Our very first low-buck motorsport event, the $1500 Challenge

It was a simple challenge: Can you build a real race car for $1500? So simple, yet so improbable that when we issued our $1500 Challenge to our staff and readers several months ago, we anticipated that few would accept it. We pretty much envisioned the story as a closed competition among our own editorial staff. 

Then we ran the news …

Read the rest of the story

The one that started it all!

The day I learned what GRM was! I was at the dragstrip with my family and thought the zany $1500 cars were really cool. Picked up my first issue that week. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

That was my GLH turbo I sold to JG just for the challenge.  The car was rude and crude, but put a smile on my face every time I drove it.  I had it 8 yrs and won a C Stock regional championship.  Parked with all of the other CS sports cars, first gen MR2s and RX7s, it looked like a phone booth LOL  Good times!

In reply to gp99 :

Yup, that’s JG’s GLH. Amazing that’s what they sold for back then. I prepped an ’86 Civic Si. Tim did an SVO Mustang. 

J.G. Pasterjak said:

...The 0-60 times dropped into the 6.8-sec­ond range and the car felt like a crazy mon­key full of bathtub crystal meth...

Now that's an image right there. Thanks for posting the article. It was an entertaining read. I just wish that there were more pictures of the cars.

ShawneeCreek said:

J.G. Pasterjak said:

...The 0-60 times dropped into the 6.8-sec­ond range and the car felt like a crazy mon­key full of bathtub crystal meth...

Now that's an image right there. Thanks for posting the article. It was an entertaining read. I just wish that there were more pictures of the cars.

There is video evidence. JG did a video coverage. Probably just need to ask for the link...

I was there.  I am old 

So what is $1500 adjusted for inflation?

stafford1500 said:

ShawneeCreek said:

J.G. Pasterjak said:

...The 0-60 times dropped into the 6.8-sec­ond range and the car felt like a crazy mon­key full of bathtub crystal meth...

Now that's an image right there. Thanks for posting the article. It was an entertaining read. I just wish that there were more pictures of the cars.

There is video evidence. JG did a video coverage. Probably just need to ask for the link...

I believe this is the link your looking for: 

Bringing this article back gave OCR a real workout didn't it?

A lot of these cars would be tough to find at all in half the US today. I probably haven't seen a Toyota Cressida since 2002. 1985 200SX? Not in Ohio.

Wow those dudes reporting are really really young.

According to the CPI inflation calculator, $1500 in Feb 2000 is like $2,818.75 in today's money.

So, you had more to spend in 2000 than you have in 2025

That was so much fun! Some great memories...

And that fun is why I'm still involved 26 years later.

- Bill C 

In reply to EricM :

That's been true and pointed out since $2001 moved to $2002.  And a few later, $1500 adjusted for more than that year.

Kinda shows how creative people can be on a very tight budget.

Fun fact: I've driven this very Z. My dad bought it after the challenge way back when. I was a gangly pre-teen and I'm pretty sure this was the first time I'd ever went "dang that's a cool car". He had it for a few years and we ended up autocrossing it together a few times.

I also owned an ex-challenge car (the Quad 4 CRX) and my wife sold a 1G MR2 with a lunched motor to someone who took that to the challenge.

gp99 said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

That was my GLH turbo I sold to JG just for the challenge.  The car was rude and crude, but put a smile on my face every time I drove it.  I had it 8 yrs and won a C Stock regional championship.  Parked with all of the other CS sports cars, first gen MR2s and RX7s, it looked like a phone booth LOL  Good times!

I had one too back in those days.

alfadriver said:

In reply to EricM :

That's been true and pointed out since $2001 moved to $2002.  And a few later, $1500 adjusted for more than that year.

Kinda shows how creative people can be on a very tight budget.

earlier up in the comments someone asked what it was adjusted, so I looked it up.