Oddball Dodge Colt packs two of everything into a “Double Header”
A bizarre, customized Dodge Colt is coming up for sale at Mecum’s Indy auction currently scheduled for July 10–18, 2020. The 1981 Dodge Colt(s), dubbed, “Double Header” was made from two Dodge Colt/Plymouth Champ hatchbacks that have been joined together at the B-pillar. Best thing to happen to Indianapolis since Peyton Manning? You decide.
The bright red car has a black vinyl top, and that two-tone color scheme continues inside. One half of the car has black carpet, dash, and door panels along with black seats with red inserts, while the other half uses an all-red interior except for black seat inserts.
Each end of the car has a functional powertrain with a manual transmission. Yes, it can be driven from either end. With steering and power available from all four wheels, there are lots of opportunities for cartoonish antics. Plus, backing out of your driveway into a busy street has never been easier!
Turning the wheels in opposite directions could make for some tight maneuvering, while cranking them the same direction would allow the car to crab almost sideways. Two drivers could stage a one-car tug-of-war, or cooperate for an AWD launch that no stock 1981 Colt could ever dream of. Of course, the backward powertrain would only be useful until the little four-cylinder redlined in reverse, but it’s something we know we’d have to try—at least once.
Both halves of this Mopar mash-up (which are advertised as having four-speed manual transmissions) actually have the “Twin-Stick” transmission with an integrated overdrive unit, which means that each transmission technically has 8 forward gears and two reverse gears. That means that our backyard-facing drag race driver could get one shift in before having to shift into neutral.
We can’t really say anyone needs a double-headed Dodge Colt with twin powertrains, but we also must admit that we want one, and that such a desire is deeply confusing. From a practical standpoint, the aptly-plated “DBLHEDR” could be far less likely to leave you stranded as a breakdown. After all, every part of the drivetrain has a redundant backup. Does that also make it twice as likely to run out of gas?
