from 70 mph, a figure Car and Driver Magazine at the time said was “Porsche territory”. Due to the light weight of the Ion to start with, breaking from the larger four-wheel discs was a short 164 ft. 0 to 60 times of 6.0 seconds was faster than the next closest GM car, the Cobalt SS. The European sourced five speed manual transmission (shared with the Colbalt SS) managed power from the front wheels. Under the hood the standard 2.0 Ecotec engine was massaged to 205 hp thanks to a Eaton supercharger. The Ion RLE was distinguished immediately by its larger 17’ wheels, not so subtle ground effects and revised front and rear end treatments. The Ion coupe got the Red Line treatment shortly thereafter. The resulting collaboration with GMPD was the Red Line brand of performance cars within Saturn. In an attempt to expand the Ion’s appeal, Saturn worked with the GM Performance Division (GMPD) to develop a special coupe only Ion. Saturn’s replacement for the S cars was the Ion in 2003. Although not hard-core performance cars, they did manage to blend a fun to drive factor with frugality. Saturn began to make a name for itself with the ’90s SC2/SL2 coupe and sedan. That was unfortunate because the Ion Red Line was great performance value. Unfortunately, it did not appeal much to performance minded shopper who more than likely looked at the Civic Si first. That appealed to a lot of people who might have otherwise chose a Honda or Toyota. Overbearing apple pie and All-American propaganda was toned down in favor of attention to detail (in customer service at least). They were also assumed to be free of some with the baggage that came with the rest of GM. True or not, Saturn cars were perceived to be a small step up in quality from a typical Chevrolet. This car is one of the greatest sleeper sports cars out there that has sadly been forgotten about.Not really known for performance, Saturn made a name for itself by appealing to people who were intimidated by the typical dealership experience. Due to the lack of brand and model recognition, people are going to think that this car cannot make it to the end of the strip let alone actually win it. The truth of the matter is, if you had to take a stock Saturn Ion Redline, no one would ever expect you to win the race. They were able to get 372 horsepower out of the engine as well as 219 torque. With these modifications, they made the car go even faster. Hot Rod Magazine got hold of a Saturn Ion Redline and modified it with a Magnuson TVS 1900 Supercharger, Comp Cams Cam, 64 lb/hr fuel injectors, a header as well as added some exhaust work. RELATED: Here's Why The Lotus Carlton Was The Ultimate Sleeper Modification is needed to make the car look like it is a sports car. The car goes very quickly and is not the type of car you want to get your child as their first car because they will not be able to handle the speed. Like we said before, a sleeper car does not match the outside and what is underneath the hood. The Saturn Ion Redline has a lot of markers for a sports couple when it left the factory to go into the market, but what makes it a real sleeper, is how easy it is to upgrade. RELATED: 10 Coolest Sleeper Cars From The '90s You Can Buy For Peanuts The modifications made the car look more like a sports car but you had to put in the work in order for the outside to match the inside. Once the Saturn was launched, you could buy modifications for the car both for the exterior of the car as well as the interior. Under the hood of the Ion is an amazing engine that can get you to where you need to go quicker than other cars, but it did not look the part. This car was fluffed-up and looked like a real sports car. You might be asking yourself, why did this car not get any real attention? Well if you look at it, it came out in 2003, one year after the Dodge Neon SRT-4. It is a 5-speed transmission as well as a front-wheel drive. This engine was later used in the Chevy Cobalt SS. The Saturn Ion Redline does not look like it but it is in fact a demon car! This car has a 2.0l Supercharged engine that can drive this baby up to 236 horsepower with the ability to reach about 218lb-ft of torque.
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