Models

Base	Sport	R/T
Highline	Expresso	ACR

Neon Base Sedan/Coupe

The original Base Neon was a stripped down economy car, with an asking price under $10,000. It offered 2-litre performance and a roomy interior for not much more than a Hyundai.

The true Base car came with a manual transmission, SOHC engine, manual steering, no air conditioning, 13-inch wheels, and the SDA suspension (no sway bars).
However, most cars were ordered with either A/C or automatic transmission, either of which included an upgrade to the better-handling SDC suspension (with front sway bar).

The Base interior had flat seats with little side support and no separate headrests. The interior was finished in plain tweed upholstery, and there was minimal sound insulation (less tar sheet; no trunk liner) . Many options, such as fold-down rear seats, were not available. Because of this, the Base car was the lightest Neon model, and so was used as the starting point for the ACR.

The Base Neon was only available as a Sedan until 1996 when the Base Coupe joined the lineup.

The Highline is the mainstream Neon with 14-inch "bubble" wheel covers and a roof rack, all of which alluded to the Neon concept vehicle that had attracted attention a few years previous. Air conditioning was standard, and other comfort options were available such as cruise control. All Highlines have the SDC (Touring) suspension, with front sway bar only.

The Highline interior features more contoured seats than the Base model, with upgraded interior material and the split fold-down 60-40 rear seat. Additional sound-deadening insulation was included. The 1995 ACR Coupe was built on the Highline, as are all 1998-99 ACRs.

The Highline was originally available only as a Sedan, which began production in January of 1994. The Highline Coupe came online as a 1995 model, with production starting around August of 1994.

The Neon Sport debuted as the top-of-the line model. Most of the features that were optional on other cars were standard for the Sport, such as antilock brakes and 14-inch wheels. Very early Sports had steel wheels; alloys became standard when the Sport Coupe appeared in late 1994. Other identifying factors are the special fascia with fog lights; when the DOHC appeared, all Sports received the "power bulge" hood, even for SOHCs.

The Sport line has undergone more changes than any other. Like all Neons, it was originally available only as the SOHC-powered Sedan. This car had the same SDC (Touring) suspension as the Highline. The Sport Coupe appeared at the end of 1994. While keeping all of the standard Sport features, it added standard DOHC (which could be deleted for credit) and performance ratio gearing for manual transmission cars. It also featured the SDE (Sport) suspension, with stiffer struts (not quite the ACR competition-stiff units), front and rear swaybars, and the slightly quicker steering ratio found on the ACR.

For 1997 and up, the Sport became an option package for the Highline, offered by Dodge only, rather than an individual model available from both Dodge & Plymouth.

In the 1996 m/y, Chrysler introduced the Expresso option package for both Dodge & Plymouth, based on the Highline car. It had most of the comfort and appearance items of the 94-96 Sport model, though alloy wheels were no longer standard (all '96 Expressos had white bubble wheel covers or white alloys, regardless of body color). Antilock brakes were optional rather than standard. The seats were the Sport level, with a special Tango upholstery, also known as "confetti".

In 1997, the Expresso package was discontinued by Dodge. However, Plymouth continued to offer its Expresso package through the end of the run in 1999.

The Dodge Neon R/T, with its distinctive 'skunk stripes', was introduced to enthusiasts at the Neon97 get-together in July of 1997. That fall it appeared at dealers as a '98 model. The R/T designation is a Mopar tradition, indicating a performance model of a given car, often introduced toward the end of the design run. This car is similar to the ACR in many ways, but includes the comfort options available in the Sport package. Luxury items include standard leather-wrapped steering wheel & shifter, as well as optional power windows, locks, and mirrors.

Unlike the original Sport, both R/T Sedans and Coupes use the SDE (Sport) suspension, which was revived for this application. It is the stiffest, most aggressive handling package short of the ACR's competition tuning. R/Ts are only available with the DOHC engine & performance "A" manual transmission. Antilock brakes are optional.

R/Ts are available in only four colors: Flame Red with silver stripes, Black with silver stripes, Intense Blue with silver stripes, and Bright White with blue stripes. Stripes can be deleted as an option.

The interior features the Sport-type seats with improved side bolsters and special Tango fabric, also known as "worm tracks". Originally, this was black with multicolored accents. Later in the model history, the accents became color-matched to the exterior of the car:

When the Neon was introduced in 1994, Chrysler decided for some fortunate reason to make a splash in SCCA racing and autocross. The Neon ACR was developed as a race-ready (just add rollcage), low cost machine, using as few special parts as possible. So that the first production run would wind up on the track, not the street, buyers were required to hold an SCCA membership. This original '1994-1/2' batch consisted of 182 SOHC-powered ACR sedans. Chrysler also sweetened the pot with substantial contingency money for ACR racers.

The original ACR was built on the Base Sedan, and the only factory option was the rear defroster. A/C and radio were not available, nor were the rest of the luxury or convenience options. In keeping with its mission, the ACR has never been available with an automatic transmission or antilock brakes. After the initial production run, the ACR package (also known as the Competition Group) joined the regular lineup, so A/C and radio became options. Non-SCCA folks were allowed to join the fun, as well.

ACRs have several distinguishing features. Foremost is the SDK (Competition) suspension with front and rear swaybars and very stiff struts, to bring handling up to racetrack strength. The steering ratio is quicker than standard, and brakes are four-wheel disc. In early 1995, ACR construction changed to include hubs 10mm thick (compared to the stock 8mm) to accommodate road racing stresses. The manual transmission has both a lower final drive ratio and a lower fifth gear for better acceleration. All ACRs get the oversized radiator from the air conditioned car.

All ACR Sedans have the SOHC engine; all Coupes get the DOHC.

Most ACRs were built on the Base chassis, to take advantage of the weight savings of minimal insulation or luxury options. The ACR Coupe started production in the '95 m/y using the Highline chassis (see the Base model history), then changed to the Base Coupe for '96 and '97 m/ys. All '98 and the few '99 m/y ACRs (Sedan and Coupe) use the Highline chassis, since the Base car was discontinued. Outside, the ACR has the Sport front fascia with empty foglight holes. Side moldings were not available from the factory, but sometimes added at the dealer. The interior was originally Base or Highline style (depending on the chassis); in the '96 m/y, the ANC option added a leather-wrapped shifter and steering wheel, as well as the Sport seats (with better lateral support) and Flash upholstery. ANC is now the standard interior since the Base car was discontinued in the '98 m/y.

The ACR designation has come to be known as "American Club Racing". However, it was originally just the sales code and has no actual significance. The same is true of the ANC interior, which is popularly held to mean "American National Champion".