Name me a sleeper?

Any late '80s Turbo Mopar.

Dodge Diplomat with the 360.

VR6 Passat

STS-V. As large as a planet, but quicker in a straight line than a CTS-V.

Sky_Render wrote: Any late '80s Turbo Mopar.

Are we talking stock or modified? Naturally, I think a sleeper is modified, but turbo mopars were not really that fast (in today's world) stock.

I love Merkurs, and I almost bought one the other week. Then I remembered brand new in the 80's it only made 175hp and weighs 3k plus pounds.

Will wrote: STS-V. As large as a planet, but quicker in a straight line than a CTS-V.

+1

This is my next victim when I get tired of having a manual in my DD. These can be had as low as $11k

E55 Wagon and the *500E.

*EDIT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S-Vyf6GxZQ

My old unicorn. Pissed off way too many people in that thing. Numerous s197 GTs, sr20det swapped, 240sx, sti's all fell to my lowly forester. The best is burbling next to a cop car at a light, and he is looking for the brotato in the non existent STI.

'05 Subaru Wagon GT. The only year available with the 5-speed manual.

Lets include the '06-'07 Mazdaspeed6. It looks like any 4-door Mazda6 - no wings/scoops etc.

Assuming that you are only talking about stock unmodified cars, there are a few that people don't expect to be as quick as they are.

The turbo LNF engine in the Cobalt SS gives you a small sedan that looks like all the others but has 260 bhp. Can't say the same thing for other manufacturers - their hot pocket rockets all look the part because they have added scoops and wings - WRX, Mazdaspeed etc.

Other cars that surprise people are any Porsche Cayenne and Panamera (nothing that large should be able to accelerate like that, even the non-turbo models) and the BMW Utes with the hot engine - the X5M is one damned fast truck that looks essentially identical to the versions with half the power.

JohnRW1621 wrote: I once had a rental car that was surprisingly quick and unassuming. Pontiac G6 GXP which had 3900 V6. Source says 0-60 in 5.9 seconds

Later versions had the 3.6L with vvt and put out an extra 25 hp. Looking to find a wrecked one down the road and swap it into my '05 Malibu (both epsilon platform) which is about 200 lbs lighter. That's my sleeper plan.

The supercharged Cobalt SS is still a sleeper even though it doesn't have the power of the turbo version. The cool wheels do attract some attention though. The first generation Mazdaspeed 3 makes it. The Infiniti M45 is a forgotten one too. I would also go with a late model Impala SS. They are FWD yet have the 300hp 5.3 engine.

I'm going to take a leap and add the "boring looking" 04-06 GTO to this list. Only because I've known too many non-car people who can't tell between that and a Grand Prix.

The Mazda 626 turbo from the late 80s was a lot faster than anybody would have thought. Handled great for a grocery getter too. Lots of very pricey performance cars have seen the tail lights of my modified TR8s over the years.

As usual I have to put the definitive answer in here. We all know about it now but in its day you thought it was some idiot in a MG next to you. I am of course talking about the Sunbeam Tiger.

Modified? 1990 Ford Festiva with a B6T swap. They'll never see it coming.

wspohn wrote: .... the BMW Utes with the hot engine - the X5M is one damned fast truck that looks essentially identical to the versions with half the power.

Except it has what look like 15" wide rear tires.

I love sleepers! I've got a couple, a Galant VR4 and a Legacy GT Wagon. I'd add these to the list...

F150 Lightning Celica All Trac Mitsubishi Colt GT Toyota X Runner Turbo Toyota Pickups

Most any new minivan. They are all much quicker then people expect, and can embarrass a lot of "sporty" cars in a strait line.

Kind of stretching it, but the Nissan Juke R has to be the ultimate factory sleeper. For only $600k or so, Nissan will build you a Juke with GTR running gear.

06HHR wrote: I'm actually seriously thinking about taking the drivetrain out of my 96 Bonneville SSEi and putting it into a 99 Pontiac Montana minivan.. That would certainly qualify!

This has crossed my mind multiple times, it doesn't help that I follow the Honda guys with the One Lap Oydessy

How about a debadged and lightly modded Jag XJ-12?

My old SAAB c900 turbo sedan, lightly modded, surprised many a ricer in the early nineties

I'm not sure that they really qualify as sleepers, but Infinity FX45s are never owned by people that have any idea what their true potential is. I guess the same could be said of all V8 Infinity owners.

4th gen and newer Nissan Maxima

Infiniti FX50--not as subtle in the looks department, but still one mighty fast SUV/crossover thingy

A WRX but with a front mount intercooler, 17" blandish wheels, regular exhaust, no stickers or appearance mods or anything that they like to put on there, and a regular Impreza hood. People will just think it's a regular commuter impreza.

How about one of the 4 door Jaguars that used the Chevy TH400 automatic... Swap in a better/newer automatic and a LS* of your choice. How much tire can you bury beneath a XJ Jag?

RossD wrote: How about one of the 4 door Jaguars that used the Chevy TH400 automatic... Swap in a better/newer automatic and a LS* of your choice. How much tire can you bury beneath a XJ Jag?

That would be the XJ-12 sedan. Nothing wrong with that engine, it just needs a bit of tuning, an LS would slow it down and make sound less cool.

My yard.

I've got a Spirit R/T, a turbo Caravan, a 323 GTX, a modified MINI Cooper S, and a 2.0L 16V GTI.

I like sleepers.