5k: Snow Bound: 1992 Subaru SVX 5-spd Swap
It looked like Snowmaggedon 2014 was over after the Northeast and South started thawing out, but now it is snowing in Washington & Oregon and raining in SoCal. Spring will eventually come, but in the meantime perhaps you should consider picking up a cheap wet/icy weather all-wheel-drive beater to keep you out of the ditches. Nothing fits the bill better than this 1992 Subaru SVX with 5-spd swap for sale in Castle Rock, CO offered for $3,800 via craigslist.
The Alcyone SVX (the Alcyone name was dropped for the US market because it was too difficult to pronounce) was an experiment in luxury GT coupe market from Subaru that has never been replicated by the maker of all things all-wheel-drive, turbo and flat-engine powered. Subaru has lived the different mantra that other companies try to advertise for years with its perky BRAT pickup to the nutter STi donut machine. The SVX was no exception with its front mounted flat-6, all-wheel-drive and forced automatic transmission.
The Subaru brass made a tactical mistake in releasing the SVX as slushbox only, probably based on their market research that tried to convert C4 Vette owners in new buyers. It is impossible to know if the SVX would have survived to future generations with the addition of a manual transmission, but the subsequent release of the Impreza STi halo car as 6-speed only in 2004 demonstrated that someone in corporate was listening. The slushbox in the SVX has meant that resale values plummeted like Rob Ford’s campaign donations and they are now cheap. This SVX has had its slushbox ditched in favor or a 5-speed from another unidentified vehicle, and it should really liven up the performance from the 230 horsepower flat-6.
See another Giugiaro designed luxury coupe for the price of a typical engine rebuild? tips@dailyturismo.com
this with a 5sp is on my short list (along with a bunch of other giugiaro designs and an E28 M5, but i digress) – having looked into it (at length, multiple times, while i should have been doing something productive) the details of the manual swap are apparently crucial – the transmissions that fit are almost all not sturdy enough for this engine (which apparently it eats its factory automatic transmissions too) – there are build threads, there are kits (expensive, not well reviewed) – can be done, has been done, but you'd really have to find out how this one was done, and how well it was done, or else (they say) you will be doing it again – or drive like a granny
New crank and cam sensors? Sounds like the tranny already torqued the block. Any thoughts, besides a desire to party with Rob Ford?