacesetter Piping
· Flowmaster Muffler
· MPx Underdrive Pulley
· AF/X Race PCM
· MPP Motor Mounts
· MSD DIS-2 Ignition
· MSD Plug Wires
· B&M Short Throw Shifter
· Jamex Lowering Springs
· Energy Suspension Bushings
· Powerstop Drilled Rotors
· Front Strut Tower Brace
· Rear Strut Tower Brace
· Hawk Auto-x Pads
· Quantum Tek QT-11 17" wheels
· Yokohama Parada 205/40/17

neonbadge.jpg ACR stands for American Club Racer. However, the term ACR appears nowhere on the window sticker of the vehicle. ACR's are sold as the competetion package which starts life out as a Low-Line coupe or sedan. The coupes recieved the 150hp DOHC 2.0 litre motor, while the sedans recieved the 132hp SOHC 2.0 litre motor. This was done to meet SCCA power to weight ratio regulations. Along with the no frills exterior treatment, the interior and engine bay are spartan as well. In paying for the competetion package, you purchased no A/C, no radio, no ABS, no power windows or door locks, and no rear window defroster. However in newer models you could buy back A/C, a six speaker "premium" sound system w/cassette player, and a rear window defroster. In true ACR trim the cars were 85 pounds lighter than a fully optioned Neon, which translated into an improved 0-60 time of 7.6 seconds, and a 1/4 mile time of 15.8.
The Neon ACR is easily spotted by it's vacant fog light holes and lack of body side trim. Upon closer inspection you'll also notice the rear disc brakes, rear sway bar, and Koni single adjustable struts on all four corners. The difference between an ACR and any other Neon can be immediately noticed once you start driving the car. If you're brave enough, you'll notice the speed limiter does not kick in at 109 mph like on the other Neons. Also, 5th gear is a .81 ratio rather than a .72, so coupled with the 3.94 gears you'll still be able to pull in 5th. The car corners extremely well, except when pushed too hard. That's when the understeer demon rears its ugly head. This can be remedied by "dialing" in the suspension. Adding a little negative camber and stickier tires, the editors at Car and Driver were able to get a stock suspensioned neon to pull 1.04 g's on the skidpad. Not bad considering a Corvette Z06 will pull .99 g's in stock trim. Neon Front View
neoncluster.jpg The Neon was my first new car. My girlfriend at the time didn't like the Samurai because it was too loud and bumpy. So we began to look for a used VW Jetta. I had found the one I wanted on the used car side of Stan Morri Dodge in Tracy. Unfortunately, it was an automatic, and I was looking for a stick. So, the ever diligent salesman talked me into driving the Neon. It brought back all sorts of feelings of my lost SVO, and it was even cheaper NEW than the USED Jetta. So I bought, and drove it for the better part of 5 years, putting 63,000 miles on it. The car had reached that magical moment, where things began to go wrong, and since it was no longer under warranty, I began to think of trading it in for another NEW car. I had my reservations on selling the car to just anyone though. I was able to find a buyer who was enthusiastic about Neons as I was, and was sure he would take good care of it.
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