First. Car. LIVE! #20: [Chevrolet Spark LT] Rate it in the comments below.
Intro: Since y’all actually expected this to come, which i’m glad to hear, i decided to end the 2nd season with a car special to me, the Chevrolet Spark. I used to have one of these and it was lots of fun. Extremely lightweight, enough power to be enjoyable.
The top model was powered by a 1.2L inline-4 S-TEC engine which puts out 81HP and 111NM of torque.
It’s FWD, but in a car this tiny, it’s just enough to zip you around fast, weighing just under 800kg.
Even though i had the base model, i’d like to own the top model.
Y’all might ask how come it has a 1.2L engine. That’s because only the Chinese (M150) and South African (M200) received this engine, the chinese one having the P-TEC engine with 86HP.
I want to keep the 2nd gen, the M200, as close to OEM spec as possible, so i’d just be swapping the base/mid range 0.8/1.0L engine with the top model 1.2L.
I chose the LT trim, because it’s the specced out trim.
First of all it’s the engine swap. It’s basically the same engine afterall so everything will fit nicely. No homologation needed, nothing. Secondly, would be the body modifcations. Most Sparks came without the sunroof, so that would be one of the must haves, and also the sport pack bodykit.
The top rpm would be increased to 7200RPM because it is possible and safe to do that on this engine, according to chiptuners. ITBs would be easy enough to install and cheap, because i could buy and modify an OEM BMW 6-cyl ITB setup to fit this 4-cyl. Trumpets fitted with filters for the best power and filtration. To end the tune, the smallest Magnaflow high-flow cat would need to be installed, because there is barely any space in there, together with the final ECU remap. The total power, which you most likely expect by now, will hopefully be 120HP, my personal sweet spot of 100HP/L.
Because cars in South Africa are a lot more expensive than in Europe, the maximum price would be 5000$ for the best looking Spark with the highest, LT, trim.
A 150HP/Ton hatchback would be nothing but fun and i hope to have another one of these someday.
Scores
Last Score:
7.85 Mazda 323F GT V6
Best Score:
8.38 Citroën Saxo VTS
Comments
Wait, that spark looks a bit too Matiz for me…
Still, 7/10 from me
Yeah. They are the same thing.
Chevrolet Matiz, Daewoo Matiz and Chevrolet Spark are the same, just sold in different regions.
4/10. GM “build quality” and the crashworthiness of a portable toilet? Nope. It is cute, though.
I can assure you this one is pretty much bulletproof.
The friend who still has it this many years later after release didn’t have any problem with it this far.
7/10
🖒
I thought cars in Europe were more expensive than here in South Africa.
Nope. It’s the other way around.
What would you rate it tho?