Dodge Neon ACR - Beast From The East

The Dodge/Plymouth Neon is not the first car that comes to mind when the topic turns to compact car drag racing. Heck, the Neon isn't ever the first car to come to mind. But as the sport grows, more and more Neons are finding their way to the starting line, with many having success against the Honda juggernaut. One of those cars is this black Neon. It has run 11.21 at 122 mph, fast enough to make it the fastest all-motor, front-wheel-drive compact drag car on the East Coast.

Scott Mohler of Fredrick, Md. was raised around Mopars. His father built and raced hemi-powered Dodges, including a Barracuda, on which Mohler cut his drag racing teeth. But when it came time to build his own racecar, Mohler wanted to go front-wheel-drive racing.

Then Mohler stumbled across this black Plymouth Neon ACR at a Maryland dealership. "It just sort of fell into my lap," he says. Compared with the fully loaded R/Ts nearby, the ACR-with its missing power windows, stereo, sound deadening and other creature comforts-was a hard sell. It sat on the lot for six months. But for what Mohler had in mind, it was perfect.

Initially, the car turned in satisfying mid-15 second times, not bad for a bone-stock car on the factory rubber. With just a cold air kit and set of Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulleys, the Neon was soon pulling 14.90s. And with racing slicks mounted on lightweight wheels, it was in the 13-second range.

Mohler wanted to go faster, but tuning a Neon ACR to run mid-11s isn't easy. Luckily, Mohler found CNNP Racing. Owned by Nemo Foss, Captain Nemo's Neon Performance is one of the first shops to concentrate strictly on the smallest Chrysler. It built a reputation in this small but enthusiastic subset of the compact crowd. Whether it's road racing, Solo II, World Challenge or even rally, CNNP does it.

Mohler's car weighs 1,800 lbs and runs a 2.0-liter twin-cam engine with no forced induction and no nitrous oxide. The original intake set-up is gone. In its place is a short Electromotive manifold, part of an Electromotive Total Performance Kit (TPK). The manifold is little more than a mounting point for four Hilborn throttle bodies, that at 46mm each, allow the Neon to gulp vast quantities of air. Pouring enough fuel into that mixture is the job of MSD 52 lb/hr injectors, mounted in a custom Modern Performance rail. An MSD fuel pump keeps the fuel flowing with an Aeromotive pressure regulator.

The cylinder head is heavily ported and polished. The oversized Rage valves-made specifically for CNNP-measure 1.38 inches on the intake side and 1.18 inches on the exhaust. Custom-ground Crane cams actuate the valves, and timing is adjustable through Unorthodox adjustable timing gears.

On the bottom end, the bore is altered subtly, 3.465 inches, or 0.02-inches bigger than stock. JE pistons connected to ARP rods bump the compression ratio up to a healthy 12.0:1. The crank is stock, but is treated for durability and knife-edged, a process which removed 8 lbs from the rotating mass.

Electromotive's crank-fire ignition system is part of the TPK, and its precise firing is necessary in this application. The Electromotive system uses a crank-mounted toothed wheel. A magnetic sensor reads crank position from this wheel, and uses the information to precisely determine ignition firing.

Power is delivered through a mostly stock transmission. The gearset is completely stock, and only a Quarter Master 7.5-inch clutch has been added for better clamping force. The stock differential is augmented by a Future Auto limited-slip clutchpack. More durable CV joints from Driveshaft Shop ensure the powertrain doesn't fly apart when the light turns green. For quicker and smoother shifting, Shiftite bushings are in place.

Suspension set-up on a front-wheel-drive drag car can be tricky, which is why it's so surprising this car has so many stock components under the wheelwells. The stock adjustable Koni struts remain. Mohler runs them at full firm in the rear, along with spring lockers to help reduce weight transfer. Ground Control camber plates on all four corners precisely locate the struts. Mohler also uses CNNP Racing's chrome-moly tubular front control arms. The brakes are mostly stock. Carbotech front pads are the only modification. M+H drag slicks are mounted on 13 x 8-inch Bogart Force 5 wheels in front, with Moroso skinnies on 15-inch wheels at the rear.

Gone are heavy underhood items such as the air conditioning and power steering systems. The interior is stripped clean. Gone are all of the stock seats, carpets, door panels and headliner. The floor panels and dashboard are replaced with custom-fabricated aluminum panels. Mohler does list a sound system though: "12.0:1 2.0-liter race engine."

Sitting atop the dash is a huge Autometer tachometer, while along the passenger side are gauges for oil pressure, water temperature and air/fuel ratio. There's also a row of petcock switches for ignition, fuel, lights, the electric Billet Specialties water pump and other racing accessories. An eight-point chrome-moly roll cage is welded in, combining with the five-point Simpson harness and Kirkey racing seat for maximum safety.

The exterior is all business. There's no wing, of course, no special paint job, no outrageous eye-catching bodywork. Numerous sponsor decals adorn the car, of course, along with a simple set of eyebrows to reduce the Neon's wide-eyed appearance.

Mohler is quite successful with his Neon. His share of trophies includes the IDRC All-Motor Class at Moroso Motorsports Park and the NIRA Pro Stock class at River City Raceway.

Naturally, faster is the goal. A modified 2.4-liter engine with ultra-high compression is on the drawing boards, which Mohler and his team hope will put the car in the 10s by theend of the year.