Many automotive debates can keep you occupied for an afternoon. Comfort, practicality, safety — reasonable arguments exist on multiple sides. But there's one question that admits no discussion. Before you now stands the fastest car in existence: the 1989 Dodge Aries.
Some explanation is in order. This listing on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) is no ordinary K-car — it's a former Dollar Rental Dodge Aries. On that point, we defer to the late, legendary C/D editor P.J. O'Rourke:
"Nothing handles better than a rented car. You can go faster, turn corners sharper, and put the transmission into reverse while going forward at a higher rate of speed in a rented car than in any other kind. You can also park without looking, and can use the trunk as an ice chest. Another thing about a rented car is that it's an all-terrain vehicle. Mud, snow, water, woods—you can take a rented car anywhere. True, you can't always get it back—but that's not your problem, is it?"
That said, this veteran of the Dollar Rental counter probably deserves a more considerate owner at this stage of its life. The odometer reads just 16,000 miles, and the car is in remarkably good condition. It has also aged into genuine scarcity: K-cars were once ubiquitous, but good examples for period film and television productions are now genuinely hard to locate.
The exterior is a dignified shade of blue-gray, and the gray cloth interior channels the energy of a cloudy Tuesday. It has a front bench seat, a three-speed automatic, and hand-crank windows. The radio no longer works, but you likely have the theme from The Golden Girls memorized anyway.
Under that resolutely rectangular hood beats a 2.2-liter fuel-injected four-cylinder engine producing 93 horsepower and 122 pound-feet of torque. That's not a lot in absolute terms, but historically it was more than enough for rental customers attempting to recreate the beach racing scene from Days of Thunder.
Recent maintenance includes an oil change and a fuel-tank replacement — a welcome update for a vehicle that clearly spent years in storage. Fresh tires on the 13-inch wheels round out the servicing.
At its core, this Aries is a pristine time capsule that became remarkable simply by enduring. Hundreds of its rental-fleet siblings were worn out and discarded by tenants who cared nothing for their well-being. This one somehow made it through.
Park it next to a first-generation Dodge Viper at your next period car gathering and watch the expressions. Sure, that V-10 is impressive. But this one used to be a rental.
The auction ends on March 25.
