Joliet, Illinois – A while back, we listed the Dodge Stealth as number three on our list of the best captive imports, only behind the alphabet soup XR4ti and the LS-Powered Holdens from GM Down Under.
If you’ve never heard of one, the Stealth is a badge-engineered version of the Mitsubishi 3000GT with nearly identical mechanicals but a totally unique body styled by Dodge in Detroit.
And when it comes to Dodge Stealth trims, the undisputed top dog is the Stealth R/T Twin Turbo All-Wheel Drive.
What makes this particular trim so special? Well, how about a dual overhead cam 3.0L V6 making over 300 horsepower, coupled to a manual transmission that sends power to a sophisticated all-wheel drive system. Competent drivers had no problem pushing this car into the low 13s, which easily put it on par with a contemporary Corvette.
So…yeah…this thing scoots. And for us late Gen X’er gearheads into the import scene, the Stealth was Dodge’s poster car even more so than the vaunted Viper.
Suffice it to say, we made a beeline to its owner during the Hot Rod Power Tour to get the details behind it.
“My 1970 Challenger was in pieces and I needed a Mopar with air conditioning,” says the man named Sugar Ray.
“I do a lot of Mopar shows, so that’s why I got a Dodge rather than a 3000GT,” he adds.
Turns out that Sugar Ray has owned a handful of classic Mopars in the past, yet this relatively modern Dodge has a few big advantages over those vintage muscle car icons.
“Rack and pinion, fuel injection, independent rear suspension, air conditioning, all-wheel drive. It’s all in it,” he laughs. “My 1970 Challenger T/A had none of that. None of it.”
We asked him some specifics about the car and got a great education in the process.
Since Sugar Ray’s is an R/T turbo, it got a mandatory manual. Base non-turbo R/T models had an optional automatic. That’s because the manual transmission was the only one strong enough to handle the 300+ horsepower of the boosted 3.0L.
And since Sugar Ray’s is a 1995 model, that output is closer to 325 hp.
Walk around the car and you’ll see a few discreet hints at its Mitsubishi lineage, specifically in the engine bay and again on some of the glass decals.
As alluded to earlier, the Stealth’s cousin is the Mitsubishi GTO (sold domestically as the 3000GT to avoid trademark entanglements with Pontiac). The Mitsubishi analog to the top-tier Stealth R/T AWD Twin Turbo spec is the 3000GT “VR-4” designation.
While a Stealth of any flavor is pretty rare nowadays, the R/T Twin Turbo models are true unicorns.
“In 1995, they only made 200 of them and then the last year in 1996 they only made 57,” Sugar Ray tells us. “There are a lot more of the Mitsubishi versions than the Dodge. Out of those 200, probably 100 of them are left.”
“A lot of guys would come up and say ‘Wow, you got a lot of money in this,” Sugar Ray laughs. “Well, when you spend your money, you can drink it away, you can gamble it away, or you go out in the garage. It’s therapy.”
…And with a super rare Captive Import in his garage, we’re glad Sugar Ray is getting plenty of good therapy sessions in nowadays.
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