Neon ACR Re-Animation

After parting ways with my $2015 Neon ACR when track days ended last Summer I intended to pursue other interests but fate has intervened and I just picked up another ACR and again for a challenge-legal purchase price. This one is a different beast. Unlike my first ACR which was close to stock with a few bolt-ons that tweaked handling and horsepower this one is an over-the-top 2.4L turbocharged rocket with stand-alone engine management, raceland coil-overs, and some nice interior touches such as a short-shifter, modified cluster with center tach, extra gauges and gen2 seats and steering wheel. The $2,000 purchase price doesn't leave much for clean up but the car came with a set of unmolested doors and another set of wheels an tires.
I think 2018 is a possibility.

My links to imgur images don't seem to be working, here's another attempt. and the real highlight of the car...

Hey, it's a Neon. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of the crew.

I was "told" that those circular vents on top of the dash near the A-pillars were specially placed so that they could be removed and the forward drop bars of the roll cage inserted through them. Heard this from an avid/rabid ACR owner. Neat story even if it might not be a true one. His car was a lot of fun but road like a coal cart.

A few weeks before I purchased the car I drove over to it's storage location with the owner to look it over and drive it.  The car had been sitting for more than a year, outside for an unknown portion of that time.  During the initial inspection lifting the hood revealed a fat little frog sitting on the inner fender.  He hopped away and we carried on with the test drive and some weeks later the subsequent purchase.

The day after I brought it home, this little guy was sitting on the outside of the windshield.

It seems that during its hibernation the car had been hosting not the typical destructive rodents, but amphibians.  I've never named a car before, but given the frog infestation, the green shifter,

and the car's home state I've christened it Michigan J Frog (tm).

So I spent an hour or so cleaning some of the exterior crud off and put some fresh fuel in the tank. 

The seller included a set of doors and wheels/tires with the purchase but I have to arrange pick up, probably later this month. 

were are you located?

That looks like a smoking deal for $2000ish.

What's the story on the instrument cluster??

What's the story on the instrument cluster??

That's a pretty rare part.  There was a dude doing those center tach conversions about a decade or so ago.

The PO scoured the neon board constantly when building the car and the very cool cluster and short shifter were two of the better finds.  He had the car for sale on and off for months but there were no takers.  As a street car it's a bit much with the unassisted power rack, on/off clutch and an estimated 300hp.  My plan to is to attend TNiA events at Gingerman next season if they hold them.  If the car stays together and I can avoid spending any money on it I'll take it to the Challenge in 2018.