Junkyard Gem: 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser with 5-speed manual transmission

Before we get started on today’s

Junkyard Gem

, let’s talk about what I mean by the word “Gem” in this context, because I’ve been getting a lot of hate mail from readers foaming at the mouth with rage because I dared to refer to such cars as the

Pontiac Sunfire

or

Subaru Tribeca

by that name. When I say “Gem” I mean it in the

historical

sense, not because I think a particular vehicle is a generally superior machine. OK? Now we can talk about a real junkyard rarity: a

PT Cruiser

with a manual transmission.

Chrysler

sold

PT Cruisers

in Europe and Japan, where manual transmissions are preferred, and the 5-speed manual was the base transmission in the North American-market PT Cruiser all the way up until the 2009 model year. However, most American and Canadian PT Cruiser buyers proved willing to spend the extra money to get an automatic transmission, because… well, PT Cruiser.

I found this car in a wrecking yard in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is such a hotbed of amateur racing and restoration of old British and Italian

sports cars

that perhaps residents have a slightly greater appreciation for three-pedal cars than Americans in general. With 150 horsepower moving 3,123 pounds— essentially a slightly bigger

Neon

— this car would have been more fun to drive than most

minivans

.

Later on, Chrysler dropped Neon SRT4 drivetrains into PT Cruisers, creating the 215-horse

GT Turbo PT Cruiser

. We think

a bustleback body kit

would go well with one of those cars.

“Take it easy, Mr. Satan!”