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1994 Suzuki Vitara

Shown first as a design concept at the 1994 International Motor Show in Birmingham, England.

The public response was so great that a limited run of 500 vehicles has been produced.

The Suzuki Vitara name has only been used in the US recently. Shown above is a mid 90's Vitara from abroad. 

Geo Tracker = Chevy rebaged Suzuki Sidekick = Suzuki Vitara

The Suzuki SJ and Samurai "jeep" models that hit Europe during the early 1980's were gaily painted fun machines, the most successful of which were open to the elements with their removable rag tops. These models were originally introduced to the North American market wearing Chevrolet badges. The success of this Japanese model to General Motors and Suzuki signing a joint production agreement, and an assembly plant was established in Canada. Models for the European market were being built in Spain which certainly made the Suzuki SJ a world 4WD.

There then followed a bizarre period where the Suzuki SJ models came under fire on both sides of the Atlantic from consumer organizations. The claims were that these little machines were potentially dangerous because they were more prone to roll over than other 4WDs. No 4WD multipurpose vehicle, of course, should be expected to handle like a conventional passenger car when driven on the road. In Britain, this led to Suzuki producing an informative booklet on how to drive the SJ, and in American showrooms, every Samurai had a prominently displayed notice which read "It won't spoil the fun knowing that the Samurai handles differently from an ordinary passenger car. Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers."

It certainly didn't seem to spoil the fun of Suzuki enthusiasts. When the Samurai was replaced by the European Vitara model in 1988, it was obvious that the Japanese manufacturer was keen to keep the wind blowing through the hair of it's owners. This led to the Vitara Sport becoming an essential fashion accessory for European "bright young things." This fashion phrase has led to a huge aftermarket industry, offering Vitara owners ultrawide alloy wheels and tires, and bright shiny bull bars that look capable of deflecting herds of buffalo, yet are more often than not made of brightly colored, deformable plastic (to keep the consumer groups at bay). Fancy colors and flashy graphics have become all the rage. Suzuki launched its new 4WD on the North American market as the Suzuki Sidekick or, under the General Motors name, as the Geo Tracker. The model has proved a sales success whether called Vitara, Sidekick, or Geo Tracker. There is even a North American version of the Tracker available with 2WD!

If seems rather strange, that with a vehicle this exciting the motor of choice was rather anemic. Early models got a whooping 80 Hp from a 1.6-liter 8 valve motor. Later models got a 16 valve 1.6 liter or 1.8 liter motors. Suzuki finally caught on nearly 10 years later with a totally new sheet metal Vitara with a small displacement 2.5-liter 155 HP V-6. By now the Vitara was overweight and overpriced for most people.

This why I have created my Project Zuki.

Stuffing a LateModel 13B RX7 motor into a Sidekick!

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