2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

Coupe

Turbocharged 2.2L Ecotec 4-cylinder, 233 hp

Manual

1G1AK12F357607040

Clear

Gasoline

2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2.2L, Turbo by Garrett Turbo by Garrett engineering development mule Offered to the public by the current private owner Less than 20,000 original miles This 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt coupe was a development vehicle for the Honeywell Turbo Technologies (aka Garrett Turbo) turbocharger retrofit kit for the 2005-2006 Cobalt with 2.2L Ecotec engine. It features a Garrett GT2860RS “Disco Potato” wastegated turbocharger with supporting components such as a unique exhaust manifold, downpipe, charge plumbing, intercooler, fueling upgrades and ECM tuning, all specifically designed for this car. It was bought new by Honeywell in 2005, served as the platform for developing the turbo kit, and underwent subsequent testing. It was sold to a Honeywell employee in 2009 at 13,000 miles and we are now listing the car for sale to the public for the first time. It is being listed for the current owner who is a friend. It has less than 20k miles on the clock and offers a smile-inducing turbo wallop in an inconspicuous wrapper. This Cobalt was featured on the Daily Turismo - please read their writeup of the car, including driving impressions! Click on any of the thumbnails below to view the larger image. This 2-door started life as a no-frills Cobalt base model coupe, with the 2.2 liter Ecotec four cylinder, 5-speed manual transmission, air conditioning, and AM/FM/CD stereo, with Ultra Silver Metallic paint. The car’s basic nature makes it a great sleeper on the street. In addition to the turbo kit, the car has been fitted with Motegi TrakLite 2.0 17” x 8” forged wheels and Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R tires in 225/45R17 size. Eibach Sportline springs were also installed along with a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch, and DC Sports cat-back stainless exhaust system. The paint shines great but does show a few minor chips and dings from testing. The side and rear windows have been tinted and give the car a cleaner look from the exterior. The plastic rub-strip on the driver’s side may need to be repainted due to sun fading on the top surface, but this does not jump out at the casual observer. One dime-sized ding in the hood above the passenger's side headlight chipped the paint to bare metal and shows some surface rust, but this is the only rust on the entire car. Everything on the car works as it should. All lights, radio, air conditioning, brakes, steering, and accessories are functional and show little wear based on the low mileage. The ride is moderately firm due to the Eibach lowering springs but this car is comfortable on the highway, does not clunk over bumps, and gets up to speed efortlessly. During light throttle cruising and idle, the exhaust is quiet. Start to squeeze the gas and the unique ball-bearing turbo spoolup sound is a reminder of the power on tap, and the exhaust tone changes to a growl. The only exterior cues to the turbo kit are the black Turbo by Garrett vinyl stickers applied on the doors and trunk. These are reasonably sized and tasteful but could be easily removed by the next owner if desired. The wheels compliment the car well with their black spokes and polished lips, and are featherweights at only 14.3 lbs each. Brakes are stock discs front and drums in rear. Pop the hood and it is obvious the Ecotec engine is far from stock. The original plastic cover and airbox were removed to make way for the turbocharger inlet tubing. The tubes were made by AEM and are aluminum, mandrel bent and powder coated with a graphite metallic color. An AEM dry-element air filter lives under the passenger’s side headlight, and all boots and elbows are black silicone. The turbo itself is the dual ball-bearing GT2860RS, commonly known as the Disco Potato. This is a compact and quick-spooling turbocharger that is capable of up to 360 hp as estimated by Garrett. This is an internally wastegated unit with an 0.64 A/R turbine housing. It lives behind the engine in the Cobalt, and is shrouded by a stainless steel heat shield on the turbine side to protect the engine and firewall from the exhaust heat. Preventing compressor surge when you close the throttle is a Bosch recirculating bypass valve which is an OE quality part and much quieter than the typical atmospheric blow-off valve (BOV). The intercooler is mounted low under the front bumper, and is composed of a Garrett air-to-air core with bar & plate construction, TIG welded to custom cast aluminum end tanks. The interior is clean and shows little wear. It is all stock in here, except for the addition of a Garrett branded boost gauge in the driver’s side A-pillar which is backlit by LEDs and lives in an OE GM gauge pod integrated into the pillar trim. This a-pillar pod was sourced from a Cobalt SS and looks like it belongs in the car. The front seats are stock and in near-new condition because of the low miles. The odometer confirms this car has driven less than 20,000 miles since new in 2005, which is an average of just 2500 miles per year. The instrument cluster features the large clear tachometer showing the 6500 rpm redline, with the info center below for mileage, outside temp, trip meters, coolant temp, oil life, and so on. The stock stereo functions perfectly and sounds decent for a standard GM system. The climate control retains its functionality after the turbo install; the air conditioning and heater work well. This car has the standard 5-speed manual transmission which shifts fine with no grinding. Shifts would be quicker with an aftermarket short shifter installed, but that is up to the new owner to decide. The door panels are clean and presentable and show light wear. The headliner is clean and intact. There are some white scuffs on the passenger side of the center console. Back seat and trunk are stock and intact as well. This is not the best seat in the house but it is surprisingly roomy for being in the back of a rakish coupe. The stock spare tire is located in the well beneath the trunk liner along with the jack and battery, which has been recently replaced and is as new. Stock emissions sticker is still in place under the hood showing this was originally a 2.2L non-turbo car. The DC Sports exhaust system ends with this nicely polished stainless steel muffler and large stainless tip. Some minor melting of the rear plastic bumper cover is evident from being in close proximity to the tip. The stock catalytic converter and stock 15" steel wheels will be included with the sale. The red Eibach Sportline springs are in perfect shape and give the car a nice subtly lowered stance. The underbody is clean and solid, with no rust or accident damage. This has been a Southern California car since day one and it shows underneath. There are some minor scrapes and bruises visible on the front end due to the lowered ride height and some of the bolt-on suspension pieces were replaced due to an off-track excursion during testing. During its time as an engineering development mule, this car was tested numerous times at several famous tracks in Southern California, including Willow Springs (on the main course), Buttonwillow Raceway, and the California Speedway infield for autocross. For straight-line speed and acceleration, before & after comparison testing was carried out at LACR (Los Angeles County Raceway), a 1/4 mile drag strip in the high desert that is now sadly closed. The current owner got a copy of its fastest 1/4-mile timeslip at LACR, which was 14.893 seconds at 94.556 mph on May 16, 2007. It has not been on a drag strip since that day. Cooling its jets in the LACR parking lot after a run down the strip. This Cobalt saw its share of paved track testing, but it was also put through its paces at an FRX rallycross event held on a dry lake bed in Johnson Valley, CA. The car wore its street tires in the dirt, and the spectacular images you see here were a result of that glorious day of speed in the great expanses of the California desert. The Ecotec four cylinder engine family is known for its strength in tuned applications. In stock form this 2.2 liter (134 cubic inch) engine was tested on the chassis dyno at AutoWave Inc, an independent tuner shop in Huntington Beach, CA. Without the turbo kit, it made 136.4 horsepower @ 5500 rpm at the wheels on their Dyno Dynamics dynamometer. Two months later with the finished turbo kit installed and tuned, it made 233 hp @ 5300 rpm, and over 270 lb-ft of torque @ 3650 rpm. Accounting for drivetrain losses through the transmission and differential this engine is likely making near 270 hp at the flywheel. Included when the car was bought from Honeywell were images of the original marketing flyer for the kit, and the spec sheet on the SCT Livewire flash tool used to "re-flash" calibrate the ECU after the turbo install. The engine tune was developed by SCT and loaded onto their flash tool, which was included when a customer bought the top-level Alpha turbo kit. Above are the kit components laid out for marketing photos; at left is everything that was included with the Garrett Cobalt Alpha kit. In the center is a close-up of the custom cast exhaust manifold and downpipe along with the GT2860RS turbo. These images were shot by Garrett showing the kit installed on a display engine. This gives a better idea of the layout of the kit as installed in the car; it is easier to see how the tubes are routed when the engine is not surrounded by everything else in the bay. The intercooler sits front and center under the plastic bumper cover and is generously sized for the power output of the engine at 12 psi. The original window sticker from the car's purchase in 2005 is included and can be seen here. The only options selected for the car as new were the power locks and trunk spoiler. The last images below were taken for a marketing photo shoot at the AAA California Speedway oval in Fontana, which is primarily a NASCAR track. This car is being sold with No Reserve. The auction ends on Saturday, March 16 2013 at 10:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).Payment: I will contact the winning bidder via email on the day the auction ends. $500 deposit due via Paypal within 48 hours of the auction's end. Balance is due by cashier's check or bank wire transfer only within 7 calendar days of auction's end. Terms of the auction: This car is being sold for off-road use only and/or for parts only if the buyer is in California. Buyer assumes all responsibility for emissions testing of the vehicle after purchase. This auction process is a legally binding contract into which you enter when you click "confirm" on your bid. Please ask all pertinent questions before bidding, and only bid if you have sufficient funds to purchase the car. This vehicle is sold as-is with no warranties expressed or implied. Post Auction details: The transportation costs are the full responsibility of the winning bidder, but I can assist with setting up the details and logistics. The car is located within short driving distance of the Port of Los Angeles. Overseas bidders may contact any of these nearby international shippers for a quote: Schumacher Cargo CFR / Rinkens California Shipping