Nay-tona 

I don’t care I like K cars I like how they squeezed so many personality’s out of one platform

I remember riding in my friends Daytona turbo z in high school. We was doing 115 and my brother flew by us in his 79 Camaro . He was out of sight in no time.

Steve - the fact that you do these in one take is absolutely amazing. I’ve been reading and watching your work for a very long time, and your talent and knowledge is truly unmatched. I hope this channel continues to grow wildly successful. Thanks for doing all that you do for the automotive world.

Thanks for the Daytona spotlight on the crawl Steve. I still have my 1990 ES I purchased at a dealer in Buffalo NY in '92. It now lives rust free in Florida. Thanks again!

I had a 1985 Laser XE Turbo. Loved that car!

This is my wheelhouse right here! I’ve had multiple Daytonas over the years including several 89 Daytona Shelbys. Also spirit RT’s (16 valve lotus head 2.2 TIII cars making 224hp, actually the fastest four door car in the world in 91). To this day I have a mint 87 Reliant coupe, and a 87 Shelby CSX

OH MY GOD yes!! I’ve got a black 1985 Turbo Z. I’m glad to finally see you with one of these cars. I used to watch you with my father. Super happy to have this car shined on a little.

I had a black 86 turbo Z with red interior and a sunroof that was one sharp-looking car also had a digital Dash display at night it look like a F-18 fighter jet cockpit

I adore this bodystyle! Owned an '86 Laser XT Turbo t-top 5-speed back in the day, same colours as this Daytona. 😍

I love the 80's 4 door sedans like the Grand Marquis and the Delta 88 and 98 and others. Floaty boaty smooth cruisers with seats nicer than my couch. Loved them!

Bought my 86 Turbo Z CS ( no t-tops) new in summer of 86. Still have it ! Repaint, updated seats, rebuilt turbo, and new radiator. 44k miles.. set to go for another 36 years!

I'm a Ford guy, but I drove a Shelby Daytona when I was shopping for my first new car in 1989. I was impressed by how well it drove. Much faster and better handling than my experience with FWD cars led me to expect. Sticker was a couple grand more than the 5.0 LX I actually purchased though, which was more than enough to push me in the direction I was already leaning. What might have prompted me to defect from Ford was the AWD Daytona powered by a Lamborghini V8 that the Mopar engineers put together after Chrysler acquired Lamborghini in the late eighties. I remember some magazine tests of it, and it seemed very close to production ready, but for some reason it never got the green light.

I had an 84 Turbo Z in Gunmetal blue. It had a Spearco intercooler, Mopar Super 60 turbo kit, Mopar race ported head with a Centerforce Clutch. It was a beast. It was a beautiful design too, very comfortable. It took four months to build.

Always loved the one on the tv show Hunter!!

These where cool cars, i had the luxury model K car turbo 2.2 .... the 1986 New Yorker 5th Avenue Turbo , that car had everything !! Even a voice =)

I had several 2.2/2.5 turbo cars over the years including a couple Daytonas. My last one was an '87 Town and Country woody wagon that went 12.2's. Often overlooked and underestimated and the connection to the K car platform made them the butt of jokes, but they were cheap and a lot of fun. I learned how to work on cars with them. Dead simple engines. Non-interference also, so if the timing belt went, they didn't nuke your engine.

Ihi Steve , in 1992 I bought a '87 Shelby , red t tops and liver. Loved it.

I started selling cars straight out of high school in 1989..always loved cars. I remember being offended by newer, anemic cars like this carrying the namesake of past muscle cars, like the Daytona and the Olds, badging the Calais as a 442!..lol Looking back now, I’ve very much come to appreciate these ‘80s offerings as they did seem to have their own special characteristics and style. Good stuff, I really enjoy these videos, thanks!

When I was in high school in '94-95 I had a 1st gen 84 4 lug non wrap around spoiler model. Loved the car. My dad and I repainted it a darker maroon. 1st car I had a stereo in with 2 Cerwin Vega 15's.

I had 2 1984 Datsun/Nissan (transition year) 240SX Turbos (one black and the other white) i rigged the blow off valves to build more boost than the mild settings and learned real quick how to pop back on my inlet tubes. My buddy had the 84 Daytona in Black this started bringing back some long lost memories of the mid 80s.

I had a 85 or 86 Daytona turbo Z in 91 and loved it.

I was luky enough the summer of 85 to buy a 83 L69 z28 used right out of high school these were great times in my life,these were great cars in our life's then.

I had a '85 Daytona Turbo. It was the first car I ever ordered new from the Dealer. It was a great car, with some great speed for its day. It was a sad day when I had to trade it in for a responsible gray 4 door family car (Dodge Spirit with a 5 spd manual) when my first child arrived. My wife & I still talk about how much we enjoyed that Daytona.

Don’t Forget the 1987 2.2 L Dodge Shadow Turbo. They were some bad ass little cars 🚗!

My friend picked one up when we were in high school maybe around 1991. Drove it like a maniac until it caught fire under the hood. Flames shout out of the hood scoop and roasted the paint. It sat in his parents driveway long after.

I've owned an '87 Dodge Shelby Charger, an '86 Daytona Turbo Z, an '87 Shelby Lancer, and still own an '87 Shelby GLHS. I love these cars.

I loved those cars back in there day. I built myself a really nice one out of all of them that were just laying around my area. Nobody really wanted anything to do with them once the turbos went out. They were a lot faster than most people thought, and they really responded well to even small modifications. With a good set of tires, they'd blow your mind in the twisties, and get 25mpg doing it. Absolutely amazing cars if you ask me....

I can remember the hype about these cars when they first came out and I was just starting to get into cars. Most kids my age where reading comic books and I was reading helms manuals and Motor manuals, the big ass thick ones that covered most cars . I was starting to understand the correlation between a larger displacement and Higher power and torque . I can remember sitting on my bedroom floor with my finger reading shit..LOL man . I can still smell those books, hell they where 10-15 years old time I got them.. Man how time flies.

I had a red one with t tops. Cool car

i had a 93' daytona one of the few front wheel drive cars i owed, that i loved.

My first car in 1991 was an 85 Dodge Daytona Turbo. I thought it was hot shit. I wanted one because the intro of The Wraith. This video is bringing major nostalgia back to me. I eventually sold it 2000 where it ended up being taken down to Mexico.

Reminds me if the TV Show hunter. Good friend of mine worked at the plant in Missouri that did the t tops on those cars back then.

I had an 85 non turbo snail-turtle, back in the 90s. loves the body style

I had an 89 Shelby. I loved that car wish I never got rid of it. One of the most fun cars I ever owned. These cars were severely underrated and under appreciated. I always wanted a ttop like the one in The Wraith. Always my dream car. God these cars were badass. Dodge messed up when they stopped production of these vehicles

My friend Jimmy had one brand new in 1986. It was a custom red color with the turbo 5 speed manual. 2 weeks after he got it the damned hood flew open at 60mph! 😳 Wrapped over the windshield, cracked the glass 😆 and just mauled the hood. A brand new Daytona with a crumpled up hood lashed down with a piece of rope 🤣. I remember how well that car seemed to like curvy roads. Stereo sounded decent too. RIP Jimmy Thompson.

Thank you for this video, I recently picked up a 1986 turbo z CS edition from a family friend A couple months ago and I've been waiting to work on it, I honestly knew nothing about the car but this 10 minute video gave me more information than I could ever look up.

Loved my 86 Omni GLH. With a waste gate bleed, larger injectors and a better exhaust it was a genuine 14 second car at Sacramento Raceway.

I had a 86 Turbo Z that was made into a Super Gas drag car. Loved that car.

I liked these in the 80's.....

I had several of these, all were good reliable cars with good performance and great fuel mileage. Good looking cars. I still have a 1989 Daytona Shelby that I bought in 1994. It has 190k miles and still runs like new.

Having graduated in 89 I always thought those were so cool.

Love this show, my dad and I used to love junkyards. Some of my favorite memories. My dad worked for Chrysler, Trenton engine, and he would give me all the newsletters about up and coming engine layouts and such. I actually had the last 440 crankshaft for a time. My dad brought it home for me, it was painted purplish pink with signatures all over it including my dad's. Me being young and stupid, I left it out in his shed and it started rusting. One of his coworkers ask about it and he gave it to them. My dad passed in 1996. Today I would've clear coated it and put it in my living room. Thanks again for the junkyard crawl.

Had a 1987 Daytona Pacifica. Loved that car.

These shouldn't be forgotten, they paved the way for our 4 cylinder turbos built today. I had a 1987 Dodge Shadow ES that was a turbo 5 speed, although I owned VW GTI with much better build quality, VW couldn't make a good turbo for another decade.

Great video Steve, thank you. I had a 1984 Chrysler Laser XE with the 2.2L Turbo.. pretty much the same car as the Daytona but the Laser came with a full digital dash.

I had one of these in the 80’s but it was a Matchbox toy car. I always liked it and liked them on TV. I have only ever seen one in the flesh a few years ago in Niagara Falls, a silver one that looked a bit rough.

wanted one when i was a young man but boy did a lot of those get wrecked

I had an ‘86 Daytona Turbo Z… Loved that car! Owned it for over 10years and nearly 300k miles.

I have an 86 Turbo Z CS with the Carroll Shelby handling package that I have owned for 22 years. I have been restoring it the past 5 years or so and it is pretty much done. It is my all time favorite car that I have owned. I just took it to a car show this past weekend and it got 1st place in the Late Model class (1973 - 2003) and was surprised it beat out some really nice cars such as a 90 Mustang, an 80's Camaro, and a couple of 70's Trans Ams. The 2.2 is easy to work on, modify, and bolts-ons can add more power than you think. Plus Daytona's are a blast to drive.

I had a mid 80s turbo daytona turbo 5 speed. Had an adj waste gate on the turbo and a mopar performance computer and had it set up for 12lbs boost i believe. It was pretty quick fkr a turbo 4, i put upgraded leather seats, headliner and dash in.it out of a newer model. Found all parts at junkyard fir a steal back in the day. Was a fun car!

I had an 1986 Omni GLH Turbo. It was so fun and surprisingly quick! My ex-brother in law had an 84 Daytona Turbo Z and then a Lancer Turbo. The K-platform was a good one.

Around the turn of the century , a girl I know sold me an 86 Laser that she poked a tree with for $50 . Someone had previously "played" with it , because even though it was a Laser , it was wearing CS badging , which the MoPar guys that know insist was never available . 2.2 turbo 5 speed. I put a fender & hood on it , and it was back on the road . Had a BEAUTIFUL oxblood leather interior. Found a set of 15" alloy wheels for it in the salvage yard off some other MoPar , don't remember what they were off of , but they were made to look like Minilites , gold center with an aluminum rim . Ran tiny 195/50R15 tires on it . A few months in , it rounded a lobe on the cam , so I put a MoPar performance cam in it , and added a Grainger valve for a boost in boost ! My sawzall & wire feed eliminated both the converter & muffler , so the exhaust FLOWED . The hood was one of the heaviest I ever picked up. The functional aluminum vent was RIDICULOUSLY heavy . I fabricated a new vent panel from aluminum expanded metal , and that got me started on lightening the entire car . Tony DeFeo had written "don't look for 100 places to lose a pound , look for 1600 places to lose an ounce" in Cars Illustrated magazine back in the 80s , and I took that to heart , grinding and drilling all over the place . Got that little car down to 1850 lbs without driver , while still looking (mostly) stock ! Went 12.7 in the 1/4 at Speedworld , which is flat-out MOVING for a FWD on a 195 street tire . Registered it for the Grassroots Motorsports $2002 Challenge , but kicked a rod out of the block before the event . Had fun playing with it for a year , but it never earned a place in my heart , so I parted it & crushed it after that .

This was the first video that I ever saw from Steve. I stumbled across it by pure chance. His straightforward and informative delivery got me hooked right away. I've been a devoted viewer ever since. I'm glad that Steve is on his road to recovery..Viva Steve Magnante!

I bought a brand new Chrysler laser back in 1985 and I swear it was the best handling car I ever drove, it had a 2.2 ltr.4 cyl.engine without the turbo,it got pretty good gas mileage for as much power as it had but it had a wide track and a low balanced center of gravity and McPherson struts which made it handle like a dream,like a formula 1 racecar. If I had one complaint, it would be shifting,it was a 5 speed manual transmission and instead of a shift linkage it had a cable and if you didn't shift it with a high degree of precision you would grind gears but beyond that it was probably the best car I ever owned.

I love this body style Daytona, always wanted one from the movie The Wraith

My Dad had an ‘86 Turbo Z C/S in Flash Red. He upgraded the logic module to a Direct Connection piece which helped performance…

I have a aunt who used to have 1 of these and my mom actually had a glhs very cool cars for the time 👍

I had a friend in school that bought one new at the Expo 86' car show in Vancouver Canada. It was the gold on black CS Daytona fully loaded. He let me drive it once in a while and we got into a light to light street race with an older but lighter Dodge Omni CS, my friend said don't do it, light went green, clutch came out, front end went hopping side to side tires smoking, lost the race though..lol!!! Aaahh... the good old days :)

I love 2.2 turbo cars. I've owned more than a few and still own two. They are super easy to make fast. My Shelby Charger's 2.2 probably makes 300+ horsepower in a 2100 pound body. I had a 1991 Daytona Shelby that I should have kept. I still want a 1985-1986 Turbo Z or CS.

My very first car was a 1985 Chrysler Laser, the sister car to the Daytona. Paid $600 for it and absolutely loved it!

Brings back memories Steve.

Back in the 1980's and 90's I was a volunteer fireman / EMT on a rural department and went out on a call for a rollover. The vehicle was one of these a kid had just bought and picked up from the dealer less than an hour before so we got a good look at the underside, brand new and about the only thing undamaged. The ironic part of the whole thing was the kid had never transferred his insurance over yet so he ended getting stuck for everything.

I saw a Shelby in that style here in Missouri at The Lake of The Ozarks car show last year that bad boy was mint

Remember that scene in Cannonball Run II where Frank Sinatra in his Daytona pulls away from Dean Martin/Sammy Davis Jr in their Corvette? Hollywood magic!

I first drove a stick in a Shelby Daytona on the road when I was 10. It was my uncles (yes the cool uncle) and my parents had a meltdown when I pulled in the yard. I drove on back roads with my uncle in passenger seat from newburyport Ma. To Hampton Nh. It was awesome! Now obviously I’m a car crazy mechanic

Ahhhh, my very first car. 1986 Turbo Z, 5 speed, black. No T Tops, just sunroof, and also lacking the louvers. Did have the fancy trip computer though! Fun fact about the Turbo Gauge "Red Zone", this car had an active wastegate that gave you an extra 3 pounds of boost for something around 10 seconds or so. So you'd boot it, and(depending on RPM) it would "red line" to about 10.5 lbs of boost, then settle back to 7.5lbs. It wasn't crazy fast, but my god I loved that car. It was basically a 1980's time capsule. 4 square headlights, The gauge cluster pattern, the massive Turbo gauge, the trip "computer". I always wanted an RT growing up, but never found one around here, and eventually moved on to RWD cars. Still got a soft spot for these though :)

Thanks for a Daytona video. I had an 88 Pacifica, 2.2 turbo 1 with the 5 speed. That car was a blast and my wife learned to drive a manual in it. One night at a car show some guys showed up with a portable dyno. They were giving trophies for top performers and needed one with forced induction. I won that trophy. Earlier they tested a last year olds 442. They were surprised and amused that little 2.2 registered higher hp numbers than the 442. We miss that Daytona

I soo wanted to have one back in the 80s. Great looking car. I look forward to your Videos.

Yup i remember that pumper. Chrysler lazer xe turbo. Loaded leather.

I drove an 84 Daytona. Best car to learn how to drive stick. I was actually a fun car!

I had 4 Daytonas 84,87&91 bought new. Had a 90 in the mid 2000’s I bought used. Great cars plenty of room for my 6’4 size. This one looks in decent shape. I hope someone picks it up to restore.

Great video . my uncle had a 85 laser a very cool car even in today standard cool design really pops and interiors were amazing

I remember my parents test driving one of these back in the day.

Gotta give a shout out to Steve's camera man! Doing a great job dude!

From Leo: I had a 1989. Chrysler performance had a whole catalog of hop up for that car.. The suspension parts included hardened bushings, big sway bars, springs, gas struts, etc, brake upgrades and some engine upgrades were from Chrysler, with lots more from the aftermarket. Well over 250 hp was not hard to get. Other cars that would engage me would often be surprised by my acceleration and if the route included some curves, they were left in the dust. It was the only American car I ever had that could really use the capabilities of Piirelli P-6 soft compound tires. Not the same kind of fun as a '70 Hemi 'cuda, but it was it's own kind of fun. And it was not slow.

Oh yes thank you so so much for doing this. I had a hand full of these and just sold a fully restored 86 with a T2 conversion and direct connection stuff all over it. Please tell me someone is saving that Z

Dad bought an 85 turbo 5 speed new, which became my 1st car in 92. It was not a good car, and pretty much everything broke but the engine. 2 headgaskets, 1 turbo, 1 camshaft and much more... Lots of transmission problems as the A525 was made of rice paper. When it did run, it was a lot of fun. And it was quick enough with wonderful mileage. I saw 41 mpg often with the cruise set at 70 on long trips. Nimble handling, descent brakes, nice cargo room. Dad, btw special ordered a 92 Daytona Shelby Iroc 5 speed with the High Torque 2.5 turbo and it was a FAR superior vehicle than the 85.The only thing that went wrong with that 1 was the radio quit, and the a/c condenser had to be replaced. Unfortunately rust ultimately killed them both. Neat cars and I've always wanted another 1. Finding 1 unmolested has been a chore.

Hey Steve, my dad passed away in a supermodified race car in Oct 1993. A co-worker let me use her car to go to funeral etc. The car was a lebaron turbo Z hatchback. I was impressed with it to say the least. A screamer....

In 1989 I test drove both this car & the 5.0 Mustang. Hit my head on both, getting in. Moved on to S10 Blazer, Been in Love since

I love these cars! I have had many of them and currently have 3. Two turbo and a 93 v6 es that was my first car. My v6 is a great daily driver with plenty of torque.

In college, in 96 I was driving a girlfriends moms Daytona and I hit a bear doing about 75 mph the bear got up and the car never moved again. It was a fun car to drive around.

My friend collects these. He just did Sick week with an 86 turbo town and country wagon that runs 12’s with a mini van auto in it. These cars have a big following and I hope this one gets saved

I loved those cars and the shadow.

I loved my Daytona. I had the Pacifica model, which was turbo and had all the electronic toys (trip computer!) but only came in an automatic. I later bought a crashed Shelby Turbo and swapped the full manual trans / engine / intercooler into my Pacifica. Still miss that car even though by the end it was costing me a fortune to keep it on the road. I still have an aftermarket performance ECU here if someone wants it. Wasn't letting that go to the wreckers!

I had a 89 Daytona. I loved it. I drilled the governor piston in the transmission to make it lighter to delay the 1st second shift. Also was my first 28 minute head gasket change. The old slip and slide trick the dealers did 😎. I miss that car. Thanks Steve 🍻

Good report -thanx for sharing Steve.

Went to work at a Dodge dealer in 84....changed a lot of head gaskets and turbos. Always considered cars from that era throw away cars and they have lived up to it.

I know a old lady that used to daily drive a 92 Daytona. Pretty cool cars.

Wow. Back in 1990 my best friend had the black and gold one. Digital dash i thoughgt?turbo,stick. It was a really cool car. And a good radio system would pump off that hatchback.thanks steve. This one was during my young era.

While the car was priced $199 more than the Mustang, if I remember correctly the Dodge dealers would discount these cars to move them making them much cheaper.

1983 I returned from 18 months duty in Korea and I bought a brand new plymouth turismo 2.2. Wish I had scooped a turbo z

Not sure how I missed this video when it came out but it’s a good one. I remember when those things were new. Wasn’t necessarily a fan of them but was pleasantly surprised how peppy one of the little Chrysler turbo 4s was in a a four door K-car platform as soon as the turbo spun up. In our traditional thinking, the V-8s in the Mustang or Camaro could be hopped up based on the knowledge base of the 60s. -70s while the turbos and such were a lot different. Anyway, Steve, still praying for your recovery and wish you the best.

Back again. Gotta keep Steve's bills paid until he gets back to the Junkyard

Great video Steve!!!! Thanks for sharing and I learned so much!!!

So fun to drive

Always wanted a Daytona.

My first car was a 85 Chrysler laser. Digital dash, black leather interior. Loved that little car.

my uncle lee was in love with the dodge daytonas he had a bunch of them

I remember Direct Connection /Mopar performance sold a kit to convert these to RWD with LA engine power for drag racing.

i know this is older but at 4:28-ish there is a window sticker behind Steve. The Prestige car alarm by Audiovox. Made my living with those through the 90's!!!