It’s been practically 20 years since Dodge produced the Neon SRT-4. Regardless of a brief three-year run, The SRT-4 made a mark in motorsport.
- A number of class wins in One Lap of America.
- Nationwide street racing championships.
- Utter dominance in rally.
Doug Shepherd owns this SRT-4. If that title sounds acquainted, you would possibly know his father, Doug Shepherd. (For simplicity functions, we’ll discuss with the elder Shepherd as “Doug Sr.”) Doug Sr. was an unimaginable rally racer, profitable 12 nationwide championships as driver and eight as a co-driver. Doug Sr. additionally knew a little bit bit in regards to the SRT-4. He labored as an engineer for Chrysler. This automobile pays tribute to the one Doug Sr. ran again in 2003.
“There have been a gaggle of Chrysler engineers who had been rally fanatics,” says Doug Jr. “There was some historical past of Dodge Motorsports offering help for rally within the Nineteen Eighties. At an engineering administration degree, [they] had been concerned within the creation of the road-going SRT-4 and the rally model of it.”
Doug Shepherd, the junior. Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
Doug Sr. handed that engineering and rallying spirit all the way down to his son, though Doug Jr. doesn’t obtain checks from the corporate greatest identified for a stylized M.
“I really work for Normal Motors,” says Doug. “I’m an assistant program engineering supervisor for autonomous automobiles. There’s a handful of GM workers doing this [rally] in our spare time, in a Dodge, a Mazda and a Volkswagen.”
Doug led the hassle behind the creation of the tribute automobile.
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
“We began with a brand-new naked shell,” Doug says. “We had TRF [Thompson Racing Fabrication] put a roll cage in. The most important variations from a road-going automobile are the suspension, with KW coil-overs, and underbody safety. The rear wheels are inventory, however the fronts are Panasports. We’ve acquired a welded entrance differential and a particular gear set within the transmission.
“The powertrain is generally inventory, with what had been on the time upgrades out there from Mopar. It’s acquired an even bigger turbo, tuning, larger gasoline injectors. It’s mainly making the quickest automobile out there from the manufacturing facility with what the out there equipment had been. You would go to Mopar or a Dodge dealership and order these components.”
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
The NASA Rally Sport-sanctioned McCreary Gravel Rally in Kentucky marked Doug’s third-ever aggressive occasion.
“I’m nonetheless studying the automobile, studying how you can construct pace,” says Doug. “[My father] informed me simply level it the place you need it to go together with average throttle software, and it’ll simply go there, and there’s little fuss about it.”
Serving to additionally with the hassle was his co-driver, Chris LaBaere.
“That is his second occasion ever,” Doug says. “We had been roommates at Michigan Tech. He does program administration for transmissions [at GM]. He did job the primary time he [co-drove]. We’re studying collectively and having time.”
Co-driver Chris LaBaere and driver Doug Shepherd. Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
So how did these two rally rookies do in a automobile that pays tribute to a nationwide rally legend? Second-place within the 2WD class of the Atlantic Rally Cup and a primary within the NASA Rally Sport O2H class.
Not too shabby for 2 engineers simply seeking to have some enjoyable in automobile that also holds its personal greater than 20 years later.
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
[For more SRT-4 content, check out one of our past project cars here]
Feedback
In reply to Appleseed :
I had a base mannequin 2001 Dodge Neon as my first automobile that wasn’t a hand-me-down. It was okay. I can solely think about the distinction between that and the SRT-4.
That is form of superb given how few Neon SRT4s had been made and overwhelmed to mud. There was lately a thread about how uncommon Neons are typically. They’re a motorsport legend in that I do not suppose many know the way a lot they dominated racing sequence.
I labored contained in the Dodge Motorsport/SRT division across the time of Doug Sr period. Targeted extra on a possible 2nd Gen Neon tremendous touring automobile and keep in mind taking a look on the 1st Gen and 2nd Gen rally automobile belts and cage preparations to assemble any classes discovered. There was one other inner to firm rally racer that I must try to dig up his data.
I began autocross, rallycross, ice racing after which SCCA IT racing all in Neons!!!
In reply to Advan046 :
Type of my ideas – SRT-4s are getting rarer and rarer it appears. Thanks for sharing the attitude!
Chris Greenhouse remains to be protecting the torch lit, along with his badass rally SRT-4.
I had the pleasure of crewing for a stage rally workforce that Chris was navigating for (I additionally met Wally that weekend) and we had been speaking about his SRT-4 and he mentioned to me, and I paraphrase barely, “I do not race that automobile as a result of I am a Dodge diehard. I race that automobile as a result of I believe it is the most effective platform for what I am doing. If there was a greater automobile, I would be racing that.”
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
It is gotten to the purpose the place an SRT-4 catches my consideration faster than some supercars…
I do not know the place all of them went, I’ve solely ever seen one within the junkyard however they had been solely ever a standard sight on the street for about 5 years after they had been bought. My dad nonetheless has his first gen ACR, it’s extremely worn out at this level however he nonetheless drives it on a regular basis.
NickD mentioned:
Chris Greenhouse remains to be protecting the torch lit, along with his badass rally SRT-4.
I had the pleasure of crewing for a stage rally workforce that Chris was navigating for (I additionally met Wally that weekend) and we had been speaking about his SRT-4 and he mentioned to me, and I paraphrase barely, “I do not race that automobile as a result of I am a Dodge diehard. I race that automobile as a result of I believe it is the most effective platform for what I am doing. If there was a greater automobile, I would be racing that.”
Once I rallycrossed with him, he campaigned a single cam first technology Neon. He mentioned, paraphrased, extra energy can be good, however first I need to discover myself needing it. (I in all probability butchered that every one to hell, it has been like 15 years)
Clearly he felt he wanted it, since then 
I nonetheless recall attending to trip in his stage Neon on a quick/tough rallycross course. He was operating DMS suspension on the time, I believe, and my thoughts was blown at how properly managed the suspension was. You are able to do loads with solely 150hp if you do not have to thoughts the chassis.
It is a good platform for rally. Stone easy and it really works. Perhaps it might use extra entrance suspension journey, however what entrance wheel drive automobile does not? The entrance suspension and the transaxle had been each gentle years higher than the VWs that had been common. And each Neon got here with a sixteen valve 2 liter.
Good things there with the Neon. Earlier than the ’08 Challenger got here out they had been common and plentiful.
Sadly, the Trendy MoPar choices and company construction is only a shell of itself. I’m wondering how lengthy it would take for Stellantis to fully crush it and divest the entire holdings.
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