Junkyard Gem: 1993 Suzuki Swift GT

Fri, Aug 25 2017

General Motors sold rebaged versions of the Suzuki Cultus in the United States, first as the 1984-1988 Chevrolet Sprint, then as the 1989-1997 Geo Metro, and finally as the 1998-2001 Chevrolet Metro. Meanwhile, Suzuki sold the Cultus on these shores as the Swift. Three-cylinder Metros were miserably slow and admirably fuel-efficient, but it was possible to buy the same car with a yowling 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine making 100 horsepower: the Swift GT. Here's a very rare example, found in a Colorado self-service wrecking yard.

These cars weighed only about 1,800 pounds, so they were nearly as quick as the more powerful but heavier Honda Del Sol Si and Nissan Sentra SE-R ... and much cheaper.

At $10,149 (about $17,400 in inflation-adjusted 2017 dollars), the Swift GT looked like a steal next to the $12,455 Sentra SE-R and the $16,070 Del Sol Si. However, the Hyundai Scoupe Turbo, priced at a mere $10,999, looked like the best deal of all in 1993.

This one has lived a hard life, with body damage, faded interior, and rust in the usual spots.

175,303 miles, most of them probably spent above 5,000 rpm.

Perhaps some Metro owner will grab the running gear and seats, in order to create a Geo sleeper... but we doubt it. Another piece of obscure automotive history, bound for the crusher.

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Suzuki USA wasn't pushing Swift advertising very hard in 1993, so we'll go to the car's homeland for a TV ad for the regular Cultus hatchback.

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The earlier version of the Cultus GTi (factory-hot-rod counterpart to the U.S.-market Chevrolet Sprint) got some ads full of fire and Pet Shop Boys in its homeland.

By Murilee Martin