If you were an American amateur racing fan in the 1990s, the Neon Challenge needs no introduction. This single-make race series was engineered from the ground up to promote Mopar’s new compact runabout. The plucky little Neon may not have gone down as the most robust or long-lived commuter car to ever come out of Detroit, but it was undeniably fun to drive, and this build ticks all the right boxes. This home-built tribute is for sale in Houston, Texas for $6,500 via the Rad For Sale Facebook group. Let’s take a look.
Per owner Kenny Ellis, a well-known figure in the Neon community, this ’97 Neon ACR Coupe sports the period-correct black-and-yellow paint job that was featured on the actual Neon Challenge factory race cars in 1996 and 1997. This one comes with 86,000 miles on the odometer and no rust on the body. A solid start.
Under the hood, you get a blueprinted block and head (both stock, per the seller) along with a custom catless exhaust and ported intake manifold. The transmission runs a 3.55 final drive with a Quaife limited-slip differential; the seller says a “good” 3.94 gearbox is also included. The oil pan has been upgraded to a Moroso part and the seller also installed oil- and water-pressure gauges along with a water temp gauge. All valve seals are new, along with the water pump and timing belt.
As for the tribute artwork itself, there’s good news on two fronts: it’s all included and it’s vinyl, so you can remove it if you’d just like to cruise around in a clean 1997 Dodge Neon ACR Coupe. We won’t judge; there aren’t too many clean ones left — especially with the “big” motor. While the Neon ACR sedans got the same 132-horsepower engine found in the standard Neon, the Coupe shipped with the 150-horse variant out of the R/T.
This car has obviously been put together by somebody who knows their stuff; be sure to check out the listing if you’re in the market for a cherry example of one of America’s least-appreciated sport compacts.
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