The truth about the Dodge Omni GLH: Did it really GLH?

J.G.
By J.G. Pasterjak
Apr 20, 2023 | Dodge, Radwood, omni, Dodge Omni GLH, Omni GLH | Posted in Features | From the May 2023 issue | Never miss an article

Photography Credit: Mark Langello

We lived through the ’80s and ’90s and spent a lot of time with the era’s greatest hits–drove them, raced them, even knew them when they still had that new car smell. We fondly remember shopping for Kamei air dams, Hella lamps and 14-inch tires.

But were the cars of those times really that rad? 

We wondered that ourselves, so we ditched the rose-colored glasses for a few to take a look back. Were they all winners, or did a few duds get released? Let’s slip on some Vans, break out the vinyl and take a trip back in time.

This week, we're looking at one of Shelby's later creations, the Dodge Omni GLH.

The problem with the Omni GLH is the “Omni” part of the equation. However much work Shelby did to these cars, they were still just lousy cars to begin with. When under strain, somehow every part in the interior would rub against every other part in the interior to create a brown-note-esque groan that did little to make the already mediocre experience any better.

Performance, if you could get over the general awfulness, was pretty good, and can be easily made better with improvised boost controllers due to fairly simple turbo plumbing and controls. Still, it kind of doesn’t matter how much horsepower you make, because none of it is ever getting to the ground. Instead, it turns into vibration, wheelspin and chassis shake. 

My recommendation is to boost it until the engine blows the head clean off, then leave it at the side of the road and walk away.

Verdict: Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Buy one and never drive it and you’ll love it.

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Comments
porschenut
porschenut HalfDork
4/20/23 8:44 a.m.

Not true if driven properly.  Yes there was no traction control so a stupid launch would fail.  But if done right it would smoke the BFG TAs all the way thru first gear.  On the right tires it handled pretty well, but I only got 10K out of a set even with flipping front to back.  Even with aero of a brick it would top out in the 120s and gave more than one 944 fits in the curves or highway.  For the money (<9K) it was the fastest thing out there and the fastest 4 door american car of the era.  I bought one of the last ones in August '86, put an ASC sunroof on and peeled off all the stickers.  When my wife went into labor we set a record getting to the hospital 5 minutes before her water broke. 

What it didn't do was last.  Dead stock at 50K it blew the head gasket.  By 60K it needed a water pump and alternator, went thru 5 sets of tires and 3 sets of front strut mounts.  It was a noisy rattle prone POS but the most fun I had in a car for a while.  Would I buy another? No.  Did I regret this one? GLHell no.

Qaaaaa
Qaaaaa New Reader
4/20/23 11:34 a.m.

I once dated a girl whose dad had one of these when they were new. While within the warranty period, the transmission failed, so it was replaced for free. The replacement began to indicate imminent failure on the cusp of warranty expiration. So, he unhooked the odometer drive cable and ran it til that one popped, then hooked it back up, and towed it to the dealership. Transmission number three began to make funny noises, so he pulled it and rebuilt it in their kitchen. He's a BMW master tech, but did that one at home for reasons I never fully understood. When he drove his newborn daughter home from the hospital, there was little to no floor remaining; so the Omni went away, replaced by an SN95 Cobra. All that, and he still spoke highly of the car.

hobiercr
hobiercr GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
4/20/23 11:52 a.m.

The car I learned to drive on was an '82 Omni/Horizon, 4spd with iirc the VW engine. I say both names because our car had an Omni badge on the left and a Horizon badge on the right from the dealer. Fake wood paneling, no tach, and an 85mph speedo. I beat the ever-loving snot out of that car and remember when I was racing against a buddy on one of our local fun roads and he remarked how high I was lifting inside wheels on some turns. What I'm saying is, even the non-GLH cars were a hoot.

When I started driving the Omni to my first jobs I would shift into 4th at 75mph and wrap the needle all the way under the bottom and back to zero. There was this one stretch of road that just begged for you to stretch a car's legs. Good times.

porschenut
porschenut HalfDork
4/20/23 11:53 a.m.

Oh, also did great bootleg turns.  Get up to 30 spin the wheel and yank the brake.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
4/20/23 12:06 p.m.

You could say, this was rattley, or this broke a 60k, etc. But so did a lot of performance cars of the mid 80s. ZX300s, 944s, Camaros, Mustangs? Yup, all of them had issues. It was the 80s. 

I've always, irrationally, loved the Omni.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
4/20/23 2:55 p.m.

When I started autocrossing, I remember a dude running a regular Omni in H Stock. You don’t usually see that anymore. 

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/20/23 3:11 p.m.
Qaaaaa said:

I once dated a girl whose dad had one of these when they were new. While within the warranty period, the transmission failed, 

That seems to be an issue with chrysler cars of that era. I remember my parents buying an Aspen Station wagon, 9 days old the four speed locked up in 2nd gear and had to go back to the dealer for a new trans. Manual transmissions should not get stuck in gear.

Tom1200
Tom1200 UberDork
4/20/23 3:20 p.m.

The build quality of these was only rivaled by Eastarn Bloc cars. OK maybe not that bad but they were awful....................but they were awfully fun to drive as well.

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/20/23 8:18 p.m.
Appleseed said:

You could say, this was rattley, or this broke a 60k, etc. But so did a lot of performance cars of the mid 80s. ZX300s, 944s, Camaros, Mustangs? Yup, all of them had issues. It was the 80s. 

I've always, irrationally, loved the Omni.

And the 70s were worse!

hobiercr
hobiercr GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
4/20/23 8:34 p.m.

In reply to porschenut :

ALL berkeleying day!

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