Behold the king of all sleepers!
Probably your first question was simply this: why a turbo minivan? There are many reasons, but the best one can be summed up in a single word: stealth. Just about everybody enjoys a powerful vehicle, and we tend to enjoy demonstrating our superior firepower. It's been said that racing is merely the art of selling a losing proposition; if the other guy is convinced he can beat you then he'll jump at the chance to prove it. This means you want to pilot a sleeper, a musclecar-era term for something which looks an awful lot slower than it actually is.
Looks pretty unassuming, doesn't it? Probably just another soccer mom ferrying the kids home from school. Well, not always. Suddenly, without warning, this Walter Mitty-mobile might shed its sheep's clothing and reveal the true wolf lurking underneath:
So why do we do this to Dodge Caravans and Plymouth Voyagers? Because it's fun and the factory made it easy for us! Many people don't know this, but in 1989 and 1990 these minivans were available with turbocharged 2.5L four cylinder engines. That's right, factory-built turbo minivans! These engines are actually pretty darn stout right out of the box and they take to performance upgrades very well; maintain a proper air/fuel ratio and you can run 25+ pounds of boost on the stock block, crank, rods, and pistons!
If you're looking for the ultimate in sneaky inexpensive speed, look no further.
