Here’s a Daewoo Racer, seen in March 2013 in the great city of Jinan, capital of Shandong Province. The poor Daewoo seemed abandoned, and it was in pretty bad shape. Still, a special car like this deserved a story.
The Daewoo Racer
The Daewoo Racer was a small sedan. The Racer, also known as ‘Le Mans’, was based on the German Opel Kadett E (1984-1991). Daewoo bought the rights to the platform from Opel in 1985. The Koreans added new headlights, a new grille, new rear lights, new badges, and that was about it. The Racer wasn’t a bad-looking car—on the contrary, the Opel design proved almost timeless.
The sporty five-spoke wheel covers are original, with the Daewoo brand name in the center.
Daewoo manufactured the Racer in South Korea from 1986 to 1994, when it was replaced by the Daewoo Cielo, which was basically a facelifted Racer. The Racer came in various trim levels, including Racer GTi, GLi, GLXi, ETi, and STi.
The interior
Daewoo kept the Opel’s interior as it was; only the steering wheel is different. The owner added seat covers and a steering wheel cover. The radio appears to be an aftermarket unit. The cabin of the car in the photos looked pretty sorry, with lots of dust and a broken passenger seat.
Specifications of the Daewoo Racer
Daewoo fitted the Racer with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 75 hp and 123 Nm. The transmission was a five-speed manual, sending horsepower to the front wheels. Daewoo claimed a 156 km/h top speed, and 0-100 took 12.5 seconds. It was quite thirsty, with a fuel consumption of 10.8L per 100 kilometers. The size of the Daewoo Racer was
The Daewoo Racer in China
Daewoo officially sold the Racer and several other models in China at the time. However, the company didn’t run a fully funded export operation. Instead, it shipped cars to China in small batches and sold them through large car markets alongside vehicles from other brands.
In the following years, Daewoo tried to expand in China in all sorts of ways, including through a semi-official joint venture, but none of these efforts worked out. Things only changed after GM bought Daewoo in 2001 and began producing Daewoo models through the SAIC-GM joint venture, albeit rebadged as Buicks and Chevrolets.
In the subsequent years, Daewoo tried to grow in China in all sorts of ways, including a semi-official joint venture, but it didn’t work out. Things only changed after GM bought Daewoo in 2001 and started producing Daewoo models at the SAIC-GM joint venture, albeit rebadged as Buick and Chevrolet.
A sad end to a promising idea, as Daewoo’s lineup of basic, affordable vehicles could have been a great success in China in the late 1990s and early 2000s.