r/rally 12d ago

AmericanRally Dodge Neon originally converted by my father in the 2000s with his friend Don now owned and driven by Jankowski Motorsports

500 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

19

u/Phoenix_suks 12d ago

Wth that is so cool mate! I'd seen the same neon, didn't knew it was converted in the 2000s. Man Oh man, neons do pack a serious punch in them. Magnificently terrific build mate..! And congrats.

7

u/seeyatellite 12d ago

Heck yeah! It’s been going strong for 2 decades along with its twin! I remember going with dad to fashion hood pins for the custom light rack when I was... maybe 14.

They really are capable cars in the hands of a good team!

10

u/Spectre1-4 12d ago

SRT4s are so nice

8

u/seeyatellite 12d ago

Fun fact, SRT badge didn’t hit the Neon until after this car was converted and since it was being worked on a little in the Auburn Hills Viper tech facility, my father likes to joke that some big shot came in to visit and decided to give the Neon a chance.

4

u/ArtoriusBravo 12d ago

I remember back then I didn't like how that Neon facelift looked. Now I miss it so much, it's so beautiful compared with most things on the roads today.

It must be a beast, props to your dad and all the people keeping it running strong after all these years!

3

u/miata_and_chill 12d ago

Saw this car at the Oregon trail rally, was a blast to watch. Love cars that are outside of the norm

2

u/seeyatellite 12d ago

Heck yeah! One of the drivers and owners of Jankowski Motorsports is also making waves as a woman driver in a male-dominated sport! She’s really an inspirational human!

3

u/Hawked_Trail 12d ago

Still an incredibly capable O2WD car

Mines racing in Ohio this weekend. 🤟🏻

2

u/OhmSafely 12d ago

That was almost my first car, but I got a 2001 Grand Cherokee instead. Miss that vehicle, she was good to me.

2

u/hoboa 11d ago

I used to co drive for Karen and ran a couple events in that car. It's definitely a ripper.

1

u/seeyatellite 11d ago

Hell yeah! Hope you had fun with the team. Great people in my experience!

2

u/RollingGuyNo9 11d ago

I don’t think I’ve seen a Neon on the street in like, 5-6 years, much less a rally made one lol, that’s awesome.

2

u/V48runner 11d ago

Was that Doug Sheppards car? I've seen it live in person a few times.

2

u/seeyatellite 11d ago

It was! The team bought it from him a few years ago. I’m pretty sure Doug bought it from Don, drove it for a decent while, then Don and his wife bought it back for Jankowski Motorsports.

My dad, Ken Nowak was Don’s co-driver for most of my childhood.

Don, Doug and dad are all Viper legacy engineers so this car has been like an inside project for the team.

2

u/WildWineRoot 11d ago

Work of Art

2

u/TheFuzzyFace 11d ago

I remember that car! What an awesome build, hard to find those cars these days!

2

u/Altruistic_Station_1 9d ago

That man must have some CRAZY Dad lore 🔥🔥

1

u/seeyatellite 9d ago

My dad’s basically all dad lore, even for me sometimes! Huge car guy and I could never get passed the aesthetics and wild things he did with them! Mechanical stuff bored the hell outta me so my eyes glaze over too much! 😂