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Dodge Omni GLHS
While Europe was embracing the hot hatch class and developing it further in the mid-80’s, America seemed uninterested. The Golf GTI sold well in the states, but domestic manufacturers didn’t produce any hot hatch models. This was until the legendary Carroll Shelby teamed up with Dodge to produce his version of the compact Omni model. Called the Omni GLH, it was a proper hot hatch and one of the best affordable performance models money could buy in those days.
Nobody expected Dodge could produce a hot hatch that could beat the European competitors, but with Shelby’s help, it did just that. Shelby took a 2.2-liter four-cylinder and added a turbocharger to produce a total output of 175 HP. It could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than seven seconds. This was impressive and highly competitive for the day. Dodge gave the Omni GLH some special suspension modifications and other bits, so it could handle all that power.
The best thing about this car is the name GLH. It meant “Goes like Hell.” Shelby and Dodge produced an improved version called the GLHS, which stood for “Goes like Hell S`more.” They made just 500 of those models.