The explosion in popularity of small, performance-oriented cars among American drivers in the 1990s was powered predominantly by Japanese automakers, but the Chrysler Corporation capitalized on the sport compact boom by introducing the Dodge Neon. Like the foreign competition, the majority of Neon models were purchased to be reliable, comfortable and efficient daily drivers, but for those who wanted more fun-to-drive factor, Dodge offered the Neon R/T.
Offered as a coupe and a sedan, the Dodge Neon R/T was everything that someone could want in a mid-’90s sport compact. It was light and nimble, so while it didn’t pack gobs of power, it handled remarkably well, making it a great road racer and with some upgrades, the Neon was a popular choice in the sport compact drag racing world. The first-generation Neon allowed Dodge to compete with the top nameplates in the sport compact world and when the second-generation Neon dropped with the turbocharged SRT4 trim level, it was rightfully and favorably compared to cars like the Ford Mustang GT.
The Dodge Neon proved to be an excellent option for gearheads who wanted a versatile, affordable car, but as the years have gone on, the ’90s Mopar® sport compacts have dwindled greatly in numbers. However, there are still some clean first-generation Dodge Neons and one of them is owned by Tyler Mayes, who hails from the Metro Detroit area.
When Tyler Mayes bought his 1999 Dodge Neon R/T in April of 2016, it was clean and bone stock – and that was how he planned to keep it. He bought it from a private seller, but in researching the VIN, he found that this Neon began its life as a company-owned media test car. As a result, some aspects of production cars were not present, including the VIN tags in the engine bay. Early on, so many people thought that it was an SRT4 swap car that he got a license plate that reads “NOTSRT”. However, after a few years of enjoying the big engine RPMs, the factory engine developed a rod knock.
He wanted to go to a turbocharged application and as many people know, the engine in the Chrysler PT Cruiser Turbo is very similar to the engine in the Dodge Neon SRT4. Mayes found one of the turbocharged 2.4-liter engines from the retro Chrysler and began the swap, but he didn’t just install a factory engine and call it a day. The turbocharged 2.4 is equipped with a Mopar Performance ECM, an Iceman cold air intake, poly motor mounts with a solid bobble strut, a radiator that is about double the size of the factory unit and an aftermarket exhaust setup with a remote controlled electronic exhaust dump – allowing him to crank up his exhaust note with the push of a button. The engine is mated to the original Neon transmission with the PT Cruiser Turbo clutch, with a 3.92 final drive leading to the car cruising in high gear at 70 miles per hour around 3,200 RPM.
On the outside, Tyler Mayes’ 1999 Dodge Neon R/T is still wearing the factory paint and for a car with over 163,000 miles, it still looks pretty great. He has added some custom Mopar badging and aftermarket 16-inch wheels with painted brake calipers, slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads behind them.
On the inside, this Neon R/T has SRT front seats, a pistol grip shifter and a Pioneer head unit feeding Kenwood speakers.
In addition to installing a set of lowering springs, Mayes plans to spruce the car up a bit in the near future.
“I plan on giving it a proper refresh in the coming years as its turning 25 this year, lowering springs, bushings, tires, a new fender here, a new deck lid there. It’s clean for what it is but I know it can be a little better.”
This car began its time with Mayes as his daily driver, but today, this boosted 1999 Dodge Neon R/T is saved for cruising on nice days.
“It has been to the track a couple times; unfortunately, since the 2.4 motor has been in I haven’t taken it to the track. It has been to some local extracurricular spots around Woodward and usually surprises most people. When cruising on those nice days, I usually get more people wanting to play around with the Neon than my Corvette. That is until the exhaust opens and it down shifts at wide open throttle. Then it’s all smiles and laughs from surprised competitors.”
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