CSX #87 - X1 Prototype found, with pics (16v with electronic suspension)

[tryingbe]

VIN #:1B3BS44E6HN504150


http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307898a.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307898b.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307898c.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307898d.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307904a.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307904b.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307904c.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307904d.jpg
http://www.thelostartof.net/tryingbe/dodge/csx/3307905d.jpg

[DC Turismo]

So what's the story on it, and why no pic of the dash plaque? Does it belong to a member of the board? No matter, this is an AWESOME find!

[Lotashelbys]

Thats very cool! I just ran a Carfax on it and its been in AZ since 99.

[DC Turismo]

I tell ya though..... yet another "What if" car lol... as in, What if they produced those like that? Rather, why not? :(

[BadAssPerformance]

Sweet car! More info?

[omni_840]

Sweet car! More info?

^+1 - That is a nice ride

[bradp]

Why oh why did they not produce this car?

[tryingbe]

Ask all the questions right now, I will response to them all at once, not one at the time.

Be specific as well.

[JDAWG]

Interesting, I assume this is located not too far from you?

[85shelbycharger]

How did you "find" it? Were you contacted about it? Did you see somebody driving it?

Also, more specifically -- Is the 34k miles accurate? All of the Shelby parts there? (i.e. dash plaque, vin tag, etc) Where are the centurions? Or did it come with pizza wheels?

I'd assume that it has been stored for quite some time considering its condition. How many of these prototypes were made? Also, is that what is referred to as the "Hans Herman" 16v head?

I'm sure I'll have more questions as the story unfolds :thumb:

[Turbo3Iroc]

Interesting.

Looks like a pre production T3 head.

[Marcus86GLHS]

we gotta add this one to the "rarest cars" thread/list. very interesting vehicle.

who is the owner?

[2.216VTurbo]

I remember that car from the 94 auction, the guy who bought it was 'older' and he last name was Slavic or Polish ending in 'Ski' IIRC. He brought it out to the Phoenix '97 SD convention. During the convention we went for a 'little drive' (like 50 miles top the track:o) and my Shelby Lancer wouldn't keep up with that thing:eyebrows:

[yogurt_slinger]

it would be nice to have those valve covers recast so the TIII guys could have a little variety.

Kinda curious if its got a SMEC or if it did get a SBEC

[MiniMopar]

Very, very cool. I remember talking to Neil Emiro about that suspension system years ago. That is one rare CSX.

[90Dodgevnt]

Now this is funny...


Says it's a TBI car! :confused:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/90dodgevnt/vin.jpg

[JDAWG]

theres an open recall on it

[Xtrempickup]

not fond of those valve covers. i bet it hauls pretty well tho, nice find

[zin]

Now this is funny...


Says it's a TBI car! :confused:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/90dodgevnt/vin.jpg

It probably started out as a TBI?

I'm curious about the suspension, is it fully electronic, or electro-mechanical?

I didn't realize that the TIII head was in existence that far back!

Lots of curious questions!

[Turbodave]

Now this is funny...


Says it's a TBI car! :confused:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/90dodgevnt/vin.jpg

Must something wrong in that software, it's got an 8th digit of E just like every other 87 CSX and factory turbo I car from 84-88:lol:

That is an amazing car, I would love to know more about it's history, and also whether or not the electronice suspension is still on it and functioning. Those are some cool features.

[86Shelby]

I love the valve covers. So simple & definitely different than what you normally see.

[NeonShowCar]

The real question is: How much did you pay for it??? :eyebrows:

[speeddemon]

I'm curious about the suspension, is it fully electronic, or electro-mechanical?


IIRC the prototypes had a switch on the I/P, with electric motors which sat on the top of the struts/shocks. The motors would rotate back and forth changing the setting (like adjusting a Koni). Monroe did the system I believe. There was a module buried in the car (underdash I think) with harnesses running to each corner.

[BadAssPerformance]

So similar to the setup available on 2nd gen RX7's...

[shadow88]

So similar to the setup available on 2nd gen RX7's...

.....And stealth twin turbos? They had some silly electronic crap on some of their struts too.

Questions, Is it yours?, Is this factory shelby or a clever motor swap? I ask because every t2, t3, t4 car I've seen has an "A" engine in the vin, not "E"

Is it for sale? Does it run? Is it numbered? Wanna race?:eyebrows:

[raccoon]

thats freaking wonderful!

[TopDollar69]

The switch on the dash looks exactly like the 88 Birthday car. I just looked it over on Monday since I stopped in to see Cindy. From what I could see on the Birthday car the rear shocks have two wires coming out of the top. I couldnt really see much on the front struts since the hood was down. Also the bithday car has a similar number like CSX-X3 or something like that.

[BadAssPerformance]

.....And stealth twin turbos? They had some silly electronic crap on some of their struts too.

Questions, Is it yours?, Is this factory shelby or a clever motor swap? I ask because every t2, t3, t4 car I've seen has an "A" engine in the vin, not "E"

Is it for sale? Does it run? Is it numbered? Wanna race?:eyebrows:

All the Whittier cars (at least '87) started life as T1 cars so they get the "E" digit in the VIN. They are T2 top half, T1 (lightweight rods, cast crank) bottom half... so kinda like a T1.5 :)

[Turbodave]

All the Whittier cars (at least '87) started life as T1 cars so they get the "E" digit in the VIN. They are T2 top half, T1 (lightweight rods, cast crank) bottom half... so kinda like a T1.5 :)

Yep, only exception to that is the 89 CSX which has an "A" for the 8th digit of the VIN since it used a 2.2 TII engine to start with.

[tryingbe]

A friend of mine works at a Dodge dealership. He took the pictures.
From what I hear, that car is in the dealership for repair more than in the owner's garage. ;)

That's all the info I can give you. I never even see the car in real life. I'll try to get my friend to response to this thread, but that's up to him.

[SpiritedShelbys]

Well the car IS 21 years old... you can't reasonably expect a "classic" to be held to the reliability standards of a modern car much less a prototype. I'm sure that despite the low miles on that car most of which were very, very abusive. Expensive to own or not I'd trade my Shelby Dodge lineup for that one car.

[raccoon]

let it be known, I will own this car one day.

[Directconnection]

I've seen those VCs in old magazine articles talking about the T-III to come in the '89 CSX. Pre-prodcion units obviously...100x more $ than the shelby
T-III VCs.

[dodgeshadowchik]

that is an awesome car!! thanks for sharing!!

[JDAWG]

A friend of mine works at a Dodge dealership. He took the pictures.
From what I hear, that car is in the dealership for repair more than in the owner's garage. ;)

That's all the info I can give you. I never even see the car in real life. I'll try to get my friend to response to this thread, but that's up to him.

than why dont they fix the open recall on it?

[tryingbe]

I'm not a member there so you can tell them I said this. The car comes into our dealership every once in a while and sometimes sits out back for months at a time. The owner doesnt take too great care of it as you can see. I've driven the car and yes, its pretty fast.
I dont really know what else to say. So you can post this I guess. Here's a couple more pictures I've taken of it.

http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/136786/3308452b.jpg
http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/136786/3308452d.jpg
http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/136786/3308452c.jpg

[BadAssPerformance]

http://www.supercars.net/pitlane/pics/136786/3308452d.jpg

Interesting that it has the console bin... must have been made from an ES instead of a base model.

[TopDollar69]

I thought the 87 CSX's did start out as ES Shadows?

[BadAssPerformance]

The "ES" package in '87 didnt offer much to the car. I've not seen an '87 CSX with a 'factory' center console with the little bin.

[TopDollar69]

Ah, I see, it was on option on the ES package then.

[1966 dart wagon]

looks like a pretty sweet car, to bad the owner didnt take better care of it

[SpiritedShelbys]

Umm.. it IS 21 years old... that's ALOT of time for anything to have been replaced/changed. Not that it's anything less today but it would be really cool to see pics of this car from '87..

[CSX321]

All of the pictures I've seen of '87 prototypes have the center console, but as far as I know, none of the production ones did.

[JDAWG]

A friend of mine works at a Dodge dealership. He took the pictures.
From what I hear, that car is in the dealership for repair more than in the owner's garage.

That's all the info I can give you. I never even see the car in real life. I'll try to get my friend to response to this thread, but that's up to him.

than why dont they fix the open recall on it?


you didtn answer my question. If its in a dealearship and they didnt run recalls then they are gay no matter how old the car is.

[Directconnection]

This is right up there with the birthday car and should be in the correct person's hands (me:D) Seriously, should be in the hands of a TM buff.

[tryingbe]

you didtn answer my question. If its in a dealearship and they didnt run recalls then they are gay no matter how old the car is.




A friend of mine works at a Dodge dealership. He took the pictures.
From what I hear, that car is in the dealership for repair more than in the owner's garage. ;)


That's all the info I can give you. I never even see the car in real life. I'll try to get my friend to response to this thread, but that's up to him.

Maybe this will tell you why your question isn't answered.



Any idea if the owner will sell it? If so, how much?


probably not. From what I heard he thinks its worth more than it really is.

[Bozo]

This is right up there with the birthday car and should be in the correct person's hands (me:D) Seriously, should be in the hands of a TM buff.

I totally agree. Makes me wonder if the current owner is aware of what he has?

[MiniMopar]

Sounds like he is based on the high (unknown) price. Too bad he doesn't care enough about it to take care of it.

[WickedShelby88]

That car is actually worthy of more than the average mopar dealership to be worked on. That car is right up there with a real lotus in terms of deserves better affection. Alas, it is a car and will have been treated as such by almost all who come in contact with it. Most prototypes are destroyed or never see the ownership of the working class. I would wager that car could be bought for 5k cash. Someone should offer the guy something or at least see if he would be interested in a following of people that would appreciate such a rarity in these times. Its not everyday you see the car that should of been let alone all dirty and "USED".

[CSX321]

Its not everyday you see the car that should of been let alone all dirty and "USED".
In all fairness, is it in any worse shape now than when it was sold at the "garage sale"? (I don't know.) From the pictures I've seen, some of the prototypes look like they were in pretty rough shape when they were sold.

[turbovanman²]

A friend of mine works at a Dodge dealership. He took the pictures.
From what I hear, that car is in the dealership for repair more than in the owner's garage. ;)

That's all the info I can give you. I never even see the car in real life. I'll try to get my friend to response to this thread, but that's up to him.

Funny, dealership working on it. MOst have no idea how to fix turbo cars anymore and even worse is that rare car, poor thing.


It probably started out as a TBI?

I'm curious about the suspension, is it fully electronic, or electro-mechanical?

I didn't realize that the TIII head was in existence that far back!

Lots of curious questions!


The TIII was probably made around the mid 80's then was worked into production.


I wonder if that cal is available anywhere?????????????

[TopDollar69]

I was talking to Cindy about the 88 Birthday car, and she thinks it has a modified 89 CSX-VNT harness. That would make the birthday car at least a SBEC. It only stands to reason that Shelby was using SBEC computers before they were put into production cars, just like the drum in rotor ebrakes. I could be totally off base though.

[WickedShelby88]

In all fairness, is it in any worse shape now than when it was sold at the "garage sale"? (I don't know.) From the pictures I've seen, some of the prototypes look like they were in pretty rough shape when they were sold.

Good call. Can't really nit pick the condition which isn't bad compared to what it could be.
Interesting about the modified 89 VNT harness to an SBEC. I would definitely like to try something like that when I get the lancer.

[rich tideswell]

it's really not in that bad of shape... prototype mule or not..... usually these cars are so hacked up by the time the engineers are done with them that they get crushed.

i've certainly seen far worse cars for sale on craigslist or ebay.....

[Reaper1]

Cool to see this car for sure. That adds another one to the list of cars that actually have the VDS installed. I knew the B-day car and the 1990 prototype for the CSX did...I didn't know about this one.

I also think it's a shame the guy doesn't take too good a care of it. And what the heck is he thinking letting a dealership work on it!!?? Holy crap...most dealerships don't evewn know what a TIII is, much less letting them mess with a one-off version of a Shelby car...geeze...that's scary to me!

[MiniMopar]

Unless the dealership has an old-timer/guru, at least some of the problems with the car likely stem from the mechanics themselves. Lets face it, these cars are persnickety in stock form...

I agree with the fact that the car looks run down. I know if it were in the hands of most real enthusiasts/CSX lovers, it would be cared for much more carefully. I know I would.