We can mostly all agree that more power coming from your engine is a good thing. That extra go-faster feeling pressing you into the back of your seat as the speedometer goes up and the gas gauge goes down is one of the universal joys of driving a true performance machine.
One of the ways car makers add performance to their cars is through
boosting the intake through a turbo or supercharger. In fact, many manufacturers these days have
opted to develop boosted four bangers in place of larger displacement engines
in their vehicles. The Jaguar XF, the
BMW 3-Series and the Hyundai Sonata are a few examples of cars that have
replaced larger displacement with turbo technology. The results yielded from this approach are
fun low torque curves and improved fuel economy.
Of course not all cars that have received boosting are what you would call your stereotypical performance vehicle. Here
are a few of my favorite sleepers that fly under the radar.
Oldsmobile LSS, 1996-1998
This car could be optioned out with GM’s supercharged 3.8L V6 that
put out a healthy 240hp and 280 lb. – ft. of torque. That may not seem like much, but it was
enough to propel this Olds to 60mph in around 7 seconds – and if we remember
what passed for performance back in the mid-90’s, that’s pretty good. Sure, GM put this motor in everything from
the Monte Carlo to the Buick Park Avenue Ultra, but I feel that it’s in the best sleeper
guise in the LSS. It makes no effort to
appear sporty on the outside and it’s still small enough for the supercharger
to make a noticeable impact.
Mercedes-Benz C230, 1999-2000
This the first four door to wear the Kompressor badge on its rear
end. The C230 was the base model C-Class
available in North America at the time, but the engine under its hood delivered
much more than entry level performance. The
motor in question is a supercharged 2.3L four cylinder producing 185hp and
200ft-lb of torque. Although it seems
kind of underwhelming on paper, this baby-Benz is a blast to drive. The boost doesn’t kick in right away, but
when it does the car changes personality and rockets you down the road. And whereas the Oldsmobile puts its power
down from the front wheels, this Merc spins its tires at the back... just like
a proper performance sedan should!
Ford Thunderbird Supercoupe, 1988-1995
Ok, so the Thunderbird may have more of a sporty image than the last
two lending less credence to the whole sleeper theme of this post. So, just keep in mind this car was more of a
personal luxury coupe rather than a sports car (that, after all, was what the
Mustang was for). That being said, the
introduction of a supercharged 3.8L V6 with over 300ft-lb of torque was
certainly blurring the boundaries of where the Thunderbird fell on the
performance spectrum. Acceleration to
60mph happened in a hair over 6.5 seconds (just a half second or so behind the
1988 Corvette).
Volvo S70 T5, 1998-2000
This one is probably my favorite sleeper car that I have never
driven. No one suspects a boxy safety-mobile
like a Volvo, right? This brick on
wheels was powered by a turbocharged 2.3L 5 cylinder engine that put out about
240hp and about the same amount of torque.
However, it was one of the fastest production four door cars of its
time. It could go from 0-60mph in under
6 seconds and it had a top speed of 155mph!
With all that speed, it’s a good thing Volvo makes some of the safest
cars on the planet!
So that’s just a small sample of some of the neat cars out there that
maybe you never really considered to be sporty or fun. It pays to do your research, especially if
you’re in the market for a fun vehicle, since the cars listed in this post can
usually be found in pretty good condition for just a few thousand dollars. That makes them amazing value for the
money. I know if I ever scrape enough
cash together for a funmobile, I’ll definitely be taking a close look at some
of these boosted sleepers!
TTFN
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