I'm thinking about a project that could yield 40mpg and also be sporty with a 0-60 time of around 6-7 seconds. So far the 1.4 turbo ecotec / 6-speed manual out of the 2011+ Sonic / Cruize. With a tune it will make 188whp/238lbs-ft of tq. I looked online and it looks like I can get the engine/trans ecu for around $2k pair that with a 92-95 Civic Hatchback roller for $500-$1000 it could be a nice little mpg beater. Ideally a Honda Insight would be awesome as they weigh 1730 lbs, but I'm guessing one could be hard to find, plus I'm in NY and would have to deal with inspection plugging into the OBDII port, not sure if I could get away with the readiness checks etc because I'm sure some sensors would be missing. As long as I stick to a '95 or older I avoid this. My other thought was to turbo the jdm 3 stage vtec D15B from honda. The Suzuki Swift looks like another good candidate, any thoughts?
The only FWD things lighter than an old Swift are the CRX and classic Mini (and Mini-based kits).
(Edit: Oh yeah and the Berkeley.)
Keep in mind it's about the same amount of work to put a FWD drivetrain in the back of a mid-rear engined car...
Use chevy metro and dominate SMF?
Rupert
HalfDork
1/12/15 11:01 a.m.
CRX! Or '80s Civic. Good luck finding either one in which you can't see the road from inside the car without using a window..
80s FWD Nova, Metro, Cavalier, Citation. I know there may be better options, but there's something fun about keeping it within the brand.
Having a first gen insight makes me want to do something crazy with it. I will just stick to adding a tiny turbo to the stock 3 cylinder. 
Dave
New Reader
1/12/15 11:20 a.m.
A few Nissan Micras kicking around Canada - pretty darn light.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/ultralight-mid-engine-performance-car-from-a-chevy-cobalt-donor/89454/page1/
Will
SuperDork
1/12/15 1:55 p.m.
Gen-2 CRX. Not just a light chassis, but also a good one.
88 - 91 Civic hatch. Good front suspension, no air bags for extra weight..
Appleseed wrote:
Festiva.
These were real featherweights at 1713 pounds, the drawback is the 4x110 bolt circle. Rob the brakes and suspension off an Aspire and you'd get 4x100 bolt circle. Lots of room inside, unfortunately not exactly pretty cars.
Looks like the 2015 Sonic weighs in at 2690 pounds, you are looking at a real weight savings. http://www.chevrolet.com/sonic-small-car/specs/dimensions.html
Why follow the crowd?
That my friend, is 2000 pounds of vive la difference!
(Recommending a Renault Alliance may be against the Geneva Convention and qualify as inhumane)
Make sure you look for a low drag coefficient as well. Weight means very little when it comes to highway mileage. Some older cars have awful drag coefficients.
The Civic/CRX options are great... but you can probably do just as well with a different Honda swap that requires zero fabrication.
yamaha
MegaDork
1/12/15 3:08 p.m.
In reply to pinchvalve:
Crimes against humanity......
I hear they'll give you a sweet baby blue arm band though, so long as you join them.
emsalex
New Reader
1/12/15 3:14 p.m.
There is a fx16 with a blown 4age 20 min from me been for sale at $350 with back fees for 4 months. but I would go MKI mr2 in a heart beat.
emsalex wrote:
There is a fx16 with a blown 4age 20 min from me been for sale at $350 with back fees for 4 months. but I would go MKI mr2 in a heart beat.
Putting a 4agze in that would be fun
1993-1996 Mitsubishi Mirage is pretty light. I got my FSP car under 1900 with the 2.4L motor in it. Lot of parts are interchangeable with early evolutions. It handled surprisingly well and I would still have it if they didn't have smog tests where I'm at. I could never get it to pass smog in FSP trim.
noddaz wrote:
88 - 91 Civic hatch. Good front suspension, no air bags for extra weight..
This,looks great still imo with loads of usefull space for hauling the race tires to the track.
