Tag Archives: 1980s

Junkyard Find: 1982 Plymouth Sapporo

<img data-attachment-id="1775228" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/00-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/00-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950248","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00083402835696414","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, LH front view" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, LH front view – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-11.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775228″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, LH front view – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-10.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-11.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-12.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-13.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-14.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>Chrysler began importing rebadged Mitsubishis to North America starting with the Colt in the 1971 model year, with more models being added as the decade progressed. By 1976, Plymouth shoppers could buy a Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste as the sporty Arrow; Plymouth Arrow and Dodge D-50 (later Ram 50) pickups, based on the Mitsubishi Forte, showed up here in 1979. So that those Dodge/Plymouth dealers would have a small personal luxury coupe to sell, the Japanese-market Galant Lambda hardtop was pressed into American service as the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo for 1978. Sales continued through 1983, and I’ve found one of those final Sapporos in a yard south of Denver, Colorado.

<img data-attachment-id="1775262" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/44-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/44-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950272","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0038759689922481","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, emblem" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, emblem – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-16.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-1.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775262″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-1.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, emblem – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-1.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-15.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-16.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-17.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-18.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-19.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>These machines haven’t been terribly difficult to find in car graveyards, though I certainly saw more of them a decade ago. So far, I’ve documented this ’78 Sapporo, another ’78 Sapporo, this ’81 Challenger, this ’82 Sapporo, and this ’82 Sapporo. Mitsubishi began importing vehicles under its own badging starting in late 1982.

<img data-attachment-id="1775246" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/22-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/22-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950194","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00063694267515924","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, hardtop windows" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, hardtop windows – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-21.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-2.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775246″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-2.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, hardtop windows – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-2.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-20.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-21.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-22.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-23.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-24.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>The 1978-1982 Challenger/Sapporo was a true hardtop, and it came stuffed with the same sort of snazzy features normally found in much pricier machinery. List price on the ’82 Sapporo was $8,043, while the MSRP of the ’82 Chrysler Cordoba hardtop started at $8,258 (about $23,330 and $23,960 today, respectively).

<img data-attachment-id="1775250" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/28-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/28-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950215","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"80","shutter_speed":"0.01","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, engine" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, engine – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-26.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775250″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, engine – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-25.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-26.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-27.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-28.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-29.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>At that price, the Cordoba came with a 90-horsepower Slant-6 engine to drag its 3,315 pounds down the avenue (the 318-cubic-inch V8 and its 130 horses cost a well-worth-it additional 70 bucks). The Sapporo got this 2.6-liter Astron four-cylinder, rated at 105 horsepower, and it weighed a mere 2,410 pounds. That made this car respectably quick by the standards of the time.

<img data-attachment-id="1775252" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/30-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/30-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950220","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0020876826722338","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, intake manifold" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, intake manifold – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-31.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-4.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775252″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-4.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, intake manifold – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-4.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-30.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-31.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-32.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-33.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-34.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>The Astron went into so many Chrysler and Mitsubishi vehicles over the decades (including some K-cars that got big HEMI 2.6 fender badges) that junkyard shoppers often grab parts from them. Perhaps this car’s cylinder head now lives on in a Montero or Conquest.

<img data-attachment-id="1775264" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/46-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/46-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950281","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0031347962382445","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, interior" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, interior – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-36.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-5.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775264″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-5.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, interior – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-5.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-35.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-36.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-37.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-38.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-39.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>The interior is grimy and the upholstery has become quite crunchy thanks to relentless Colorado sunshine, so I doubt much of this stuff will be sold before the car faces the cold steel jaws of The Crusher.

<img data-attachment-id="1775272" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/55-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/55-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950314","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00099800399201597","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, MCA-Jet sticker" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, MCA-Jet sticker – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-41.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-6.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775272″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-6.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, MCA-Jet sticker – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-6.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-40.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-41.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-42.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-43.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-44.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>Mitsubishi was very proud of the MCA-JET high-swirl fuel-delivery system, which was sort of a simplified version of Honda’s CVCC rig, and applied these stickers accordingly.

<img data-attachment-id="1775238" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/17-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/17-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950150","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"80","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, radio" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, radio – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-46.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-7.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775238″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-7.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, radio – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-7.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-45.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-46.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-47.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-48.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-49.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>Unusually for 1982, the Sapporo came with an AM/FM radio as standard equipment. When a company makes consumer electronics (not to mention fighter jets and heavy-lift rocket boosters) in addition to cars, there’s plenty of off-the-shelf audio hardware to put in those cars at a low cost.

<img data-attachment-id="1775234" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/11-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/11-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950134","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.0083333333333333","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, interior" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, interior – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-51.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-8.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775234″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-8.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, interior – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-8.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-50.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-51.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-52.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-53.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-54.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>The future is here now!

<img data-attachment-id="1775278" data-permalink="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-3/63-1982-plymouth-sapporo-in-colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-murilee-martin/" data-orig-file="https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/63-1982-Plymouth-Sapporo-in-Colorado-junkyard-photograph-by-Murilee-Martin.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1688" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.4","credit":"","camera":"SM-G960U1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1628950351","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.00063816209317167","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, Tube Sand" data-image-description="

1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, Tube Sand – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars

” data-medium-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-56.jpg” data-large-file=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-9.jpg” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1775278″ src=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-9.jpg” alt=”1982 Plymouth Sapporo in Colorado junkyard, Tube Sand – ©2021 Murilee Martin – The Truth About Cars” width=”610″ height=”343″ srcset=”http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-9.jpg 610w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-55.jpg 75w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-56.jpg 450w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-57.jpg 768w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-58.jpg 120w, http://ghostridermotorcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/junkyard-find-1982-plymouth-sapporo-59.jpg 800w” sizes=”(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px”>If you’re too cheap to buy winter tires for your rear-wheel-drive car, there’s always tube-sand for the trunk.


Science-fiction robot women with strangely-colored sunglasses agree: 11.9% interest is a steal for this Celica fighter.

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Datsun 200SX? Forget it!

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The JDM version got some seriously cool package-shelf speakers.

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Yes, you could get the padded landau roof in Japan.

For links to more than 2,100 additional Junkyard Finds, including lots of Mitsubishis, please visit the Junkyard Home of the Murilee Martin Lifestyle Brand™.

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Buy/Drive/Burn: Economical American Compacts From 1982

Our recent Rare Rides coverage of the Chevrolet Citation made one thing very clear: We need more Citation content. Today’s 1982 Buy/Drive/Burn lineup was suggested by commenter eng_alvarado90, who would like to see all of you struggle. Citation, Aries, Escort, all in their most utilitarian formats. Let’s go.

Chevrolet Citation

The Citation is in its third model year for 1982, and sales have already fallen far from their initial peak of 800,000. The bloom is off this rose, but GM is still on track for six-digit sales this year. Sticking firmly to economy and utility, today’s Citation is a five-door hatchback equipped with the 2.5-liter Iron Duke inline-four and paired to a four-speed manual. Throttle-body injection is new this year and means 90 horses are underfoot. There’s also a new horizontal slats grille.

Dodge Aries K

The Dodge Aries is still new and is in its second model year for 1982. Chrysler started out strong last year with over 300,000 sales, and will likely reach that number again in ’82. Today’s Aries is the four-door wagon, as Chrysler does not offer a hatchback K-car at this level. Underhood is the base 2.2-liter Chrysler inline-four, which uses a two-barrel carb. Eighty-four horses are at the driver’s command, shifted through a four-speed manual. New this year: rear windows roll down on sedans and wagons, replacing the fixed glass.

Ford Escort

Ford’s Escort is also in its second model year for 1982. The American market Escort was supposed to be very similar to the European one for parts sharing purposes. However the respective design teams each headed their own direction, and the two cars share only an engine and transmission. Today’s five-door Escort hatchback is new for ’82, along with a new grille and presence of the familiar Ford Blue Oval. The base 1.6-liter CVH engine gets a high output version this year, which increases power by about 10 horses, to 80. Power is delivered to the front via a four-speed Ford MTX manual.

Economy and cheap driving are available to you, and they’ll probably hold up for at least three years before falling apart. Which gets the Buy?

[Images: GM, Chrysler, Ford]

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Rare Rides: The Saudi King’s 1984 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit Cabriolet, a White Whale

The Rare Rides series has featured five Rolls–Royce premium vehicles in past editions, yet none of them had more than two doors. We remedy this oversight today with a four-door Rolls commissioned and owned by the king of Saudi Arabia.

It’s not what you’d call subtle.

Much like the Camargue linked above, the Silver Spirit was one of the few models to carry Rolls-Royce into its more modern era. The Spirit lived a very long life, in its standard wheelbase guise from 1980 to 1997, and long-wheelbase Silver Spur format from 1980 to 2000. The Silver Spirit sustained Rolls through the end of its Vickers ownership and into the VW Group era. It would see replacement by the Silver Seraph, a car full of BMW parts but sold by Volkswagen. A different Rare Rides entry for sure.

The Spirit was the “volume” Rolls-Royce model, and at the time was also marketed as several Bentley models. All of those Bentleys were an Eight but had various trims, engines, and names. The Spirit and Spur were sold through four different series, all bearing a Mark I-IV title as typical with British cars that see updates. Mark I carried the Spirit through 1988 with its traditional 6.75-liter V8 and a sturdy three-speed GM THM400 transmission. Mark II was an important modernization point and included Automatic Ride Control which adjusted the dampers, ABS, and fuel injection. All those modern trappings so foreign to Rolls-Royce traditionalists. 1991 saw the introduction of a four-speed 4L80 transmission used in the civilian Hummer.

Mark III arrived in 1993, and included visual updates like new bumpers and flush composite headlamps, alongside airbags. In addition to the Spirit and Spur, two limited-run models appeared at this time. The Flying Spur had the turbocharged V8 from the Bentley Turbo R and was limited to 134 examples. There was also a high-zoot Silver Dawn, which had electric traction control and heated rear seats. Considered a more subtle car, the front radiator grille height was reduced two inches, and there was a smaller Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. She’d had her wings clipped.

The Mark IV was renamed New Silver Spirit and New Silver Spur, and introduced in 1996. This final revision was not marketed with any IV branding, as fear of the number is common in China, Japan, and Taiwan. All Mark IV cars were turbocharged, and bumpers became integrated and color-matched. But by then the Spirit and Spur were long due for their BMW-adjacent replacement, and everything looked a bit too gingerbread.

Today’s Rare Ride is one of three custom commissions by Saudi Arabia’s king. Part of the original Mark I run of cars, the king ordered three Spirit cabriolets all at once. The white one was for him, a yellow example was for his eldest daughter, and the third one (with Bentley branding instead) was for a good friend. Interestingly, the customizations were not completed by Rolls-Royce in-house but rather at a Rolls-Royce dealer in Milan, Italy. Checking the result, one might conclude why Rolls didn’t want to do the edits at Crewe. The king didn’t keep his white Spur for long, as it was sold to an owner in France in 1990. It’s in Monaco now and will be auctioned in a couple of weeks where it’s expected to fetch between $60,000 and $90,000.

[Images: Rolls-Royce]

Rare Rides: A 1976 Pontiac Sunbird, Practical Malaise Luxury

Today’s Rare Ride marks the third time we’ve featured a Pontiac Sunbird in this series. The first Sunbird was from 1978 and presented itself as the Safari Wagon. But that was just a renamed Astre and not a real Sunbird. The second Sunbird we saw was a convertible with a 2000 in its name, a J-body from a time of naming turmoil at Pontiac.

In contrast, the Sunbird we have here is the original: An economical and optionally luxurious car that debuted in the Seventies without a confused identity. Your author’s never seen one in real life.

Sunbird debuted in 1976 as a replacement for the Vega-adjacent Astre. The Astre and Sunbird coexisted for a couple of years, as seen above in the confused wagon from 1978. Though a new car, the Sunbird remained on the same H-body Vega platform as its Astre predecessor. Available only with two doors, the subcompact was presented only as a two-door sedan for 1976. The following model year added a more aggressive hatchback. For 1978 and 1979, the Astre wagon was refreshed visually joined the lineup as the Sunbird Safari Wagon. The first Sunbird continued through the 1980 model year but was limited to two body styles in its final offering.

The rear-drive 1976 Sunbird was equipped with a base engine from the Vega, a 2.3-liter inline-four known as the 2300 (78 hp). The next year customers were rewarded with a new base engine: the powerful 2.5-liter Iron Duke. It produced between 84 and 90 horsepower dependent upon model year. Big spenders selected the Buick 3.8 V6 and its 110 horses, or the Chevrolet 305 (5.0L) as an option in 1978 and 1979. Transmissions on offer were a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic.

Customers could option their Sunbird with different packages to emphasize a luxury or sports personality. The Formula package was popular and included upgraded handling, spoiler, and decals. A quick seller, the Sunbird proved popular and GM sold nearly 480,000 Sunbirds over five model years. 1980 was a long-run year, as dealers needed inventory to hold them over until the ’82 arrival of the front-drive J platform J2000. It debuted at the start of Pontiac’s branding experimentation.

Today’s Rare Ride is firmly on the luxury end of the Sunbird spectrum. Dark red with a white vinyl coach roof, it’s got alloy wheels, whitewalls, a plush velour interior, and an automatic transmission. There’s even V6 power and air conditioning. It’s traveled 17,000 miles since 1976 and is in spectacular condition. The price is also spectacular: $29,000.

[Images: Pontiac]