Suzuki Swift GTI (1991) – Enthusiast Wanted

When you think of fast Japanese hatchbacks from the 80s and 90s, you probably quickly think of Hondas with a VTEC block in it. But did you know that Suzuki could also do something about it? The Suzuki Swift was (and is) a nice light and relatively smooth thing in itself, but certainly with the GTI you could raise eyebrows at the traffic lights. The second generation got the famous three-letter combination after its name to offer a rebuttal to the European standard GTIs. For this, Suzuki equipped the Swift with a considerably upgraded version of the 1.3 that you could also get in the regular Swift. Thanks to other camshafts, a different intake manifold and modified injection, the 1.3 of the GTI stamped out 101 hp, where the regular 1.3 only made it to 67 hp.

At a weight of less than 800 kilos, that power naturally led to nice sporty performance. 0 to 100 km / h was already over in about 8.5 seconds. Far from earth-shattering these days, but for a Swift that was really smooth. However, it mainly proved its added value in the corners, with its kart-like handling. The Swift GTI also got front and rear disc brakes to keep things under control. With, among other things, thicker bumper work, painted bumpers, light-alloy wheels, spotlights and a subtle roof spoiler, the Swift GTI also had that little bit extra in appearance. Sports seats? Present, just like a special GTI steering wheel and the most extensive instrumentation you could find in a Swift of that generation.

So a nice recipe for a lot of driving pleasure, and yet the Swift GTI has somewhat fallen into oblivion. Not in the least because it was considerably more expensive than the other Swifts and that undoubtedly contributed to the fact that not many of these were sold. In 2022, the offer is therefore very limited. In fact, as far as we can find, this black Swift GTI is the only one currently for sale in our country. Perhaps this is a great opportunity to get one. The black paint looks good, especially on the white wheels. According to the private seller, the result of a complete restoration, after he brought the car from Germany three years ago as a ‘barn find’. Not an original Dutch car, but one with the necessary documentation according to the current owner. That should also provide a definite answer about the neat mileage of 137,610 km.

As mentioned, the Swift should yield just under €7,000. That is certainly not tender for a Swift, but it may be a justified asking price for this one.